SkyWater to Expand Microelectronics Production Hub With Potential $170M DoD Investment

Bloomington, Minn.-based microlectronics manufacturing company SkyWater Technology is set to receive a $170M investment from the Department of Defense to expand a factory for radiation-hardened electronic components under a multi-phase expansion project.

DoD plans to initially allocate $80M to help SkyWater add a 90-nanometer rad-tolerant production line and implement a copper dual-damascene interconnect technology at the manufacturer’s Trusted Foundry, the company said Monday.

The department may also exercise options to support work on advanced microelectronics through future phases of the project.

œAs a solely U.S. owned and operated Technology Foundry, we are committed to supporting aerospace and defense customers,” said SkyWater President Thomas Sonderman.

“This investment marks a deepening of our relationship with this community, reinforces the credibility of our business model and expands our technology platforms allowing us to also increase the scope of our serviceable commercial markets.”

SkyWater aims to its expand rad-hard process with the use of a partially depleted silicon on insulator technology in an effort to increase the reliability of microelectronic devices for space and military use.

The company said that adding an Cu interconnect can boost IC performance and supports a road map to produce geometry nodes that exceed 90 nm.

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