The CHIME Center

Mission

The Co-design and Heterogeneous Integration in Microelectronics for Extreme Environments (CHIME) Center is dedicated to research on microelectronics that can function in extreme environments, such as exposure to very hot or cold temperatures and high levels of radiation.

There are four CHIME Center projects that coordinate around this common theme:

The CHIME Center is one of three 2024 Microelectronics Science Research Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Focus Areas

The CHIME Center includes science activities that develop next-generation materials, devices and integration technologies. Subtasks include activities that span from developing deployable integration solutions to foundational approaches in radiation performance testing and extreme-environment materials modeling. The center creates opportunities for co-design within and across projects by combining a comprehensive suite of scientific expertise, materials synthesis, fabrication, device design, testing and multiscale integration — linking processes and models across different time and length scales to create a unified understanding of complex systems. Basic science activities are guided by industry collaborators and advisers.

Three center research thrusts and a cross-cutting theme have been identified and will be reevaluated annually as part of an active management process. These are:

• Materials and Fabrication

• Electronics and Photonics Development

• Monolithic and Heterogeneous Integration

• Cross-cutting Theme: Extreme Environment Testing and Materials/Device Characterization

Funding

The DOE designated $179 million in funding for three Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs) — CHIME, Microelectronics Energy Efficiency Research Center for Advanced Technologies and Extreme Lithography & Materials Innovation Center. These three MSRCs will perform basic research in microelectronics materials, device and system design, and manufacturing science to transform future microelectronics technologies.

MSRCs were authorized by the Micro Act, passed in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and complement the activities appropriated under the CHIPS and Science Act at the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense and other agencies.

Page updated

Report abuse