Microelectronics Commons Call for Projects

Call for Projects Awards by Hub

California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub (CA DREAMS)

• Electromagnetic Warfare ($16.2M) 
  • GaN Amplifier Prototypes Targeting Microwave to Submillimeter-wave Frequency Spectrum
    • The award aims to mature advanced gallium nitride (GaN) technology to enable broad-spectrum, high power, and high efficiency solutions for future DoD EW systems. The project will develop GaN amplifier chipsets from the microwave to the sub-millimeter wave frequency spectrum making advancements at the semiconductor-device, the integrated circuit, and the package level.
• 5G/6G ($15.7M) 
  • AmmP3 – Accelerated mmW Phased Array Prototyping
    • The award will support the development 5G/6G-relevant prototypes to accelerate availability of high-performance front ends, including phased array antennas, beamforming integrated circuits (ICs), and broadband amplifiers integrated using state-of-the-art (SOTA) advanced (2.5D and 3D heterogeneous integration [HI]) packaging for leading-edge size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) systems.

Connect with the CA DREAMS Hub

California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware Hub (NW AI)

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($6.7M)
  • Energy-Efficient and Scalable AI Hardware Systems through Heterogeneous Integration of Specialized Chiplets
    • This project will use innovations in semiconductor materials, integration technologies and AI system architecture to drastically improve energy consumption and performance of AI hardware. Interconnected heterogeneous chiplets, built using leading-edge CMOS and 3D CMOS+X semiconductor technologies such as carbon nanotube transistors, resistive memory, and oxide semiconductors, form the foundation for such AI systems.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($5.7M)
  • Energy-Efficient, Scalable, and Self-Learning AI Hardware with 3D Electronic-Photonic-Integrated-Circuits
    • This project pursues transformative improvements in AI Hardware’s speed, energy-efficiency, scalability, and self-learning capabilities for next-generation U.S. defense needs. The project approach combines “best-of-both-worlds” innovations in photonics and electronics including CMOS+X devices and integrates them into compact 3D photonic-electronic-integrated circuit modules.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($4M)
  • CMOS+X: Integrated Ferroelectric Technologies for Ultra Efficient AI Hardware
    • This project aims to substantially improve energy efficiency for future AI hardware by exploiting unique properties of ferroelectric materials. This project will focus on lowering the power supply voltage of computing hardware as well as achieving non-volatile memory that can be directly integrated with the microprocessor.

Connect with NW AI Hub

Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide-bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS)

• Commercial Leap Ahead ($3.83M) 
  • High Permittivity Dielectrics to Increase the Performance of III-Nitride Transistors
    • The award will increase the efficiency and radiation hardness of advanced transistors used in avionics and satellite applications.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($3.68M) 
  • Transition Readiness for NITride Rf Overmatch (T/R NITRO)
    • The award will deliver advance prototypes of high frequency transistors and circuits for use in electronic warfare, radars, and 5G/6G telecommunications.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($7.82M) 
  • Advanced High Voltage Silicon Carbide Switches
    • The award will push the development of 6.5 to 10 kV planar field-effect transistors (FETs) into a low-volume production environment and develop 6.5 to 10 kV Superjunction (SJ) devices, in which the U.S. is at the forefront of competition.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($3.52M)   
  • Advanced Power Switches using UWBG Gallium Oxide
    • The award will advance the state-of-the-art in gallium oxide high voltage switching devices by producing power diodes and power transistors capable of blocking up to 10kV, and make available the epilayers, devices, and composite substrates to the DoD and community at-large through the CLAWS hub.

Connect with CLAWS Hub

Midwest Microelectronics Consortium (MMEC)

• 5G/6G ($8M) 
  • Wideband Multifunctional Software Defined Radio (WMSDR)
    • Solve critical need for the Warfighter with heterogeneous RF reconfigurable filters and a multi-function transceiver architecture.
    • Wideband SDR capable of selectively attenuating interfering signals of interest will enable a low SWAP 5G/6G solution that can successfully operate in contested and congested environments.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($1.6M) 
  • • Ultra Efficient In-Hardware Prototype Using Hyperdimensional Computing
      • Demonstrate an FPGA-driven, ferroelectric diode-based compute-in-memory prototype that slashes sample, time, and power burdens by orders of magnitude compared with state-of-practice CPU/GPU implementations.
      • Breakthroughs will unlock the full potential of AI at the true edge - in size-, weight-, and power-constrained platforms from drones to vehicles to mobile devices.

