ASU and Deca Technologies selected to lead $100M SHIELD USA project to strengthen U.S. semiconductor packaging capabilities

The National Institute of Standards and Technology — part of the U.S. Department of Commerce — announced today that it plans to award as much as $100 million to Arizona State University and Deca Technologies for the SHIELD USA initiative.

The project will drive innovation in the domestic microchip packaging ecosystem, expand capacity for domestic advanced packaging and help regain U.S. leadership in microelectronics while strengthening national security.

It is the first of several research and development programs to be launched by the CHIPS National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP). This first program, focused on organic materials and substrates, will be a vital part of the broader $11 billion CHIPS R&D program administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce. 

“This is a critical step for U.S. semiconductor independence, and it is the area of expertise in which we are in direct competition with China to determine who will unlock the future of innovation in semiconductor chip manufacturing,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “ASU is well prepared with a dynamic partner in Deca Technologies, and we are eager to lead the work that will enable SHIELD USA to play a pivotal role in ensuring the country’s technological and economic future.”

The SHIELD USA (Substrate-based Heterogeneous Integration Enabling Leadership Demonstration for the USA) team is led by ASU’s Jason Conrad, SHIELD USA program director and chief operating officer of the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub; and Craig Bishop, chief technology officer of Deca Technologies. It will design and develop molded core substrates that enable leap-ahead performance in organic substrate-based microelectronics packages.

Advanced substrates are physical platforms that allow multiple semiconductor chips to be assembled seamlessly together, enable high-bandwidth communication between those chips, efficiently deliver power and dissipate unwanted heat. The advanced packaging enabled by advanced substrates translates to high-performance computing for artificial intelligence, next-generation wireless communication and more efficient power electronics.

SHIELD USA will focus on developing the domestic advanced packaging ecosystem — working with core partners to deliver process demonstrators — and enabling industry research, testing and qualification of new materials, processes, equipment and designs.

Its primary focus is in four areas:

• Accelerate R&D and commercial deployment: SHIELD USA will drive the development of next-generation materials and substrates, accelerating the innovation cycle with a focus on a proven technology transfer and licensing model to enhance U.S. manufacturing capabilities.
• Strengthen domestic supply chains: By developing and scaling proven processes, materials and equipment, SHIELD USA will create a robust foundation for high-volume U.S. semiconductor packaging production, thereby enhancing national security and economic resilience.
• Expand workforce and research capacity: ASU’s expertise in workforce development will be leveraged to provide new educational resources, including tailored course materials and training programs for underserved communities, with a focus on upskilling and reskilling workers in semiconductor technology.
• Support U.S. leadership in semiconductor packaging: By building a sustainable, domestic advanced packaging infrastructure, SHIELD USA will secure the long-term viability of the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and ensure its ability to meet growing global demand.

Microelectronics packaging is heavily concentrated in Asia, costing the United States its technological leadership and posing significant risks to national security and supply chain resilience. Even as leading-edge semiconductor foundries have returned to the U.S., packaging remains based in Asia. SHIELD USA’s impact on advanced packaging technologies will enable the reshoring of packaging to reestablish the domestic supply chain.

“To bring substrate manufacturing back to the U.S., we need to change the game. More than incremental progress, we need 10X breakthroughs,” Deca Technologies’ Bishop said. “This is a fantastic example of a university working in close partnership with industry to drive innovation, and we’re excited to partner so closely with ASU and to collaborate with leading industry players in this effort to reestablish technology leadership.”

Deca’s M-Series fan-out wafer-level packaging and Adaptive Patterning technologies have been broadly adopted across multiple device technology nodes in leading smartphones today. SHIELD USA will leverage these proven building blocks to scale down feature sizes and scale out heterogeneous integration of chiplets — both of which are critical for future chips.

At the heart of this initiative is ASU’s MacroTechnology Works, home to the Advanced Electronics and Photonics Core Facility. Drawing on the unmatched capabilities offered by ASU and partners such as Deca, researchers are exploring the commercial viability of 300 mm wafer-level and 600 mm panel-level manufacturing, a technology that does not exist as a commercial capability in the U.S. today.

SHIELD USA will accelerate the creation of a domestic ecosystem of new high-technology advanced packaging service providers, or interconnect foundries, centered on molded core substrate and fan-out wafer-level packaging technologies. Commercial deployments will boost domestic production, accelerate the innovation cycle and increase resilience in the microelectronics supply chain.

“By engaging key design and manufacturing partners early in the R&D process and leveraging a proven technology transfer and licensing model, SHIELD USA will cement the United States’ intellectual property position,” said Sally Morton, executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise, which focuses on research. “Commercialization at multiple high-volume manufacturers will allow the U.S. to retake leadership in both state-of-the-art chip manufacturing and leading-edge semiconductor packaging.”

SHIELD USA’s education, training and workforce development programs will support the human capital necessary to establish interconnected foundries and enable a robust foundation for a sustainable domestic pipeline of packaging substrates and materials research and manufacturing for years to come. ASU’s education and workforce development efforts bring industry-relevant training through microcredentials, quick-start programs for working professionals, and mobile platforms to engage the next generation of microelectronics scientists and engineers starting at the K–12 level.

In addition to Deca Technologies, the SHIELD USA team includes participation from several major semiconductor companies, including AMD, IBM, NXP, Synopsys, Saras Micro Devices and Analog Devices. These companies will provide crucial test chips and support for the technology's design, simulation and testing. Additionally, key domestic packaging manufacturers, such as IBM and SkyWater Technology, will aid in scaling and deploying the technology in U.S.-based facilities.

“The key to the United States’ long-term competitiveness hinges on our ability to out-innovate and out- build the rest of the world,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is among the dignitaries who have visited ASU’s MacroTechnology Works over the past several years. “That’s why the R&D side of the CHIPS for America Program is so fundamental to our success, and these proposed investments in advanced packaging underscore the work we’re doing to prioritize every step of the semiconductor supply chain pipeline.”