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

尽管它们推动了一场全球技术革命，但处于计算机数字逻辑核心的电子晶体管非常节能。为了实现更低的功率计算，正在考虑采用完全不同的设计来取代或补充晶体管。其中之一是纳米机电开关，这是一种非常小的设备，可以物理地打开和关闭信号。它们有可能比变送器的能效高出100万倍。然而，它们存在可靠性不足的问题。具体地说，导电接触表面需要能够在不磨损或不被污染的情况下打开和关闭多达一千万亿次，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理；(2)以足够的可靠性发现和开发新材料和运行条件。该方法将包括在原子尺度上对失效机制进行计算建模，并进行纳米尺度的显微镜实验。将把模型和实验结合起来，进行高通量的材料筛选。将对一大批候选材料进行筛选，选择那些具有所需特性的材料，包括导电性、耐磨性、抗氧化性和防污染堆积性。最有希望的将在原型纳米级设备中进行测试，最终确定使这项新技术成为可能的材料和条件。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计算机和便携式设备的可行技术。这具有节省大量能源的潜力，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，这项工作将通过在一个关键经济部门继续技术进步来帮助保持美国在信息技术方面的竞争力。在团队中进行研究的学生？S多个实验室将培养强大的技能，以领导未来在节能纳米设备、材料科学和摩擦学方面的研究。本科生将受益于将实施的独特的双机构暑期实习交流，会议上的团队授课短期课程将广泛传播这些创新的见解。

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.