DENDRITECH RECEIVES $500,000 GRANT FOR CONTINUED CIRCUITRY RESEARCH

 

March 18, 2009

(MIDLAND, MI) - Dendritech, Inc. has secured a new grant totaling $500,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue its research on microcircuitry interlayer dielectrics, which are key components in virtually every electronic device in use today. The two-year project, a continuation of successful previous research in the area, recently got underway, and if the research goes well, it could have extensive commercial possibilities.

The two-year Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project continues the Phase I research effort to develop a new approach to manufacturing ultra-low dielectric constant materials for leading-edge logic devices at the 22 nm technology node and beyond.

"With microcircuitry, the looming issue lies in how processors and other components are growing in power while shrinking physically," says Dr. Petar Dvornic, lead scientist on the project. "As that happens, the space between the conducting lines on the circuitry - the insulation - has to shrink accordingly, or the march toward continued miniturization will be stalled. That's where Dendritech's PAMAMOS dendrimers enter the picture."

The honeycomb-like nanostructured films that these dendrimers will be used to create, Dvornic says, will allow for lowering the dielectric constant of the insulators and decreased spacing between conductors. Current technology is based on the 65 nanometer node; within a decade, it should be somewhere near the 22 nanometer node, he says. That's why the reduction of the gaps - without sacrificing essential insulating properties - is vital if the technology is to continue getting smaller. In this second phase of research and development, Dendritech will build upon the proof-of-concept data provided in earlier work.

"If this technology proves out and is adopted," he adds, "it will be huge. The impact of being able to extend microchip miniaturization to its physical limits would be immense for practically all aspects of human life - information technologies, biomedicine, science, industry, trade, transportation and more. This program will also significantly contribute to expanding our overall knowledge and understanding of nano-structured materials and nanotechnology in general."

Dendritech, Inc. is a privately-held company established in 1992 whose main focus is the manufacture and sale of specialty dendrimers. Its operations include a multi-million dollar manufacturing plant located in Eastwick Industrial Park in Midland, Mich. For more information about Dendritech, call 989.496.1152 or go to www.dendritech.com.