INSPIRE Track 1: Programming Digital Materials: Additive Assembly of Integrated Electronics

INSPIRE奖的部分资金来自工程局土木、机械和制造创新部门的跨学科研究计划，计算机和信息科学与工程局计算机和网络系统部门的计算机系统研究计划，以及计算机和信息科学与工程局信息和智能系统部门的稳健情报计划。集成电路是在数十亿美元的芯片制造厂生产的，从设计到芯片需要数月的加工。这项提议的目标是在一个下午通过桌面过程实现这一点。它不是像今天所做的那样蚀刻或沉积电子材料，而是基于组装数字材料。它们使用一组离散的组件，可逆地连接在一组相对位置和方向的离散组中。这些属性允许由部件确定位置、检测和纠正其放置中的错误、连接不同的材料以及拆卸而不是处理它们。导电和绝缘部件类型将用于取代多层印刷电路板、用于三维互连的连接器和布线、电感和电容器、带状线和天线。这个项目将为生产无源部件增加一种阻性部件类型，为有源部件增加半导体部件类型，为机电部件增加磁性和弯曲部件类型。该项目将开发部件的原型、生产工艺、装配机和使用它们进行设计的软件工具。这项研究将在规模和复杂性方面分阶段进行，重现集成电子学的历史。首先将相当于小规模的集成，使用数十个特征尺寸为100微米的部件。这一集成级别的测试用例将组装一个射频匹配网络。然后是中等规模的集成，使用数百个具有10微米特征尺寸的部件。这里的一个目标是组装一个环形振荡器和二进制计数器。最后，大规模集成将使用数千个具有1微米特征尺寸的部件，目标是组装一个微处理器。计算机控制的制造已经从减法过程发展到加法过程；本研究路线图将介绍功能数字材料的离散组装和拆卸，以编码在集成过程中构建完整的系统。

This INSPIRE award is partially funded by the Interdisciplinary Research Program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation in the Directorate for Engineering, the Computer systems Research Program in the Division of Computer and Network Systems in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and the Robust Intelligence Program in the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering.Integrated circuits are produced in billion-dollar chip fabs, which require many months of processing to go from a design to a chip. The goal of this proposal is to accomplish that in an afternoon, with a table-top process. Rather than etching or depositing electronic materials, as is done today, it is based on assembling digital materials. These use a discrete set of components, reversibly joined in a discrete set of relative positions and orientations. Those attributes allow positions to be determined by the parts, errors in their placement to be detected and corrected, dissimilar materials to be joined, and them to be disassembled rather than disposed. A conducting and insulating part type will be used to replace multilayer printed circuit boards, connectors and cabling for three-dimensional interconnect, inductors and capacitors, striplines and antennas. A resistive part type will be added for producing passive components, semiconducting part types will be added for active components, and magnetic and flexural part types for electromechanical components.This project will develop prototypes of the parts, the processes to produce them, the assemblers to place them, and the software tools to design with them. The research will progress in stages of size and complexity, reproducing the history of integrated electronics. First will be the equivalent of small-scale integration, using tens of parts with a 100 micron feature size. A test case at this level of integration will be assembling a radiofrequency matching network. Then will come medium-scale integration, using hundreds of parts with a 10 micron feature size. A goal here will be assembling a ring oscillator and binary counter. Finally, large-scale integration will use thousands of parts with a 1 micron feature size, with a goal of assembling a microprocessor. Computer-controlled manufacturing has progressed from subtractive to additive processes; this research roadmap will introduce the discrete assembly and disassembly of functional digital materials, to code the construction of complete systems in an integrated process.