• Electromagnetic Warfare ($8.6M)
  • Co-packaged Reconfigurable Signal and Intelligence Architecture (CORSAIR)
    • Fully programmable, RF-enabled dual-use chiplet targeting >20x system-level performance versus incumbent technology in signal processing and artificial intelligence via a novel Configurable Spatial Architecture (CSA) runtime, reconfigurable array (RTRA).
    • Reshore processor manufacturing.
• Electromagnetic Warfare ($8.8M) 
  • Center for Technology Transition and Rapid Prototyping of Infrared Detectors
    • Cost-effective advanced large-format 3D infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPAs) by integrating pre-screened high-yield Digital Read Out Integrated Circuit (DROIC) chiplets with seamless large infrared sensor array via a high-yield, high-aspect-ratio interposer wafer.
    • Prototype a broad-band midwave-infrared (MWIR) detector with a nominal of 4k x 4k resolution and a 10 µm pixel pitch.
• Secure Edge/Internet of Things (IoT) ($4.8M) 
  • Validated GPU Based Secure Processing Module
    • Develop and demonstrate a Secure GPU prototype that is based on mature commercial GPUs and proven secure processor concepts to enable a forward-looking architecture for a family of secure edge GPU ecosystems for both DoD and commercial applications.
    • Low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) secure GPU modules will enable users to rapidly deploy and update emerging AI algorithms to promote an asymmetric advantage in AI and sensor processing.

Connect with MMEC

Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC)

• Electromagnetic Warfare ($4M) 
  • LADDER: a giant Leap AheaD for all filter DesignERs!
    • Project delivers a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter creation tool, enabling all electrical engineers to rapidly design filters to meet given specifications, thus enabling broader adoption of BAW filters in Radar, Electromagnetic Warfare, Comms, and general commercial applications spanning S through X and Ku bands.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($4.5M) 
  •  Power Systems: Transition of High Al% AlGaN from Lab to Fab
    • Project focused on the lab-to-fab transfer of advanced semiconductor technologies in order to improve the performance of state-of-the-art high voltage switches by an order of magnitude, resulting in more efficient power management solutions with smaller footprints.
• Quantum Technology ($9.6M) 
  • Community‐driven Hybrid Integrated Quantum‐Photonic Integrated circuits (CHIQPI)
    • Project focused on the creation of a community-accessible, manufacture-grade quantum-classical hybrid integration platform with the potential to significantly reduce the size, weight, power and cost of quantum systems for use in Department of Defense applications.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($7.9M) 
  • Lab‐to‐Fab Transfer of CMOS+memristor Chips for Edge Intelligence
    • Project focused on the lab-to-fab development and transfer of hybrid chips and systems integrating memristor devices with CMOS leading to compact, fast, intelligent and secure electronic systems for edge-intelligence applications.
• 5G/6G ($6M) 
  • Wideband, Scalable MIMO arrays for NextG Systems: From Antennas to Decoders
    • • Project focused on the development of wideband, scalable transmit/receive MIMO systems for 5G/6G deployments, enabling lower costs and increases in overall network capacity.
• Electromagnetic Warfare ($5.6M) 
  • • Wideband Same‐Frequency STAR Array Platform Based on Heterogeneous Multi-Domain Self‐Interference Cancellation
      • Project focused on the development of wideband same-frequency STAR array platforms for next-generation EW applications.

Connect with NEMC

Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH)

• Quantum ($8.9M) 
  • Improved Materials for Superconducting Qubits with Scalable Fabrication
    • NY CREATES and partners in academia, industry, and government will co-develop technologies necessary to demonstrate scalable quantum error correction, using new materials, innovative quantum circuits and qubit control schemes.
• Quantum ($8.5M) 
  • Quantum Ultra-broadband Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (QUPICS)
    • The QUPICS team, led by the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) and Cornell University, will develop a novel 300mm foundry fabrication platform for quantum technologies which will span the ultraviolet to the infrared.
• Quantum ($3.9M) 
  • Heterogeneous Quantum Networking
    • The Rochester Institute of Technology, AFRL, and partners plan to realize a heterogeneous quantum network (HQN) that connects ion-based qubits with superconducting and photonic-based qubits using high speed photonics chips.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($8.4M) 
  • Nitride RF Next-Generation Technology (NITRIDER)
    • High-speed gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have revolutionized defense radar and communication systems, despite delivering only 1/10th of the radio frequency (RF) output power for which this semiconductor family is capable. In this project, Cornell University and its team will unleash the dormant 90% output using novel and patented nitride HEMTs and aluminum nitride (AIN) substrates.

