Reviewed by Lexie CornerNov 12 2024
With $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation’s second Future of Semiconductor program (FuSe2), the University of Kansas and the University of Houston will collaborate to develop atomically tunable memory resistors, or "memristors," for brain-inspired advanced computing, while also preparing the workforce for the nation’s semiconductor industry.
A joint project between the University of Kansas and the University of Houston will produce atomically tunable memory resistors, dubbed “memristors,” for brain-inspired advanced computing — while training the workforce for the nation’s semiconductor industry. Image Credit: University of Kansas
The program was established in 2023 to tackle the core issues in upcoming semiconductor research and development. Samsung, Intel, and Micron are examples of industry partners.
"Neuromorphic computing" is the central challenge that the joint team from Kansas and Houston, led by Judy Wu, University Distinguished Professor of Physics & Astronomy at KU, along with Francisco Robles from Houston and Hartwin Peelaers, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at KU, aims to address.
This next-generation method uses a network of memristors that function as artificial synapses and neurons, achieving high speed and energy efficiency modeled after the human brain and optimized for artificial intelligence.
To enable functionalities in neuromorphic circuits, Wu and her colleagues will employ a co-design approach that integrates material design, fabrication, and testing to precisely tune oxide semiconductor memristors at the atomic scale.
The study will address a long-standing question in material science: Can a small number of precisely stacked atomic layers provide the functionality and large-area homogeneity required for future semiconductor electronics? Atomic scales are ten times thinner than a nanometer (for context, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick).
The innovation that led to this funding are ultrathin memristors based ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors, such as gallium oxide, with an electronic structure tuned at atomic scale based on theoretical simulations. This innovation is the teamwork of the three researchers—Peelaers, Robles, and me—as we developed a co-design approach that enabled us to obtain simulation-guided memristor design.
Judy Wu, University Distinguished Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas
Wu and her colleagues are the first to demonstrate that their memory is less than two nanometers thick.
Wu added, “This is one of our major inventions. We have a technique that no one else in the world has—an innovation that enables us to place just a few atomic layers together.”
As the film thickness approaches 0.1 nanometers and goes below two nanometers, the KU researcher and her team are pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery.
“We are able to stack selected atomic layers. The overarching goal of our work is to develop atomically ‘tunable’ memristors that can act as neurons and synapses on a neuromorphic circuit. By developing this circuit, we aim to enable neuromorphic computing. This is the primary focus of our research. We want to mimic how our brain thinks, computes, makes decisions, and recognizes patterns—essentially, everything the brain does with high speed and high energy efficiency,” Wu added.
Under the guidance of a team that includes Professors Heather Domjan and Haiying Long, Dr. Teresa MacDonald, Eleanor Gardner, and Carolyn Kocken, the work at both institutions will provide innovative STEM workforce training through education and outreach, with the goal of developing a diverse and skilled workforce for the semiconductor industry.
Wu stated, “This program has a distinctive emphasis semiconductor workforce training. To address this need, we plan to hold a one-week workshop each summer for three years. We’ll specifically target migrant students who are U.S. citizens but whose parents may have seasonal jobs. These students often face educational disadvantages because their families have to move for work, limiting exposure to fields like semiconductors, high-tech microelectronics, and future cleanroom microfabrication.”
Wu and her partners will bring in migrant students from Kansas, Texas, and other regions to provide students from low-income families with access to education.
Wu concluded, “We hope to expose them to high-tech semiconductor fields so they can consider pursuing careers in this area. Many Ph.D. students on our team are now employed by companies like Intel, Honeywell, Tower Semiconductor, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, and ASM—so these students could follow a similar path. We also plan to develop a series of online, hands-on outreach activities to extend the impact to our society.”