Energy-Efficient MetaConductors for Convergence of Sustainable Electronics (E-MC2 of Sustainable Electronics): An NSF Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 Experience

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor chip has two main elements: active devices (transistors) and interconnects connecting devices. Advances in active devices materials, such as new 2-D materials (MoS2, WS2, BN etc.), phase change materials, and conventional Si, GaAs, GaN, InP have made high-energy efficiency and memory/logic functions for system compactness possible. However, interconnect materials still heavily rely on solid copper technology, which has major limitations in lowering radio frequency (RF) resistance. It is imperative to find high-efficiency conductor solutions to enable high-speed computation and broadband communication technologies that operate in the millimeter wave frequencies. Metaconductors consisting of engineered multiple nanoscopic nonferromagnetic and ferromagnetic metals have shown promise in suppressing the skin effect and thus lowering RF resistance and power consumption. The goal of this project is to explore Energy-efficient MetaConductors for Convergence of Sustainable Electronics (E-MC2 Sustainable Electronics) to translate the metaconductors to commercial use to meet the signal/power integrity needs for modern high speed, broadband electronic applications. This talk will cover the technology and the year-long team experience in the NSF Convergence Accelerator Phase 1 program.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Gloria Kim is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Florida (UF). She is also an affiliate faculty in UF's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She received her B.S. in chemistry from Seoul National University, M.S. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Kim was awarded several grants from the National Science Foundation (IUSE Level 1, IRES Track 1, I-Corps, and I-Corps for Learning) as principal investigator. She transitioned to tenure track in Fall 2022 to pursue her research interests in convergence in engineering education, global engineering education, and social issues in STEM research and practice.

Dr. Kim has taken on new NSF projects to broaden participation in quantum engineering (IUSE Level 3), research abroad (IRES Track 1), use-inspired research (Convergence Accelerator Track I), and workforce development in semiconductors (NSF Regional Innovation Engine: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine). In 2023, she won the University of Florida International Educator of the Year Award for her contributions to the internationalization of the University of Florida and the impact of those contributions on students, international partners, and university stakeholders.