Connect with NORDTECH

Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons (SCMC)

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($8.7M) 
  • CHEETA: CMOS+MRAM Hardware for Energy-EfficienT AI
    • This project seeks to develop a neuromorphic processor with in-memory computing (IMC) to overcome the von Neumann bottleneck and MRAM for higher density and energy efficiency that enables a new generation of robust energy efficient AI. The desired end-state will see a greater than 100X improvement in energy efficiency and sensor-to-decision latency over current commercial state-of-the-art solutions.
• Electromagnetic Warfare ($6.2M) 
  • High-Performance Diamond Electronics for Next Generation Defense Systems
    • This project seeks to to develop a new generation of diamond-based high power radio frequency (RF) transistors for future electronic warfare systems and the associated power transistors to condition the sensor prime power.
• Secure Edge/Internet of Things (IoT) ($2.8M)   
  • IMCRYPTO: An Efficient Hardware Crypto Engine based on In-Memory Computing
    • This project seeks to fabricate and assess a cryptographic accelerator that offers enhanced security and orders of magnitude improvement to key metrics such as throughput, energy consumption and latency.
• Secure Edge/Internet of Things (IoT) ($9.2M) 
  • Modular Digital Direct Waveform Synthesizer w/ Integrated ADC Functionality (DDWS)
    • This project seeks to develop the first broadband Digital Direct Waveform Synthesizer that is highly programmable, offers high-speed communication links, direct data acquisition for flexible processing, secure storage, and ability to create a root-of-trust processing environment. Successful development will lead to advancements in performance of cognitive radar, EW, ISR, and ELINT systems.

Connect with SCMC

Southwest Advanced Prototyping (SWAP)

• 5G/6G ($5.1M)   
  • Integrated RF GaN Technology to Support NextG … Wireless Systems
    • This project leverages disruptive innovations in radio equipment to offer dynamic adjustments through small form-factor Gallium nitride (GaN) power amplifier technology.
• 5G/6G ($5.7M) 
  • SMART – Scalable Modular Architecture for RF Transceivers
    • The project aims to advance radio frequency (RF) transceiver technology to improve national defense and commercial capabilities.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hardware ($6M) 
  • Spaceborne Low-Energy AI Computing (SLEAC)
    • The project aims to extend the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to satellites orbiting the planet by directly integrating a highly efficient, radiation hard AI chip with focal plane array image sensors used in space.
• Commercial Leap Ahead ($5M) 
  • Multi-MHz, High Density, Ultra-fast RADAR Power Converter
    • This project will advance radar power systems in critical defense applications. The project will specifically develop a multi-megahertz, multi-kilowatt, high-density ultra-fast radar power converter that forms the heart of advanced radar systems.
• Secure Edge/Internet of Things (IoT) ($7.8M) 
  • ARC-V Secure Processor
    • The project’s primary objective is to create a secure, low-power processor that allows the military to confidently deploy advanced systems, even in contested environments, that rely on powerful but vulnerable commercial electronics.

Connect with SWAP

Call for Projects Project Information Below is No Longer Current due to Submission Deadline Closing

The Microelectronics Commons Call for Projects has been amended.

A summary of amendments are as follows:

D1 – Added Submission Directions
D2 – Added EDA Tools and IP and Core Access Report // Letters of Support// References//Added Does not count towards 20-page limit
D3(c)- Added EDA Tools / Letters of Support/Heilmeier Responses/References
D4 – Added 15) Identify technology area, topic number(s), and project proposal number XX of 15 (e.g Project Proposal 1 of 15)
D5- Title change to “ Contents of Price Response”
D5 – Removed “severable” from instructions table (Payable Milestone Schedule)

You can find the complete amended Call for Projects under Key Documents.

