Tiptek Awarded Phase I SBIR Funding from the CHIPS Metrology Program

September 18, 2024 – Tiptek has been awarded Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from the CHIPS Metrology Program. This SBIR project aims to create a new and critically-needed semiconductor manufacturing metrology: Gigahertz SEM-based nanoprobes.

Current nanoprober technology is limited to DC or megahertz frequency probing, which is orders of magnitude slower than the current chip clock speeds of about six gigahertz and limits the ability of semiconductor failure analysis engineers to locate and analyze high frequency electrical faults. The emergence of next-generation gate-all-around (GAA) transistor technology and ground-breaking backside power distribution chip architecture will significantly increase the reliance upon nanoprobing as now-routine laser-based failure analysis techniques become obsolete. A successful project outcome will greatly enhance nanoprobing by developing novel and advanced gigahertz nanoprobes that deploy ultra-high frequency signals. Currently unavailable, this capability will enable the nanoprobing instrument to analyze next-generation computer chip and transistor architectures to locate high-speed electrical failures that are difficult or impossible to detect.

About CHIPS for America:  CHIPS for America has allocated over $32 billion in proposed funding across 16 states and proposed to invest billions more in research and innovation, which will create over 115,000 jobs. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris Administration, semiconductor and electronics companies have announced over $400 billion in private investments, catalyzed in large part by public investment. CHIPS for America is part of President Biden and Vice President Harris’s economic plan to invest in America, stimulate private sector investment, create good-paying jobs, make more in the United States, and revitalize communities left behind. CHIPS for America includes the CHIPS Program Office, responsible for manufacturing incentives, and the CHIPS Research and Development Office, responsible for R&D programs, that both sit within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce. Visit https://www.chips.gov to learn more.