Dean sets sights on creating XJTLU-developed chips

25 Jun 2024

The dean of the School of CHIPS at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), Professor Wei Chen, has set the design and manufacture of XJTLU’s own semiconductors as a top priority.

He has pledged to devise an in-depth chip probing method to test high-purity silicon materials, to accelerate creation of the University’s chips.

Professor Wei Chen

“Chip manufacturing is more than just making semiconductors, it’s an applied subject,” says Professor Chen, who began his new role at XJTLU this academic year. “We make chips using knowledge of materials science, microelectronics, manufacturing, nanotechnology, and physics, but the value multiplies when integrating interdisciplinary measures to associate the process with practical disciplines, such as biomedicine.”

 

Practice-based teaching

In addition to chips, the new dean will also be focused on reinforcing university-industry collaborations and strengthening the School’s interdisciplinary education.

“We’ll be recruiting more scholars with diverse academic and industry backgrounds, which will enable us to conduct scientific research in a wide range of fields with our industry partners, and formulate a practice-based teaching curriculum that helps students turn theories into practice,” he says.

The School of CHIPS has partnerships with five enterprises, namely the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Zhengke Xinyun (Shanghai) Microelectronics, Hejian Technology, Analogix, and Taicang T&W Electronics. On a trip to Beijing, Professor Chen also visited the National Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Microelectronics, and Matrass C-Graphene to discuss potential collaborations.

Before joining XJTLU, Professor Chen was a professor of physics at the University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States, where he received the Research Excellence Award for three consecutive years.

In addition to nanotechnology and biomedicine, his research interests include geology, materials science, and chemistry. He is a member of global research institutions including the US National Academy of Inventors, the International Association of Advanced Materials, and the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom.

 

By Nan Yan
Edited by Haolun Xu and Tamara Kaup
Photo by Jingrui Duan

25 Jun 2024