UNT, Texas Instruments to use $2.2 million for NSF-funded nanotechnology project

UNT and Texas Instruments Inc. recently received a $992,000 National Science Foundation grant to help create faster, more reliable integrated circuits like those used in modern computers and cell phones. When support from both UNT and TI is added to the grant, the project — Nanoscale Characterization and Development of Ultra Low-k Dielectric Xerogel Films — will be funded for a total of $2.2 million.

With the NSF grant, UNT faculty members Richard F. Reidy and Moon J. Kim in materials science and Dennis W. Mueller in physics, along with Texas Instruments scientist Phillip D. Matz, will conduct studies on materials used to insulate copper wires for a clear electrical signal.

"The insulation of these wires prevents electrical cross talk, which occurs when an electrical signal in one wire influences a signal in an adjacent wire," says Reidy. "Insulation materials currently in use incorporate holes or pores in silicon dioxide – a commonly used insulating material. The pores in the silicon dioxide insulate the chip's electrical signals the way porous insulating materials in attics insulate a home from heat."

Although porous insulation can be a possible solution to cross talk, pores make the material weaker — sometimes too brittle to withstand chip-manufacturing processes.

Through the NSF grant, UNT and TI researchers are investigating ways to improve insulation materials without making them brittle. The researchers are studying how variations in tiny regions between pores affect their insulating behavior and strength. Conclusions from the research will be used to develop improved porous materials to make faster, more reliable integrated circuits.

"The primary beneficiaries of this type of research are the consumer and the economy," says Reidy. "The technology being developed with this project will improve the quality of almost all electronic devices used in everyday life. This study will also help train the next generation of scientists."

Funding from this grant will provide a UNT undergraduate, two graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher with experiences in both academic research and industrial development.

"Through weekly meetings, each student will have the opportunity to work with TI on issues critical to future industry needs," says Matz. "This hands-on research will allow students to apply what they've learned in the classroom and gain practical experience."

Reidy agrees. "Students will learn valuable lessons about research and about collaboration by observing the teamwork between UNT and TI," he says.

He says the project, whose beginnings can be traced to a faculty development leave Mueller took at TI in 1998, has received much support from the TI management.

"They have been an active benefactor of our research, sharing instrumentation, providing summer fellowships and promoting our work to semiconductor organizations," says Reidy.

"It's impossible in today's research environment for a single investigator to be an expert in all areas required for success," he says. "Building a compatible team of researchers with complementary skills and a forward-looking industrial partner is crucial in delivering a product that will have far-reaching effects for future technology."

BY CATHY CASHIO ccashio@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT Board of Regents approves design, construction of UNT Sorority Row
• Almost 2,000 expected to graduate during UNT commencement ceremonies Aug. 9
• About the commencement speaker
• TAMS receives 2003-04 funds
• UNT to award scholarship for 12 credit hours with Family Weekend drawing
• Howdy Week events planned Aug. 24-30
• UNT's Summer II enrollment down slightly from last year's total enrollment numbers
• Changes made to state employee benefits, leave, compensation policies
• UNT historian debunks Revolutionary myths

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