M-ATOMS Showcases Progress at Second Annual Conference

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group photo of the µ-Atoms team

The Manipulation of Atomic Ordering for Manufacturing Semiconductors, or shortened to μ-ATOMS, hosted its second annual conference in late August. The μ-ATOMS center is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Frontier Research Center program.

Sandia National Laboratories hosted the conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Attendees included researchers and administrators of the participating institutions and the Department of Energy program. This conference showcased the Energy Frontier Research Center's research, management and workforce development, as well as its long-term goal in semiconductor research.

In 2022, the U of A was awarded a $10.3 million grant to establish the very first Energy Frontier Research Center in Arkansas. This highly prestigious award brought together 10 participating institutions to study the influence of atomic ordering on semiconductors and develop the next generation workforce in semiconductor research and applications.

Participating institutions include the Arizona State University, Dartmouth College, George Washington University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Sandia National Laboratories, Stanford University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of California-Berkeley, University of Delaware and the U of A.

The goal of the μ-ATOMS Energy Frontier Research Center is to support the national strategy to strengthen the United States' capability in semiconductor development as part of the CHIPS and Science Act passed by Congress in 2022. This year's conference highlighted talks with collaborators from Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratories, the University of New Mexico and the University of California-San Diego. Experts from these institutions shared their knowledge on topics ranging from microelectronic co-design to long- and short-range order-disorder transitions. This event is a unique gathering of those at the forefront of atomic ordering semiconductor research and its future implications.

The μ-ATOMS research center is planning to hold its third annual conference next fall. More information on the μ-ATOMS center is available here.