SHF: EAGER: Asynchronous Logic for Printed Electronics (ALPE)

本探索性研究的目的是探讨异步（无时钟）超大规模集成电路技术是否可以加速用于柔性电子电路设计和制造的有机场效应晶体管和印刷技术的发展。有机半导体被认为是传统硅基电子产品的替代材料，可能使新一代低成本、机械柔性、易于制造的电子设备成为可能。异步逻辑，它不依赖于时序假设，可能是最好的设计方法，这类技术的参数不能很好地控制和实现一个全局时钟网络是非常困难的。论点是，由于所有的参数变化都会影响时间，一个独立于时间且不使用时钟的逻辑将容忍极端的参数变化。本研究的主要目标是将异步逻辑应用于印刷电子数字系统的设计。希望是，通过放松对时间限制所施加的物理参数的要求，目前的技术状态可能变得“足够好”，无需进一步改进即可实现数字电路。具体目标是设计和制造印刷电子产品中的第一个微控制器，更具体地说，是使用喷墨打印机技术。由于有机半导体的性能特征与现有的硅基技术有很大的不同，因此它不会取代现有的硅基技术。但该设备的其他特性——低成本、轻重量、灵活性和制造时间短——为新的令人兴奋的应用打开了大门。显而易见的是：有源RFID和智能标签，医疗保健和国防应用的可穿戴电子产品，具有附加智能的生物识别和化学传感器，大面积传感器，用于显示器的有源矩阵背板，移动通信，能源。但也许最有趣的还有待发现。由于该技术潜在的简单性和可用性，能够在喷墨打印机上使用单一类型的聚合物在环境条件下打印电路的想法非常吸引人。将当前集成电路制造设备的价格（数十亿美元）与喷墨打印机的价格（数千美元）进行比较，就足以了解该技术的巨大潜力。在学术环境中，一个额外的优势是，打印自己的电路的想法会让学生们非常兴奋……

The purpose of this exploratory research is to investigate whether asynchronous (clockless) VLSI techniques can accelerate the development of organic field-effect transistors and printing technology for the design and fabrication of flexible electronic circuits. Organic semiconductors are being considered as alternative materials to conventional silicon-based electronics, possibly enabling a new generation of low-cost, mechanically flexible, easily manufactured electronic devices. Asynchronous logic, which does not rely on timing assumption, may be the best design method for such technologies where the parameters are not well controlled and the implementation of a global clock-network is very difficult. The argument is that, since all parameter variations affect the timing, a logic that is independent of the timing and that does not use a clock, will tolerate extreme parameter variations. The main goal of this research is to apply asynchronous logic to the design of digital systems in printed electronics. The hope is that, by relaxing the requirements on the physical parameters imposed by timing constraints, the currrent state of the technology may become ``good enough'' for implementing digital circuits without further improvement. A concrete target is to design and fabricate the very first microcontroller in printed electronics, more specifically with inkjet printer technology.Organic semiconductors will not replace current silicon-based technology as the performance characteristics are very different. But other properties of the devices---low cost, light weight, flexibility, and short fabrication time---open the door to new exciting applications. Obvious ones come to mind: active RFID and smart labels, wearable electronics with health-care and defense applications, biometric and chemical sensors with added intelligence, large-area sensors, active matrix backplane for displays, mobile communications, energy. But probably the most interesting ones are still to be discovered. The idea of being able to print circuits on an inkjet printer with one single type of polymer and in ambient conditions is very appealing because of the potential simplicity and availability of the technique. Comparing the price of a current IC fabrication facility (billions of dollars) to the price of an inkjet printer (thousands of dollars) is enough to appreciate the huge potentials of the technology. An added advantage in an academic environment is that the idea of printing their own circuits would be very exciting to students...