In response to the continuous semiconductor shortage that is delaying the production of vehicles, phones, computers, and televisions, Rowan University and Butler University have formed a new research partnership to provide computational tools for the design of the upcoming nanoscale electronics.
Making computer chips is getting more and more challenging. “The classical computing architectures are starting to reach their development potential,” said principal investigator Erik Hoy, Ph.D., an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the College of Science & Mathematics. “What we’re looking to contribute to is the next generation of computer architectures.”
Hoy and his research team will collaborate with a Butler University team to create fresh methods for more efficiently studying these gadgets at the molecular level. To verify that nanoscale structures achieve the performance improvements they claim, a more thorough methodology is required because earlier methods’ consideration of molecule electronic interactions has limitations. The electronic interactions in these devices will be handled in a way that has never been done before, thanks to Hoy’s software. The software will assist in determining whether computer chips built using nanoelectronics will perform as intended. Then, this tool will be made accessible to all researchers for usage.
“In the long run, it’s intended to address a key supply chain problem,” Hoy said. “We’re going to provide new tools, so that when people go to build these devices, they can predict their properties accurately so they know the device will behave as expected. One of my key goals is to help build the next generation of materials science and nanoscience-focused students in the U.S.,” Hoy added.
The National Science Foundation awarded a grant of $222,559 to the organisation. With the award, graduate and undergraduate students will be significantly involved in the research, assisting Rowan’s materials science and engineering programme.
