The $5.6 million award will support lab-to-fab development of full-duplex arrays for electronic warfare.
NEW YORK—Sivers Semiconductors has received a U.S. CHIPS and Science Act Funding Award from the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) Hub to develop full-duplex arrays for electronic warfare. The first-year funding of $5.6 million under the Microelectronics Commons program was executed through the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division and the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), the company said in a release.
The award funds the collaboration of Sivers Semiconductors with partners BAE Systems, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Columbia University to accelerate domestic prototyping and expand the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics. It is one of six projects awarded to the NEMC Hub, led by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), under the Microelectronics Commons Program, the release stated.
Sivers Semiconductors will lead the Electronic Warfare Technology Program, focusing on self-interference cancellation circuits that enable full-duplex arrays that can transmit and receive at the same time and the same frequency. Such simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) arrays are reported to enable new multi-function capabilities for electronic warfare systems, such as joint radar and communications. They also have dual-use commercial applications, specifically in range-extending repeaters, according to the release.
The release stated that the primary challenge with full-duplex or simultaneous-transmit-and-receive operation is self-interference from the transmitter to the receiver, which can be a billion to a trillion times more powerful than the desired signal to be received. This is said to necessitate highly precise self-interference cancellation circuitry that can cancel the transmitter leakage with a one-part-per-billion/trillion accuracy. Accomplishing this self-interference cancellation in large arrays, such as those used in electronic warfare systems as well as 5G millimeter-wave and FR3, is yet another challenge.
“It is exciting to explore new applications for our expertise and technology in beamforming and interference-tolerant chip design,” added Harish Krishnaswamy, managing director, Wireless Division at Sivers Semiconductors, in the release. “Our collaboration with a leading defense prime, a leading academic institution, and the top federally funded R&D center ensures that our team has all the skills and resources to be successful.”
This program, which is renewable across three years, will transition technology developed at Columbia University, BAE Systems, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory to product-grade implementations and deployment readiness.
“This initiative opens new applications and verticals in the defense sector for Sivers,” said Vickram Vathulya, CEO of Sivers Semiconductors, in the release. “Our collaboration with industry leading partners such as BAE, one of the two largest suppliers of electronic warfare technology within the U.S. defense industrial base, will accelerate our go-to-market strategy in electronic warfare.”
“This award highlights the ingenuity and expertise that exists across the Northeast when it comes to microelectronics and semiconductors,” said Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) CEO Carolyn Kirk, in the release. “The technology development and transition partnerships being fostered by the NEMC Hub will have an enduring impact on our national and economic security.”
The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) Hub, established in 2023, is a network of more than 200 organizations, including commercial and defense companies, leading academic institutions, federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs), and startups concentrated in eight Northeast states. It is one of eight regional Microelectronics Commons Hubs working to expand the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics and accelerate domestic semiconductor prototyping.
The NEMC Hub is said to foster a vibrant, connected microelectronics ecosystem to provide sustainable lab-to-fab enablement, boost education and workforce development, and spur new jobs.
“This award is a testament to the hard work, collaboration, and leadership the NEMC Hub and its members have demonstrated during the first year of the Microelectronics Commons,” said NEMC Hub Director Mark Halfman, in the release. “We have a tremendous opportunity to grow microelectronics lab-to-fab capabilities and spur the growth of game-changing technologies.”