II-NEW: Robust Carbon Nanotube Technology for Energy-Efficient Computing Systems: A Processing and Design Infrastructure for Emerging Nanotechnologies

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This award focuses on creating a comprehensive processing and design infrastructure to enable and accelerate research on robust VLSI technology using Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors (CNFETs) for next generation energy-efficient computing systems. CNFETs represent a significant departure from traditional silicon technologies, and can potentially enable computing systems with more than an order of magnitude better energy efficiency compared to silicon-CMOS. Moreover, a unique aspect of CNFET technology enables massive monolithic three-dimensional integration. However, several fundamental challenges must be overcome before such benefits can be achieved. This requires significant inventions in inter-disciplinary fields of devices, processing, VLSI design and CAD, and integrated computing system design. Hence, a significant amount of infrastructure is required, where robust and repeatable processing and design flows are established (unlike stand-alone prototypes). Such a comprehensive infrastructure for CNFET VLSI, created in this project, will enable easy adaptability and integration of new inventions. This will help build a research community around a common CNFET VLSI processing and design platform.It will also provide unique opportunities for exploring new research frontiers, and solid training of the next generation of researchers and practitioners.