Led by the University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles Robinson, U.S. Representative Steve Womack, State Attorney General Tim Griffin, Dean of Engineering Dr. Kim Needy, and UA Power Group’s Founding Director Dr. H. Alan Mantooth, the MUSiC facility — the nation’s first multi-user silicon-carbide (SiC) fab — officially kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
It marks a major milestone in Arkansas’ emergence as a center of excellence in semiconductor and power electronics technology. The UA Power Group’s new facility positions the state at the forefront of America’s drive for technology sovereignty.
Funded in part by the National Science Foundation’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure Program, with support from ARL/ARO and XFAB, the MUSiC Fab offers an open-access, multi-project wafer model that enables collaborative prototyping and research across academia, government, and industry. The facility features a state-of-the-art 8-bay cleanroom, expandable to 10 bays in Phase 2, within a 2,000-square-foot building.
One of the most advanced SiC research and prototyping environments in the nation, the fab’s process flow is compatible with commercial X-FAB standards, bridging academic innovation with scalable manufacturing capability. This national facility supports end-to-end SiC device development, from epitaxy and fabrication to packaging and system-level integration.
