Published: 04-04-08
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today announced the state will invest $500000 through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) in Xitronix Corporation of Austin for the development of a breakthrough technology to directly rapidly and non-destructively test semiconductor wafers for defects in the early manufacturing stages earlier than current technology allows.
“Today’s world moves faster than it has at any time in history” Gov. Perry said. “Knowledge and capital are rapidly being deployed to parts of the world where the right combination of talent technology business climate infrastructure and markets converge. By investing in the development and commercialization of highly demanded cutting edge technology Texas is making a direct contribution to the future of consumer products.”
Xitronix’s technology allows semiconductor manufacturers to identify defective wafers earlier in the manufacturing process and determine whether critical steps in the process have been completed successfully saving time and money.
Semiconductor chips which are made from silicon compounds carry electric currents and are an integral part of almost every consumer electronic device including cell phones televisions and computers. Xitronix’s process measures the electronic properties of the chips as they are manufactured ensuring their proper performance and helping eliminate defective chips much earlier than existing quality control methods.
Xitronix has already released a patented 200mm platform that has revolutionized the high volume manufacturing of semiconductor chips. The improved 300mm process will directly benefit Austin-based technology companies such as Advanced Micro Device(AMD).
Xitronix is partnering with the Austin Technology Incubator the Nanomaterials Application Center at Texas State University and SEMATECH. The company has already received $500000 from private investors and will use the TETF grant to accelerate worldwide commercialization of the innovative 300mm system in 2008.
The TETF is a $200 million initiative created by the Texas Legislature in 2005 at the governor’s request and was reauthorized in 2007. A 17-member advisory committee of high-tech leaders entrepreneurs and research experts reviews potential projects and recommends funding allocations to the Governor Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House. To date the TETF has allocated $109 million in funds to Texas companies and universities.
For more information on the TETF please visit www.emergingtechfund.com.