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Project Background

Microelectronics Commons is a CHIPS and Science Act-funded national network for onshore, microelectronics hardware-focused prototyping, laboratory to fabrication (lab-to fab) transition of semiconductor technologies and semiconductor workforce training. In 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) established the Microelectronics Commons – a network of eight regional Hubs to evolve laboratory prototypes to fabrication prototypes and to strengthen the semiconductor workforce. Annually, Hubs will compete for project awards. These annual project awards may include infrastructure (physical, digital, and human) required to accomplish the proposed prototypes. This Call for Projects (CFP) describes the desired capabilities for which project proposals are being sought.

Microelectronics Commons Hub facilities include laboratory prototype capabilities, which typically includes ≤100 mm and ≤200 mm tooling for compound semiconductor and silicon based technologies, respectively. Hubs can also generate and mature prototypes for Cores to scale up for subsequent potential selection by the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and/or industrial microelectronics companies, such as fabless or Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs), for commercialization. The role of the regional Hubs is to connect researchers and designers to prototyping capabilities targeted to strengths in the Hub’s technical topic areas.

Microelectronics Commons Cores are fabs/foundries, manufacturing facilities where semiconductor devices are manufactured, that have scalable capacity for prototyping beyond what the regional Hubs can provide (fab prototyping). They are available for use by innovators that run the gamut from university and small business up to large industrial concerns. Cores typically have 300 mm capabilities for silicon-based technologies (other sizes are technology appropriate) and are facilities that can demonstrate prototypes with the volume and characteristics required to ensure reduced risk for manufacturing. Cores serve a dual function: First, they serve to further complement and advance the work of the regional Hubs; i.e., they are integral to the Hubs themselves. For example, they provide capabilities at ≥200 mm wafer fab for silicon complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor- (CMOS-) compatible technologies and ≥100 mm wafer fab for compound semiconductors. Second, they serve to engage with commercial fabs and better align regional Hubs to commercial processes to facilitate transition of technologies.

Current State and Desired End-State

Innovative prototypes to include microelectronics materials, processes, devices, and architectural designs will be supported. Activities executed within Microelectronics Commons shall primarily fall under Budget Activity (BA) 3, although activities that fall under Budget Activities 2 and 4 will also be supported if they are in support of the lab-to-fab prototype. (e.g., BA 2 activities may be needed to support iterative development, and BA 4 activities may be needed to support the transition of a project to DoD demonstrators.)

For further discussion on research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) budget activities, see the DoD Financial Management Regulation, DoD 7000.14-R, Volume 2B, Chapter 5. (VOLUME_2B (defense.gov).

For further discussion on Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs), see the Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Deskbook, Version 2.0. https://www.dodmrl.com/MRL_Deskbook_V2.pdf

Microelectronics Commons will support prototype projects across six technical areas that are critical to the DoD. Those areas are: Secure Edge/Internet of Things Computing, 5G/6G Technology, Artificial Intelligence Hardware, Quantum Technology, Electromagnetic Warfare, and Commercial Leap Ahead. Specifically, prototype projects that achieve the desired capabilities as described in the Desired Capabilities document (Attachments c-h) are being sought. The current state, desired end-state, and success criteria for those prototype projects are included in the Desired Capabilities document.

The end-state goal is microelectronics hardware-focused prototyping and lab-to-fab transition of semiconductor technologies. For lab-to-fab prototyping, the fab prototype must at least match if not exceed lab prototype technical specifications, and there must be a path to manufacturability in a Core (i.e., a foundry or fab). Projects that have been demonstrated in a lab and are ready for prototyping in a fab will have higher priority than lab prototyping projects.

View the full Call for Projects (CFP) under Key Documents on the right side of the page.

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Microelectronics Commons Technology Projects

5G/6G Technology Projects

Artificial Intelligence Hardware Projects

Commercial Leap-Ahead Projects

Electromagnetic Warfare Projects

Secure Edge Computing/IoT Projects

Quantum Technology Projects

You can also find the Commons Call for Projects by technology area on the main opportunity dashboard under Microelectronics Commons.

Connect With a Hub

The Microelectronics Commons program is comprised of eight regional Hubs, each managing their own network of commercial innovators. Those who are interested in contributing their capabilities in support of the Microelectronics Commons program must join a Hub. Click the button below to learn more about each Hub and how to get in touch.