Albany NanoTech Complex Certification Assures Top-Tier Quality in Semiconductor Test Structures; Certification a First for a SUNY Campus

 
ALBANY, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) today announced that its advanced semiconductor-based research and development efforts at its Albany NanoTech Complex have successfully received ISO 9001:2015 certification from TÜV SÜD AMERICA INC. for its effective quality management system. This certification acknowledges that SUNY Poly’s Center for Semiconductor Research (CSR) consistently provides products and services meeting the stringent and ever-improving requirements of the internationally recognized ISO 9001 designation, especially as it relates to excellent customer focus, strong top management, and a process-driven approach for the fabrication of test structures on 300mm semiconductor wafers, the platform upon which computer chips are made.
 
“By earning the ISO 9001:2015 certification, SUNY Poly’s technological and process management capabilities are further validated. It demonstrates the strength of SUNY’s research and development facility and capacity that renders SUNY a reliable, world-class partner for high-tech industry and contributes to New York State’s thriving innovation ecosystem,” said SUNY Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Grace Wang.”
 
“This certification showcases not only what SUNY Poly’s advanced facilities and nano-focused know-how are capable of, it is also another indication of how our institution aims to constantly improve via the implementation of its quality management systems with an eye toward continual progress,” said SUNY Poly Interim President Dr. Bahgat Sammakia. “This is one more way in which our globally recognized partners and potential future partners will know that they can work with SUNY Poly on advanced projects with extreme confidence.”
 
There are more than one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001, but it is relatively rare for a research and educational institution to obtain this certification, with SUNY Poly’s Albany NanoTech Complex sharing the high-level distinction with well-regarded facilities such as the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, for example.

SUNY Poly’s CSR is a 300mm silicon wafer fabrication facility which provides researchers and partners with an industry-compliant and state-of-the-art fully integrated research, development, and prototyping line where companies of all sizes, as well as universities, national laboratories, and other researchers are able to gain access to advanced tool sets. The ISO 9001:2015 quality management system certification will offer current and future research partners even greater assurance of SUNY Poly’s ability to consistently provide high quality products and services as SUNY Poly seeks continual improvement in this area.  In addition, it could help lead to the facilities being designated as a U.S. Department of Defense Trusted Foundry, allowing it to work with any other trusted foundry to develop next-generation semiconductor wafer technologies.
 
“This third-party certification and detailed audit process are a strong signal to SUNY Poly’s research partners that our facilities, our externally-focused production capacity, as well as our management of services related to the fabrication of test structures on 300mm wafers, follow the strictest, most reliable standards, and we look forward to refining and improving the processes we employ to continually increase SUNY Poly’s fabrication competencies,” said SUNY Poly VP for Research Dr. Michael Liehr.
 
SUNY Poly’s ISO 9001:2015 certification is also significant because it opens the doors to the potential to work with certain commercial organizations that require the use of the formal quality management system. While the certification primarily concerns SUNY Poly CSR’s test structures program, which uses advanced CMOS processing for commercial customers, research leaders anticipate expanding its scope to also cover highly advanced silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics-centered research capabilities and processes, as well as photonics efforts, such as those related to the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics), an industry-driven public-private partnership spearheaded by the Department of Defense, SUNY Poly, and New York State with numerous top universities from around the nation and high-tech industry partners. SUNY Poly plans to seek annual recertification.
 
 
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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.

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Contact: Steve Ference, Director of University Communications
                    (518) 956-7319 | sference@sunypoly.edu