DMREF/Collaborative Research: High-Throughput Discovery, Development, and Demonstration of Material Systems to Enable Low-Power NEMS-Based Computation

DMREF/协作研究：材料系统的高通量发现、开发和演示，以实现基于 NEMS 的低功耗计算

• 批准号: 1334241
• 负责人: Robert Carpick
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: University of Pennsylvania
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1334241&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DMREF; Collaborative; Research; Throughput; Discovery

Although they have fueled a global technology revolution, the electronic transistors that lie at the heart of digital logic in computers are very energy-inefficient. To enable lower power computation, sever-al radically different designs to replace or complement transistors are under consideration. One of them is the nanoelectromechanical switch an extremely small device that physically opens and closes to turn signals on and off. These have potential to be up to one million times more energy efficient than transis-tors. However, they suffer from insufficient reliability. Specifically, the electrically conducting contacting surfaces need to be able to open and close up to a quadrillion times without wearing out or becoming con-taminated, and materials that can do this have not yet been developed. This project's objectives are: (1) to understand the failure mechanisms that occur in these switches; and (2) to discover and develop new ma-terials and operating conditions with sufficient reliability. The approach will involve performing compu-tational modeling of failure mechanisms at atomistic scales, and performing nanoscale microscopy exper-iments. Models and experiments will be integrated for high-throughput screening of materials. A large array of candidate materials will be canvassed, selecting those that possess required characteristics includ-ing electrical conductivity, wear resistance, and resistance to oxidation and buildup of contamination. The most promising ones will be tested in prototype nanoscale devices to ultimately identify materials and conditions that enable this new technology.If successful, this research will discover new materials and operating conditions that make nanoelec-tromechanical switches a viable technology for future-generation low-power computers and portable de-vices. This has potential to save large amounts of energy, thus helping to address the environmental, eco-nomic, and security challenges arising from high energy consumption. Furthermore, this work will help maintain U.S. competitiveness in information technology by continuing technological progress in a key economic sector. Students conducting research in the team?s multiple labs will develop strong skills to lead future research in energy-efficient nanodevices, materials science, and tribology. Undergraduate stu-dents will benefit from a unique dual-institution summer internship exchange that will be implemented, and team-taught short-courses at conferences will broadly disseminate insights from these innovations.

尽管它们推动了全球技术革命，但作为计算机数字逻辑核心的电子晶体管的能源效率非常低。为了实现更低的功耗计算，正在考虑几种完全不同的设计来替换或补充晶体管。其中之一是纳米机电开关，这是一种非常小的设备，可以通过物理方式打开和关闭以打开和关闭信号。它们的能源效率有可能比晶体管高一百万倍。然而，它们的可靠性不足。具体来说，导电接触表面需要能够打开和关闭多达千万次而不磨损或被污染，而能够做到这一点的材料尚未开发出来。该项目的目标是：（1）了解这些开关中发生的故障机制； (2) 发现和开发足够可靠的新材料和操作条件。该方法将涉及在原子尺度上对失效机制进行计算建模，并进行纳米级显微镜实验。模型和实验将被整合以进行材料的高通量筛选。将仔细研究大量候选材料，选择那些具有所需特性的材料，包括导电性、耐磨性、抗氧化性和抗污染性。最有前途的技术将在原型纳米级设备中进行测试，以最终确定实现这项新技术的材料和条件。如果成功，这项研究将发现新的材料和操作条件，使纳米机电开关成为未来一代低功耗技术的可行技术。为计算机和便携式设备供电。这有可能节省大量能源，从而有助于解决高能源消耗带来的环境、经济和安全挑战。此外，这项工作将通过持续关键经济领域的技术进步来帮助保持美国在信息技术方面的竞争力。在该团队的多个实验室进行研究的学生将培养强大的技能，以领导节能纳米设备、材料科学和摩擦学的未来研究。本科生将受益于即将实施的独特的双机构暑期实习交流，并且在会议上团队讲授的短期课程将广泛传播这些创新的见解。

项目成果

The 2019 materials by design roadmap

2019 年材料设计路线图

• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/aad926
• 发表时间: 2019-01
• 期刊: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
• 作者: Alberi, Kirstin;Nardelli, Marco Buongiorno;Zakutayev, Andriy;Mitas, Lubos;Curtarolo, Stefano;Jain, Anubhav;Fornari, Marco;Marzari, Nicola;Takeuchi, Ichiro;Green, Martin L;et al
• 通讯作者: et al