Troy, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as part of a multi-university research team, was recently awarded a Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant in the amount of $465,000 to enhance semiconductor materials.

Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics, is working with a group of researchers from across the country to develop epitaxial multifunction materials — multilayer single-crystal oxide thin films and multilayer single-crystal junctions — for use in semiconductors.

Each material layer will be designed to perform a different function, enhancing the semiconductor’s performance and flexibility while decreasing its cost and size. Applications for the materials include high-frequency, high-temperature, and high-power devices, such as radar equipment.

“The grant is significant in that it supports fundamental research in support of national defense, but the applications cross over into the commercial sector as well,” said Arthur Sanderson, vice president for research at Rensselaer. “Applications for the commercial market include more powerful, more efficient wireless communication devices and computing systems.”

The research team, led by Georgia Institute of Technology, also includes Princeton, University of Maryland, Cornell, Penn State, and University of Minnesota.

The development of epitaxial multifunction materials could also help advance research taking place in Rensselaer’s Center for Broadband Data Transport Science and Technology, including the development of terahertz emitters and detectors, according to Shur, director of the center.

“Preliminary research results show great potential for applications in terahertz technology, which can be used for detection of hazardous biological agents and many other emerging applications,” said Shur.

According to the Department of Defense web site, the MURI program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts that intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline. MURI awards provide long-term support for research, graduate students, and laboratory instrumentation development that support specific science and engineering research themes vital to national defense.

Contact: Mary Cimo
Phone: (518) 687-7174
E-mail: cimom@rpi.edu