Wideband Test Facility Opens at Notre Dame, Expanding Wireless Research Capabilities

August 14, 2025

Seven men in business attire pose at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of a University of Notre Dame Research backdrop. The center person holds large gold ceremonial scissors.

_{The Notre Dame Wideband Test Facility officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony on August 6, 2025. From left to right: Victor Mai, National Security Technology Accelerator; Representative Rudy Yakym, IN-2; Michael Bilyeu, Silicon Crossroads Microelectronic Commons (SCMC) Hub; Tim Morgan, Microelectronics Commons Technical Director OUSD(R&E)/OASD(CT); Jon Chisum, associate professor, and Patrick Fay, Stinson Professor of Nanotechnology, in the Department of Electrical Engineering; and Jeffrey F. Rhoads, the John and Catherine Martin Family Vice President for Research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. Photo: Angelic Rose Hubert.}

The University of Notre Dame celebrated the official opening of the new Wideband Test Facility on August 6, 2025—marking an important step for the Wireless Institute and its partners in advancing high-frequency wireless communications research.

Located on campus, the facility provides state-of-the-art equipment for antenna characterization and high-frequency device testing up to 220 GHz, supporting research in next-generation wireless technologies, including 5G, 6G, advanced radar, and satellite communications. Its specialized capabilities—such as spherical near-field scanning and antenna-in-package testing—allow researchers to measure, prototype, and evaluate devices operating at the forefront of wireless performance.

A person wearing glasses and a black t-shirt adjusts equipment on a metal table in a lab. Computer monitors display diagrams and graphs. — _{The newly opened Wideband Test Facility at the University of Notre Dame features unique, state-of-the-art equipment for high-frequency device testing to assess the performance of nanometer-scale semiconductor components. Photo: Angelic Rose Hubert.}

Two Wireless Institute faculty, Patrick Fay, Stinson Professor of Nanotechnology in the Department of Electrical Engineering, and Jonathan Chisum, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, contributed significantly in the opening. Both have played key roles in developing Notre Dame’s expertise in high-frequency electronics and antennas, research areas central to the Institute’s mission.

“The capabilities of the Wideband Test Facility are game-changing for the development of high-tech electronics and wireless systems,” said Patrick Fay. “With applications for both commercial and defense sectors, the characterization capabilities offered here are unmatched. We look forward to advancing cutting edge microelectronics technologies in collaboration with academic, industry, and government partners.”

A person wearing a dark, horizontally striped polo shirt and clear-framed glasses adjusts equipment in a soundproofed room with black, textured foam-covered walls.

_{The newly opened Wideband Test Facility at the University of Notre Dame features spherical near field scanning capabilities, supporting both on-chip and antenna-in-package testing. Photo: Angelic Rose Hubert.}

The Wideband Test Facility builds on the Wireless Institute’s strong foundation in high-frequency circuits, antennas, and communication systems, and benefits from Notre Dame’s membership in the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons (SCMC) Hub. Together, these resources expand the region’s ability to support wireless innovation, technology transfer, and workforce development.

With demand for faster, more reliable, and secure communications growing worldwide, the Wideband Test Facility supports Notre Dame’s Wireless Institute in advancing research and development in wireless connectivity.

Learn more about Notre Dame and the CHIPS and Science Act.

Originally published at research.nd.edu by Erin Fennesy on August 6, 2025.

About Notre Dame Research

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see NDR’s website.