We at Penn State are convinced that a coordinated national effort involving educational, scientific, federal, and industrial communities could generate a new paradigm for workforce development that will restore the preeminence of the U.S. in microelectronics. These communities could work synergistically in regional hubs to develop novel educational protocols specifically designed to accelerate technology commercialization. The hubs would enable partnerships between the private sector, academia, and federally funded R&D centers; facilitate the creation of advanced manufacturing, metrology, and prototyping facilities; and supervise the education and training of the workforce in specific areas of the semiconductor enterprise.
Multiple regional hubs distributed across the country could efficiently complement their activities to accelerate the development of novel materials, devices, and systems by offering industrial members access to high-yield, well-characterized prototyping facilities.
These hubs would have a transformative impact on how the U.S. advances semiconductor manufacturing, would help newcomers get into the microelectronics industry, and would set a fast course for America to regain leadership in the semiconductor industry.