MRI: Acquisition of a Sputtering System for Device and Material Research (SDMR) at Hispanic Gateway Institutions

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The objective of this research is to support ongoing multidisciplinary research and provide student training in semiconductor and thin film research through the acquisition of a Sputtering System for Device and Material Research at The University of Texas-Pan American and at The University of Texas at Brownsville. This approach is being taken to enrich the multidisciplinary research partnership and strengthen the collaboration between professors and students from the two institutions, attract new sources of research support, and elevate device and material education to a competitive level. The intellectual merit is focused on finding solutions to multidisciplinary issues such as higher reliability, easier thermal management, and simpler manufacturing processes in semiconductor materials and devices. The project supports and promotes a hands-on, entrepreneurial, educational experience in micro-fabrication to enhance research infrastructure through characterization, improvement and development of thin films and electronics devices.The broader impact includes academic enrichment in a historically underrepresented region of south Texas with a population of 1.5 million. The investigators will work to find out the key issues behind the low number of women entering the engineering discipline and to explain the necessity of having more women involved in this technology-related field. The acquisition will also help to prepare qualified and skilled graduate and undergraduate students and lays the foundation for strong integrated research and education initiatives centered on devices and materials at Minority Serving Institutions.