Sonora Expands Semiconductor Training to Support Technology and Nearshoring Growth

Sonora is taking another step toward becoming a regional technology hub with new specialized training in semiconductor design and manufacturing.

Governor Alfonso Durazo Montaño announced that faculty and researchers from several Sonoran higher education institutions have completed advanced training at the Center for Engineering and Industrial Development (CIDESI) in Querétaro as part of the strategic initiative to establish a Semiconductor Design Center in the state.

The initiative is part of the Plan Sonora for Sustainable Energy, supported by President Claudia Sheinbaum, and is intended to strengthen the region’s capacity for innovation, research, and advanced manufacturing as global supply chains shift toward nearshoring.

Durazo highlighted the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cajeme (ITESCO) as the lead institution of Sonora’s State Semiconductor Consortium, which aims to prepare students and faculty for emerging industries such as electromobility and semiconductor manufacturing.

Hands-On Semiconductor Manufacturing Training

The training program brought together faculty researchers from:

• Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cajeme (ITESCO)
• Instituto Tecnológico de Agua Prieta (ITAP)
• Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Cananea (ITESCAN)
• Universidad Tecnológica de Hermosillo (UTH)
• Universidad Tecnológica de San Luis Río Colorado (UTSLRC), and
• Universidad Estatal de Sonora (UES).

Participants received hands-on instruction in semiconductor fabrication processes including silicon wafer oxidation, photolithography, lift-off processes, surface preparation and photoresist application, alignment, exposure, and development techniques, and selective material deposition and removal.

The course took place inside CIDESI’s cleanroom facility, where participants practiced procedures aligned with industry cleanroom standards used in micro- and nanofabrication.

Building Sonora’s Semiconductor Ecosystem

Knowledge and best practices from the training will be transferred to ITESCO’s cleanroom laboratory, strengthening Sonora’s institutional capacity to teach semiconductor engineering, conduct applied research, and prototype advanced electronic devices.

According to state officials, the program aims to create a coordinated academic and technical foundation across Sonora’s universities to support industrial innovation and the growing demand for semiconductor expertise in North America.