Semiconductors are everywhere. We use them in everyday activities, like making a phone call, driving a car, or using a computer for work. These materials have electrical properties that make it possible to manufacture electronic devices, explains Sergio Omar Martínez, a researcher and leader of the Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Initiative at Tecnológico de Monterrey.
These materials are used to make transistors, key components in the production of integrated circuits (chips) found in all electronics. These circuits enable the development of advanced technologies with enhanced processing power, such as Artificial Intelligence.
“These devices are mostly made from semiconductor materials. When we talk about them, we mean a material that is partially conductive to electricity,” says the School of Engineering and Sciences researcher.
The most commonly used semiconductor in electronics manufacturing is silicon, though others like germanium and gallium arsenide exist. While these materials are abundant, using them to make chips requires exceptionally high levels of purity and very sophisticated manufacturing processes.
Semiconductors: “The Heart” of Devices
Semiconductors are the heart of electronic devices, says Martínez, because they can act as either conductors or insulators of electricity, depending on conditions that can be modified, such as temperature, light, magnetic fields, or the addition of other materials.
Thanks to this unique property, semiconductors give transistors several essential functions. For example, they can control the current flow or amplify electrical signals, allowing circuits to process information or perform logical functions.
“In digital circuits, they can switch, toggling between two states: conducting or not conducting. This is how the binary system works, which enables operations and allows the creation of complex computers,” he explains.
Martínez highlights the ability to work with these materials at the micro and nanoscale, as some companies manage to fit millions of transistors into a single integrated circuit.
In the industrial sector, where the most advanced semiconductor technologies are found, companies work with transistors as small as three nanometers (for context, a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers thick), enabling increasingly smaller devices with better processing power.
“In 1965, Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel, predicted that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit would double every two years. This is known as Moore’s Law, and it’s held ever since. Today, we’re talking about approaching the limit for how many transistors we can integrate into a chip, but there’s still some room left.”
“A Golden Opportunity for Mexico”
Transistors and integrated circuits were invented in the United States. However, semiconductor manufacturing shifted to Asia, where technology quickly advanced in regions like Taiwan. In recent years, the U.S. government has invested resources to bring this industry back to its territory, presenting Mexico with a unique opportunity.
“In 2022, the United States invested resources to bring back chip manufacturing. We have a golden opportunity because, over the years, an infrastructure halo has developed in the country for designing electronics and the capacity for circuit assembly,” says the researcher.
With semiconductor manufacturing returning to the Americas, Mexico has a one-of-a-kind opportunity to get involved in key areas of the supply chain, such as design, assembly testing, and packaging (ATP) of chips.
In addition to addressing the talent shortage by training engineers and technicians through its universities, Mexico can leverage the existing infrastructure and encourage innovation and technological development projects.
To seize the opportunity this market represents for Mexico, Tecnológico de Monterrey created the Nanotechnology and Semiconductor Initiative, which has three main focuses: enhancing talent development, promoting collaboration with governments, universities, and industries, and fostering research.
When it comes to preparing new talent, the School of Engineering and Sciences has been working for over a year on new training modules within its curriculum to boost the development of skills and knowledge that meet the country’s current and future needs of the semiconductor industry.
“If our country takes advantage of this opportunity, it will experience significant economic growth because electronics are essential, and within the industry, they drive innovation. Mexico has the potential to become a global powerhouse in the semiconductor field,” he adds.
The Semiconductor Initiative at Tecnológico de Monterrey
“Recently, we organized an International Semiconductor Symposium in Guadalajara, where we invited expert engineers from different countries to discuss the electronics industry’s challenges. We also had government and business representatives participate to help move this forward,” the researcher added.
Another key pillar of the initiative is research to create new semiconductor knowledge and technologies. He mentions that the research areas currently being identified could put Mexico on the international map of innovation in this field to make the country not only a manufacturing hub but also a leader in the development of new technologies in the future.
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