CHTM 2022 Annual Review

Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM)

Payman Zarkesh-Ha, Ph.D.

Acting Director

Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Review of Category 3 Research Centers/Institutes

Revision Date 10/14/2022

Mission

The mission of CHTM is to create and sustain a culture of excellence to promote research and education in photonics, microelectronics, quantum technologies, and nanoscale materials and devices and their applications; foster interaction between UNM, federal laboratories, industry; and promote an entrepreneurial spirit for economic development with a regional focus but of global importance.

CHTM is committed to workforce development of the next generation of scientists, engineers, discoverers and entrepreneurs who can combine their technical training and critical thinking with excellent interpersonal and communication skills to become leaders of the 21st century.

Our core strengths are: Research, creativity, and innovation, Interdisciplinary education, workforce development, and outreach, Entrepreneurship and economic development.

We will continue to invent and discover disruptive technologies that can be scaled to develop innovative advanced manufacturing initiatives to create self-sustaining wealth-based economies to leave the earth a better place than we found it.

FY 2022 Goals and Status (all

completed)

• Continue to remain a pillar for transformative interdisciplinary research and education in photonics, microelectronics, quantum technologies, and nanoscale materials and devices at UNM.

• Purchase a state-of-the-art 3D Metal Printer funded jointly by OVPR, Orthopedic Department, and CHTM.

• Install a state-of-the-art Agilent Universal Spectrophotometer funded by Program for Enhancing Research Capacity (PERC).

• Complete the ~$1M roof replacement project and a new chilled water plant at CHTM to enhance the facility infrastructure.

• Acquire new equipment for Nano-Fab user facility; Integrate new gas sensing system to replace the outdated systems to improve CHTM safety.

• Reorganize CHTM staff operations and 3 new staff hires.

• Start the process of implementing proximity card access for all entrances at CHTM.

• Maintain a balanced budget aligned with CHTM mission.

Membership of Advisory Committee

• Associate Deans for Research

• College of Arts & Sciences (Mafi)

• School of Engineering (Schamiloglu)

• Department Chairs

• Electrical and Computer Engineering (Devetsikiotis)

• Physics and Astronomy (Rand)

• Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Edwards)

• Mechanical Engineering (Shen)

• CEO of STC.UNM (Kuuttila)

• Director of Center for Micro-Engineered Materials (Garzon)

• No annual review was held in FY2022 because the new Director was hired in 2021. An annual review will be held in the 1st quarter of CY2023.

FY 2022 Highlights

• Expanded CHTW: Centering High Technology around Women (Cavallo and Drake)

• CHTM Federal Research Award Highlights:

• NSF “CAREER: Spintronic Devices Using Screw Dislocations in Single-Crystalline Semiconductors”(PI Cavallo), $500K

• DARPA subcontract (through Nexus Photonics) “Photonic integrated circuit clockwork (PI-CLCK)” (PI Drake), $890K

• AFOSR award “Self-winding Helices as Slow-Wave Structures for Millimeter-through-THz Vacuum Electronic Devices” (PI Cavallo), $1.7M

• ONR award “Design and Fabrication of Photonic Crystals for Small-Diameter Cryogenic Microring Lasers” (PI Osinski, $1.05M

• AFRL cooperative agreement “Directed Energy Center for Lasers and Microwaves” (PI Mafi) $2.45M

• UNM Foundation established Brueck Endowment fund

• Faculty Accolades:

• Brueck received RI Lifetime Achievement Innovation Award

• Brueck received his 100th patent issued

• Cavallo received NSF CAREER Award

• 266 patents have been issued to CHTM since its inception

• Hired 3 new staff (2 Accountant 1s and 1 Office Assistant)

Proposals and Awards (Last 5 fiscal years)

Research

and F&A (last 5 fiscal years)

Expenditures

Total Research Expenditures for your Organization

Total F&A for your Organization

Research Center Impacts

• Nano-Fab/cleanroom: 24/7 access & support to UNM, local companies/startups, National Labs (DoE & DoD)

• Nano-Fab hosts ECE474/574 Microelectronics Processing

• Provides Summer high school cleanroom hands-on training

• CHTM provides resources for campus (especially South Campus)

• CHTM supports CMEM, AML/Sandia Labs, and MTTC facilities and research infrastructure

• CHTM hosts equipment demos by companies open to entire campus, national labs, local companies

• CHTM facilities host start-up Armonica Tech: DNA Nanopore Sequencing Technology

• Extensive Outreach: Marek’s AFRL Career STREAM Apprentice 17 high school students summer program, Victor’s QU-REACH 14 undergrads, Continue AIMS high school intern, Terefe’s 5 high school interns, Nathan’s ARO award with 2 undergrads, hosted part of the QNM tours.

Return on Investment

• CHTM research resulted in 7 Ph.D. and 8 M.S. degrees in 2022

• CHTM currently hosts 56 graduate students on Research Assistantships. Several other graduate students work at CHTM through other forms of support.

• CHTM currently supports 13 undergraduate students.

• CHTM core faculty (15 total, 1 retired) published 37 peer reviewed journal articles (55 including conferences), many more from affiliated faculty

• CHTM faculty submitted 46 proposals

• CHTM faculty received 35 awards (17 new) for a total of $7,123,125 which is up from $6,894,007 in 2021

• 13 patents were awarded to CHTM core faculty in 2022

• Industry engagement

• 1 STTR subcontract; 4 small business industry contracts

• Diverse interdisciplinary research

• 8 dedicated faculty lines

• State-of-the-art user facility (including Nanofab /cleanroom), available 24/7

• Strong sharing culture, providing opportunities to others at UNM and New Mexico

• Well-trained and professional technical and administrative staff: providing services to CHTM, CMEM and SNL

• CHTM provides a gateway to collaboration with National Labs, especially AFRL, UNM leader in safety!

• CHTM participates in various large funding opportunities, including CHIPS Act, QNM-I, RIE, and well as technology roadmap

• Growing optoelectronics and photonics market and opportunities; emerging national quantum initiatives

• Expanded collaboration with national labs and interdisciplinary engagements within UNM (e.g., HSC, Biology, and Business)

• Outreach to partner with other NM educational Institutes

• Expand Industry engagements

• No annual designated capital funding for renewal and replacement of major facility components

• Lack of center-level projects

• Lack of direct state support and difficulty in obtaining cost share

• Aging MOCVD needs to be replaced

• External performance review for CHTM is past due

• Staff attrition (especially facility staff)

• Aging cleanroom equipment and lack of life-cycle management for existing equipment/capabilities (e.g., tapped-out scrubber system)

• LN2 insecurity (MBE & MOCVD) and He insecurity (MPMS)

• Risk accepted by lack of some equipment service contracts

• Fume hood issue

• Energy instability/insecurity

WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Looking Ahead to Fiscal Year 2023

• Integrating the new staff hires into CHTM

• Expanding high-impact and visible research

• Significant grant/contract opportunities

• Potential opportunities include NSF MRI, and CHIPS Act.

• Expanding relationship with AFRL, Sandia Labs, and LANL

• Expanding research space by creative management of support space

• Lab allocation to fulfill offer letter commitments

• Expanding CHTM Staff career growth opportunities

• Maintain infrastructure funding master plan with UNM PPD

Summary

CHTM will continue to create and sustain a culture of excellence to promote interdisciplinary research and education; foster interaction between UNM, federal laboratories, industry; and promote an entrepreneurial spirit for economic development in New Mexico.

CHTM will remain committed to providing a diverse interdisciplinary research access point to UNM and New Mexico.