News & Events

Whoever said "don't judge a package by its wrapper" must have never toured the new University of Idaho micro-electronic packaging lab.

A quick glance at the state-of-the-art equipment and the dim yellow lights makes the laboratory appear like something straight off the Discovery Channel.

Micro-electronic packaging is the process in which small pieces of technology (chips) are taken and placed on a piece of material that protects them and links them with other technology for uses such as cellular telephones, computers and hybrid-electric vehicles.

The first of its kind in Idaho, and one of only handful in the Pacific Northwest, the new facility has already secured contracts from around the country that will benefit the economy of Idaho for years to come.

"Industry leaders are creating cutting-edge technology just a few hours from Moscow…what we're teaching them here are skills that are directly translatable on machinery similar to what you'd find in any leading microelectronic company in the world," said Fred Barlow, associate professor in Electrical and computer engineering

Among the projects underway in the laboratory is one to create electronics for use in hybrid-electric and plug in hybrid-electric vehicles. Barlow said the end result could make the electronics in the cars more heat resistant, eliminating the need for a separate cooling system. This would make the cars lighter and more affordable.

"When we look at the hurdles to hybrid vehicles, cost, weight and sustainability are three key issues," said Barlow. "A solution that makes the vehicles both more fuel efficient and cost effective, tackles the bigger global issue of reduced emissions, the true end solution we're aiming toward."

The new facility is in the Gauss-Johnson Laboratory at the College of Engineering Complex at the University of Idaho's Moscow campus.