Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: New Programs Selected to Fuel Search for Next Logic Device by Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and National Science Foundation (NSF)

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Abstract:
Projects at Six NSF University Centers to Strengthen the Nation's Lead in Nanoelectronics Innovation

New Programs Selected to Fuel Search for Next Logic Device by Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) and National Science Foundation (NSF)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC | Posted on May 21st, 2007

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today joined with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to announce funding of $2M in grants for nanoelectronics research at six major NSF centers across ten U.S. universities. The results of the effort are expected to significantly advance the search for the replacement of the basic semiconductor logic structure that has served the world for more than 30 years.

"Without a breakthrough, the phenomenal advances in semiconductor capabilities will slow drastically as we reach the fundamental limits of current technology in the next decade or so," said Dr. Jeff Welser, director of the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI), a research entity of SRC. "The IT economy has enjoyed unprecedented growth during the microelectronics era of the past half-century. The government and universities have quickly supported the NRI program in order to pursue discovery of the next logic switch and continued leadership in the new nanoelectronics era."

The joint NSF-NRI supplemental grants were awarded to teams at six NSF centers in nanoelectronics research, along with their research leaders:

* Center for Nanoscale Systems in Information Technologies, a Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, directed by Dr. Robert Buhrman at Cornell University, with project team led by Dr. Edwin Kan
* Network for Computational Nanotechnology, directed by Dr. Mark Lundstrom at Purdue University, working with Dr. Supriyo Datta, Dr. M. Ashraf Alam, Dr. Kaushik Roy, and Dr. Gerhard Klimeck
* Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design, a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, directed by Dr. Robert Hull at the University of Virginia, working with Dr. Stuart Wolf and Dr. Jerry Floro at the University of Virgina, and Dr. David Awschalom at the University of California at Santa Barbara
* Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, directed by Dr. Ellen Williams at the University of Maryland, with project team led by Dr. Sankar DasSarma at the University of Maryland and Dr. Allan MacDonald at the University of Texas at Austin
* Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena, a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, directed by Dr. John Tully at Yale University, with project team led by Dr. Charles Ahn
* Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures, a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, directed by Dr. David Sellmyer at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, working with Dr. Evgeny Tsymbal and Dr. Kirill Belashchenko at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and Dr. Renat Sabirianov at the University of Nebraska at Omaha

The centers will contribute directly to a primary goal of NRI, the development of an information element that can replace the Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (CMOS FET) in the year 2020 or beyond, as well as the necessary technology to integrate the new information element with CMOS. The most widely used integrated circuit technology, CMOS is found in almost every electronic product, from handheld devices to mainframe computers.

Companies participating in NRI are Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.,; IBM Corp.; Intel Corp.; Micron Technology, Inc.; and Texas Instruments, Inc. They will assign researchers to collaborate with the university teams. Strong interactions with these NSF centers will be instrumental in NRI reaching its goal of demonstrating novel computing devices and their feasibility in simple computer circuits during the next 5-10 years.

"Supplemental grants with the NRI are complementary to NSF's significant fundamental research investments in nanoelectronics," said Dr. Lawrence Goldberg, senior engineering advisor at NSF. "Applying support for additional graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to the six centers' programs should demonstrably advance new concepts and, at the same time, help in developing new generations of researchers in this emerging field."

The NSF-NRI grants are for three-years duration and are in addition to the six grants made to NSF centers last year, expanding and strengthening the commitment to the program.

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About Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)
NRI is one of three research program entities of SRC. Celebrating 25 years of collaborative research for the semiconductor industry, SRC defines industry needs, invests in and manages the research that gives its members a competitive advantage in the dynamic global marketplace. SRC expands the industry knowledge base and attracts premier students to help innovate and transfer semiconductor technology to the commercial industry. Based in Research Triangle Park, NC, SRC’s GRC program drives long-term semiconductor research contracts on behalf of its participating members: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.; Applied Materials, Inc.; Axcelis Technologies, Inc.; Cadence Design Systems; Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; IBM Corp.; Intel Corp.; LSI Logic Corp.; Mentor Graphics Corp.; The Mitre Corp.; Novellus Systems, Inc.; Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials; Texas Instruments Corp.; and Tokyo Electron Ltd. SRC also seeks to leverage funding from global government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.src.org .

About NSF

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $5.91 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes nearly 10,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $400 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

NSF Center web sites, for reference:

* Center for Nanoscale Systems in Information Technologies at Cornell University - http://www.cns.cornell.edu/
* Network for Computational Nanotechnology at Purdue University - http://www.ncn.purdue.edu/
* Center for Nanoscopic Materials Design at the University of Virginia - http://www.mrsec.virginia.edu/
* Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Maryland - http://mrsec.umd.edu/
* Center for Research on Interface Structures and Phenomena at Yale University - http://www.crisp.yale.edu/
* Quantum and Spin Phenomena in Nanomagnetic Structures at the University of Nebraska - http://www.mrsec.unl.edu/