STARKVILLE, Mississippi, March 12, 2002 -- SemiSouth Laboratories, Inc., housed at the Mississippi Research and Technology Park, is earning major Department of Defense support, having received two Small Business Innovation Research grants totaling $850,000 from DoD’s Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.

The highly competitive defense department SBIR program funds research at companies whose work is important to the U.S. military and the nation’s economy.  The projects must have the potential to be transferred to commercial production.

SemiSouth’s research involves silicon carbide, a semiconductor material used in integrated circuit chips which are especially effective in high-temperature, high-power and high-frequency circuits such as long-range radar, air traffic control radar, power management systems, and medical devices.

“Silicon carbide is a breakthrough technology,” said Michael S. Mazzola, Vice President of Research and Development at SemiSouth.  “It could result in a factor of 100 improvement in power over the traditional silicon chip and is one of DoD’s ‘critical’ technologies,” explained Vice President of Device Engineering, Jeff Casady.

To earn the defense department’s SBIR award, the company first had to develop a proof of concept.  The first phase funding of $100,000 allowed SemiSouth to test the scientific and commercial merit of its proposal and seek investors in the project, said company President Charles Grayson.

“Based on our success, we were invited to apply for a second phase of funding,” he added.  “The $750,000 Phase II award will allow us to further develop the concept and take it to prototype stage.” 

The SemiSouth research team will focus on the design of one product within the field of radio frequency devices, Grayson explained.  “These devices are very complicated and difficult to manufacture, but we have some new ideas about accomplishing the task at lower costs.”

Through its link with Mississippi State University, the company will draw on research facilities that include the only university-based silicon carbide electronics prototyping facility in the United States.  California-based Lockheed Martin will independently test the prototype product developed by SemiSouth.

“This is an outstanding example of applying research to real-world needs as we advance the economic development capabilities of our state,” research vice president Altenkirch concluded.