ISU awarded grant to develop specialized crystals

Idaho State University, with their partners NuMat, Inc. and EJ Proprietary Property Company, received a $700,000 grant from the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission to purchase specialized equipment in crystal development.

The IGEM grant will be used in the RISE Complex to build a bigger furnace for crystal production. Crystals from the new furnace will be used to produce wide band gap semiconductors and extreme environment semiconductors.

“We’re custom building the crystal furnaces that it takes to makes these new and exciting semiconductor types,” said RISE Complex Director Eric Burgett. “You won’t find this anywhere else.”

These new semiconductors will have higher capabilities, being able to withstand brutal conditions and create game-changing technology. They’ll also be able to do a lot of good.

“These LED’s (created from these semiconductors) can be used to treat water to make water safe to drink,” Burgett said. “Not just for people in Idaho. It can be applied globally.”

With the facility partnering with companies like NuMat, Inc., the technology will help in another way– giving a boost to Pocatello’s economy.

“We’ll bring our core staff out of Mississippi and Maryland and we will hire on a national basis because of the nature of the work,” said Joe Nause, NuMat’s president.

The RISE Complex will also be partnering with EJ Proprietary Property Company to market this technology.

The IGEM grant is designed to help bring commercialization efforts to universities, to make Idaho competitive on a global scale.