CA DREAMS, led by the USC Viterbi School of Engineering Information Sciences Institute (ISI), continues to play a critical role in positioning the United States as a global leader in the microelectronics industry, especially when it comes to defense applications.

For its second year of operation, the coalition will focus on two major projects to advance semiconductor technologies and demonstrate lab-to-fab prototyping. One aims to develop a next-generation semiconductor material known as gallium nitride (GaN), which is used for high-power RF electronics, military radar, and advanced communications functions imaging and optics. The other aims to create advanced prototypes for faster, more reliable, next-generation wireless networks. Technology innovator and leading global aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman is partnering with CA DREAMS hub to oversee the projects’ execution.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is supporting the projects with $31.9 million in funding, announced in September 2024. CA DREAMS — which stands for the California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices Superhub — is one of eight regional innovation hubs established under the DoD Microelectronics (ME) Commons Program, which is funded by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

The hub brings together partners across the Southern California region that include research universities, Department of Defense semiconductor fabrication facilities, and numerous small businesses. Together, they will unite their resources and technologies to enhance how microelectronics move from laboratory to production.

“This investment enables Southern California's innovators to work together in new ways," said Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. "We are bringing the best minds together to solve some of the hardest problems under the Chips and Science Act."

But these two funded projects represent more than just technical innovation — they’re building a new model for development itself. The goal of the Microelectronics Commons is to accelerate domestic microelectronics hardware prototyping. By bringing together the full power of its hub partners, CA DREAMS aims to cut traditional development times in half. 

“Accelerated development is only possible because of this intimate and concentrated collaboration between industry, academia and commercial partners," said Randy Sandhu, director of manufacturing and science technology at Northrop Grumman’s Microelectronics Center. "Being able to work at this level, with this amount of focused effort and resources dedicated to the projects—that’s what's going to make us successful."

Advanced materials for extreme environments 

The hub’s first major initiative, with $16.2 million in funding, focuses on gallium nitride (GaN) technology, a compound semiconductor material that could transform the electronics we use in everything from cell phones to fighter jets. 

Most of today’s consumer electronics use silicon-based chips that fail under high heat and power levels — but gallium nitride is different. It belongs to a class of materials known as wide-bandgap semiconductors, which can operate at very high temperatures and voltages.

These unique properties make gallium nitride a breakthrough technology for smaller, faster, and more efficient electronics. The material could improve everyday battery chargers to military systems that must operate in harsh environments like space or the deep ocean.

The challenge lies in manufacturing. Because gallium nitride materials require atomic-level precision, it is extremely difficult to produce them at scale. “These materials are very sought out, but we haven't been able to transition them out of the labs and into our fabs," Sandhu said. 

To tackle this problem, the project aims to accelerate gallium nitride technology development for defense applications, relying on a team of universities, defense manufacturers, and startups. 

Using Northrop Grumman's expertise as a technology leader in wide-bandgap semiconductor technology since the 1990s, the initiative is taking a comprehensive approach to advance every stage of development—from growing the semiconductor materials to designing and packaging novel devices ready to be integrated into real-world defense applications.

And this innovation will happen fast, according to Alex Zamora, the project lead and RF/mixed signal department manager at Northrop Grumman. Whereas traditional Department of Defense prototyping cycles have taken two or three years to demonstrate concept feasibility, the Northrop Grumman-led team aims to accomplish the same feat in under 12-months, enabled by the hub’s MOSIS 2.0 service.

“We are thrilled to have Northrop Grumman leading the technical execution of this critical project,” Steve Crago, CA DREAMS director and associate director of ISI, said. “They are a leader in developing advanced GaN technologies, and their involvement in this hub and leadership on this project ensure that we can rapidly translate cutting-edge research from our university labs into deployable solutions for the Department of Defense.”

Accelerating Phased Array Prototyping

The second project, with $15.7 million in funding, focuses on developing phased array prototypes to accelerate the availability of advanced communication systems for 5G and 6G networks. Originally developed for military radar systems, phased arrays are precision antenna technologies that steer radio waves electronically. Today, they are increasingly used not only in defense communications but also in commercial applications like distance sensing for autonomous vehicles.

However, designing novel phased arrays presents challenges. As frequencies increase to meet the growing demands of 5G and future 6G networks, all the hardware components must be miniaturized to handle shorter wavelengths. This requires researchers to create tiny parts and precision fabrication processes—without sacrificing any of the device’s functions. 

To address this, the Northrop Grumman-led project is developing a unified set of tools and resources drawn from the hub’s university nanofabs and defense fabrication facilities, which will be managed through CA DREAMS’ end-to-end prototyping service, MOSIS 2.0. 

When a designer or engineer interested in phased array development engages with the new toolkit, specialist engineers from the MOSIS 2.0 team, who are well versed in all hub capabilities, will oversee the development process to guide users in selecting the appropriate tools and technologies for their specific phased array applications. 

Sandhu likened the process to working with LEGO blocks, where accessible and customizable components allow for faster prototyping. “We're accelerating the curve by providing a toolkit that people can pull from to design and build up their array structure,” he said. 

Phased array systems have traditionally required years of specialized development, but the CA DREAMS initiative seeks to shorten that timeline dramatically. “What would normally take five to ten years, we’re hoping to do in two to five,” Sandhu said.

“This collaboration, enabled by ME Commons and CA DREAMS, will connect new levels of the microelectronics ecosystem and apply them toward diverse 5G/6G needs across future DoD and commercial systems,” said Monte Watanabe, RF/mixed-signal assistant department manager, Northrop Grumman.

Although the award announcement was recent, Northrop Grumman is wasting no time getting started. The kickoff meetings have already taken place, and the team is fully aligned on next steps for 2025 with key milestones and planned tests.

"We're eager to see success when developing both projects and are working under ambitious timelines," Sandhu said. "Our goal is to deliver prototype-level demonstrations within the program's first year."