Two Semiconductor R&D Centers Emerge In Silicon Valley

One new R&D center is run by Applied Materials. The other new and separate R&D center is the home of an advanced packaging consortium.

By Mark LaPedus

Two new and major semiconductor R&D centers have emerged in Northern California.

One new semiconductor R&D center is owned and operated by Applied Materials. The other new and separate R&D center is the home of an advanced packaging consortium.

Nonetheless, Applied Materials will soon open a new semiconductor R&D center in Sunnyvale, Calif. This week, Applied and TSMC announced plans to collaborate in the new R&D center. Others have also joined Applied’s R&D center as research partners.

Then, in a separate move, a new advanced packaging R&D consortium has recently opened its doors in Union City, Calif. Union City is a city in Alameda County, California. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of San Jose.

Let’s take a look at each one of these new R&D centers.

EPIC emerges

Based in Santa Clara, Calif., Applied Materials is a major supplier of semiconductor equipment. Applied also operates several R&D facilities around the world.

In 2023, the company announced its latest R&D facility, called the Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization (EPIC) Center in Silicon Valley. Located in Sunnyvale, the EPIC Center is a $5 billion facility, which is expected to open sometime in 2026. With state-of-the-art cleanroom space, the center is designed for collaborative semiconductor process technology and manufacturing equipment R&D.

The center is also designed to reduce the time it takes to commercialize chip technologies from early-stage research to full-scale production. For chipmakers, the EPIC Center will provide earlier access to Applied’s R&D portfolio, faster cycles of learning, and accelerated transfer of next-generation technologies into high-volume manufacturing within a secure environment.

In recent times, Applied has announced several R&D partnerships in the EPIC Center. Advantest, Micron, Samsung and SK hynix have separately announced plans to join Applied’s EPIC Center as research partners.

This week, Applied and TSMC said that they will work together at the EPIC Center to develop materials, equipment and process technologies required to scale next-generation semiconductor devices.

In addition, Arizona State University (ASU), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Stanford University this week announced plans to join Applied’s EPIC Center as research partners. In the center, universities will engage in research programs across advanced materials, novel processes and device technologies.

U.S. packaging consortium

Meanwhile, in 2024, Japan’s Resonac announced the formation of a new semiconductor packaging R&D consortium. The consortium, called US-JOINT, will develop various packaging technologies in a new R&D center in Union City.

Resonac, a supplier of semiconductor materials and other products, is leading the consortium. Other members of the consortium are Azimuth, KLA, Kulicke & Soffa, MEC, Moses Lake Industries, Namics, TOK, Toppan, TOWA, ULVAC and 3M.

The new R&D center will incorporate a cleanroom. The cleanroom will supposedly include various tools, including patterning, bonding, molding, plating and others.