Texas State, CCTech announce alliance to develop novel nanotech

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
January 28, 2008

The Nanomaterials Application Center [NAC] of Texas State University-San Marcos and Composite Ceramic Technologies, LLC [CCTech] of Austin announced a collaborative effort expediting the commercialization of CCTech’s advanced ceramic composites.

NAC Director Walt Trybula explained, “This technology incorporates passive components into electronic assemblies in a manner that is similar to the developments that created the integrated circuit.  The overall potential for lower cost, higher reliability circuitry will benefit the end consumer and change the manufacturing dynamics in favor of the better educated workforce.

“The US microelectronics industry has been steadily losing high-value manufacturing and design jobs to lower cost labor markets overseas,” he said. “The development of this materials integration technology, which requires a well educated workforce, will enable high value manufacturing to return.”

The collaboration will support several graduate students initially and, ultimately, has the potential to revitalize segments of the U.S. manufacturing base.

The patented technology to be commercially incubated with NAC allows advanced ceramics to be endowed with the exotic properties of the nano-particles.  The initial efforts of the collaboration will focus on developing high-reliability, tight tolerance passive components (resistors, capacitors, and inductors).

“This collaboration demonstrates the significance of Texas as a center for pioneering business and technology development and the strength of its educational system in building a supportive manufacturing climate for the many future generations,” said L. Pierre de Rochemont, Founder and General Manager of CCTech.

CCTech’s patented technology solves fundamental obstacles in realizing the “Nanotechnology Dream.”  Nanotechnologies have been under development for well over a decade. 

“The mystique to nano is that you take a usefully large material, shrink it to some imperceptible size and produce a ‘nano-scopic’ particle with exotic properties that could potentially meet the needs of next generation manufacturing requirements,” de Rochemont explained.  “The major problem has been that when you try to consolidate these tiny particles into a material body with the size needed to realize economic value, you destroy those exotic properties.”

Composite Ceramic Technologies, LLC markets microelectronic applications of its technology through its wholly-owned subsidiary division GigaCircuits, Inc. (www.gigacircuits.com).