Dr. Chuei-Tang Wang (CT Wang) shared his experiences, noting that his first visit to Singapore was over 15 years ago and this was his third visit. Since joining TSMC in 2022, Dr. Wang has been involved in the packaging research works. Some of his significant contributions include 170 US patents and 35 papers in prestigious conferences such as VLSI, IEDM, and ECTC. Dr. CT Wang announced that TSMC would sponsor two projects: the Advanced Freeform Optical Waveguide, led by Prof. Yeow Kheng Lim, SHINE Programme Director, and the Thermal Management Solution for High-power Wafer, led by Prof. Aaron Thean, SHINE Director, with Assistant Prof. Sunmi Shin of the NUS Mechanical Engineering Department as Co-investigator. He emphasized the importance of low power consumption chips and optical computing in the AI era, highlighting these as critical research areas.

Dr. CT Wang also shared insights into TSMC’s global presence, with over 760,000 employees across three continents and nine countries, including 12-inch Fab plants in Taiwan, Japan, China, and Singapore. He invited NUS students to join TSMC’s internship programs and explore career opportunities within the company.

The event proceeded with a group photo and a heartwarming gift exchange between Prof. Aaron Thean, Dr. Marvin Chang and Dr. CT Wang, representing NUS and TSMC, respectively. 

Following this, Prof. Yeow Kheng Lim provided an overview of the SHINE Centre, emphasizing its focus on hybrid integration and hybrid electronics. He highlighted SHINE’s commitment to driving disruptive innovation, enabling academia-industry co-research, and incubating small-scale spin-offs through collaboration with industrial partners.

Prof. Lim also introduced the recently launched Master of Science in Semiconductor and Technology Operations, further demonstrating SHINE’s dedication to talent development in partnership with the semiconductor manufacturers and players.

Dr. Evgeny Zamburg concluded the sharing session with a detailed presentation of the group’s research on Thermal Management Solutions, a project done in collaboration with A*Star and Soitec. The research involved innovative approaches to heat spreading, absorption, and radiation materials, resulting in a cost-effective 8-inch wafer-compatible interposer.

At the end of the session, Prof. Aaron Thean and Prof. Yeow Kheng Lim led Dr. Marvin Chang, Dr. CT Wang, and other TSMC representatives on a tour of SHINE’s cleanroom and dry lab facilities. The event concluded with a closed-door meeting to discuss technological challenges and brainstorm ideas for future research collaborations.