BRIDG Monthly Newsletter | February 2019
FROM THE CEO
Chester Kennedy Headshot
I recently spent time connecting with our state and federal legislators and am very thankful for the opportunity to share the many ways BRIDG adds value to our state and nation. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of this information with you.

As many know, BRIDG provides the physical infrastructure for the development and low-volume production of microelectronic devices that enable advances in many different industries including medical, agricultural, space, defense, cybersecurity, food and environmental safety, autonomous vehicles, and critical infrastructure. However, in addition to facilitating the path to commercialization for microelectronics-based research, BRIDG is also uniquely positioned to help our nation meet its critical need for trusted and domestically manufactured microelectronics that counters threats to national security and global competitiveness.

With the evolving threat in cybersecurity continuing to place high-value infrastructure such as financial systems, utilities, and sensitive weapon systems at risk, our nation’s security and economy are heavily dependent on our continued ability to remain at the leading edge of electronic system integration – integrating sensors, processors, and other electronics in an extremely dense and rugged package to increase security, lower system power requirements, minimize size and weight in weapon systems and critical infrastructure components all while reducing vulnerabilities to tampering and reverse engineering.

As we move into the next phase of our journey, we continue to refine our focus based on capabilities coming online and look forward to partnering with our state and federal legislators to help strengthen our country’s security and competitiveness all while catalyzing high wage job opportunities in Central Florida.

Thank you for joining us as we innovate the future at BRIDG in NeoCity!


 
Chester Kennedy
CEO
HOT OFF THE PRESS
Tools Update
Building upon our growing capabilities, we recently completed the final hardware test for our Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) system – a set of high temperature (≥725°C) heating cycles at different pressure and gas flow conditions to ensure that the system temperature is stable and ready for epitaxial structures growth. Moving forward in preparation for growing sensor, detector, and laser structures, we will be working with various organizations to prepare test structures for evaluation. Be sure to check out our blog next week focusing on our continued technical advances. Until then, be sure to check out our previous blog post covering all the progress we made last year.
 Wafer Carrier with 6 2” GaAs substrates used for temperature stability and reflectivity tests
BRIDG BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Edward L. Schons
As president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Ed Schons leads a unique economic development initiative anchored by the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida in its efforts to attract, retain and grow high tech, high-wage companies and the workforce to support them. Following two decades of involvement with the organization and its partners, Ed became president in 2017 and now maintains key partnerships with economic development organizations in the 23-county Florida High Tech Corridor region and throughout the state of Florida.

Ed is a member of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida 2030 Executive Steering Committee, a delegate to the Enterprise Florida Inc. Stakeholders Council and previously served as chairman of the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC). A skilled economic developer, his accolades include the Florida Chamber “President’s Award for Outstanding Service,” the FEDC’s prestigious “Eunice Sullivan Economic Development Professional Award” for Outstanding Dedication and Commitment to the Economic Development Profession and the Leadership St. Pete Alumni Association’s “Leadership Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Community.”
OTHER NEWS
Progress at NeoCity
We are always excited to see all of the activity surrounding our facility at NeoCity! Over the last few months, we have watched the new office tower near completion while construction swiftly advanced on the NeoCity Academy building. Be sure to check out the new photos below to see the expansion yourself.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Balakrishnan Krishnan
Dr. Balakrishnan Krishnan is currently a senior scientist at BRIDG. He has more than 25 years of research experience in various aspects of III-V and III-Nitride semiconductors.

After earning his Ph.D. In semiconductor physics (crystal growth and characterization) from Anna University, India, in 1992, Dr. Krishnan moved to Japan and did extensive research on III-nitride & III-V epitaxy and devices. From 2007 until 2010 he served as a faculty at the University of South Carolina and during this period he continued to focus on MOCVD growth of nitride semiconductors and devices. Later, he worked as a Senior Research Scientist and Technology Lead at Veeco instruments. As a part of his assignment, he collaborated with many of the world’s leading GaN based optoelectronic and electronic device manufacturers/suppliers, and research institutions on MOCVD projects. He is also a consultant for Nitek Inc. and Alliance MOCVD.

Dr. Krishnan is the author of 148 journal publications, 10 book chapters, and 260 conference presentations (including 26 invited lectures). He is the reviewer for several technical journals and is a member of many professional societies including Materials Research Society and American Association for Crystal Growth.
UPCOMING EVENTS
GOMACTech | March 25 - 28, 2019

BRIDG will be participating as an exhibitor at GOMACTech. Established in 1968, the conference focuses on advances in systems being developed by the Department of Defense and other government agencies and has been used to announce major government microelectronics initiatives.

If attending, please visit us at Booth #309! 
Junior Achievment Inspire | April 11, 2019
BRIDG will participate in Junior Achievement Inspire, an interactive exploration of local career pathways attended by up to 2,000 8th grade students each year. Led by Junior Achievement of Central Florida, this event brings together educators and industry leaders from Central Florida to provide students with career mentorship from a variety of fields .
  BRIDG is located at NeoCity in Osceola County, Florida.