The Vermont Gallium-Nitride Tech Hub has secured another $3.4 million in funding from the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition for a cutting-edge microelectronics testing laboratory. The lab is expected to bolster innovation and economic development in Vermont and the Northeast, according to a news release.
The Gallium-Nitride Tech Hub is one of only 31 tech hubs in the country, and was awarded $23.7 million in federal money from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in January, the largest research award in University of Vermont history.
A consortium led by UVM and including GlobalFoundries and the State of Vermont, The Tech Hub is focused on gallium nitride (GaN), an innovative material that promises better performing chips than those made from traditional silicon for a range of industries, from electric vehicles to medical imaging equipment and consumer electronics.
“We are grateful to NEMC for supporting this key pillar of the Vermont Tech Hub,” Douglas Merrill, the University of Vermont’s regional innovation officer, said in a news release. “This will be the first publicly accessible lab in the nation that offers comprehensive testing and technical advice for high-power and high-frequency GaN and wide bandgap devices.”
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The V-GaN Test and Characterization Lab will provide NEMC and Tech Hub member businesses and researchers with advanced testing services for high power and high frequency devices, such as semiconductor chips used in motor controllers, power inverters, voltage regulators, battery chargers and amplifiers and switches for 5G/6G devices and radar applications.
The GlobalFoundries semiconductor plant in Essex Junction, formerly IBM, has been working with GaN in two areas: power converters and RF (radio frequency) communications.
In RF communications, a GaN transistor can provide higher frequency and a stronger signal from any personal device such as a cellphone, or from infrastructure such as cellphone towers, supporting 5G and beyond, according to Scott Johnson, senior director of technology development.
The South Burlington facility, expected to open in January 2026, will be operated by the University of Vermont and housed within the OnLogic headquarters building in Technology Park. The NEMC funding will pay for building out the infrastructure as well as operating expenses for the facility. UVM will provide management and back-office support to the lab.