The Singapore Hybrid-Integrated Next Generation µ-Electronics (SHINE) centre at CDE has signed a formal research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s new National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre for Gallium Nitride (NSTIC (GaN)).
The signing took place on 26 June 2025 at the official opening ceremony of NSTIC (GaN), a facility led by A*STAR, DSO National Laboratories and NTU that aims to advance GaN semiconductor technologies and support translation into commercial and defence-grade applications.
The SHINE-NSTIC collaboration, titled “Advanced Thermal Modeling for Reliable High-Power Gallium Nitride HEMTs”, will focus on improving how heat is managed in powerful semiconductor devices made using Gallium Nitride (GaN), a material that allows electronics to operate faster and more efficiently than traditional silicon. These devices are used in technologies such as 5G networks, satellite systems and radar.
By developing better tools to simulate and measure how heat builds up and moves through GaN devices, the project will help engineers design chips that are more reliable and better suited to high-performance applications.
Professor Martin Buist, Vice Dean of CDE, signed the agreement representing CDE and SHINE.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Lim Yeow Kheng, Programme Director at SHINE and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at CDE, said: “Together, these initiatives represent a deepening and maturing collaboration - one that not only pushes technical boundaries, but also grows Singapore’s leadership in hybrid and compound semiconductor innovation.”
In his speech, Prof Lim also highlighted two further SHINE-NSTIC projects that are also in preparation. One explores novel packaging methods using silicon carbide and embedded heat pipes to improve heat dissipation in RF systems. The other combines advanced simulation, imaging, and artificial intelligence to design GaN devices that manage heat more efficiently.
Established in 2021, SHINE is a research and development centre hosted by CDE that focuses on developing next-generation hybrid-integrated (flexible and rigid) microelectronics to support national goals in computing, sensing and communications.
