Computing devices and electronics have become increasingly numerous on a per-capita basis with people owning multiple personal computing devices such as cell phones, tablets, and laptops along with embedded electronic devices such as remote controls and calculators. Also, electronics advance and become obsolete at a very rapid pace. While this advancement has caused great strides in human productivity, it has come at a cost in terms of pollution to our environment, the creation of electronic waste (e-waste), and harm to electronics recycling workers. This project addresses this challenge by studying how to create computer architectures for biodegradable electronics built out of organic semiconductors. By embracing biodegradable and compostable electronics, the computing and electronics industry can switch from an industry that harms the environment to one that is sustainable and does not harm the environment.
This project tackles the challenging problem of designing computer architectures in organic semiconductors. This is a brand new field as most computer architecture research has targeted (non-biodegradable) silicon-based substrates. Many challenges exist in designing for organic semiconductors including, low mobility (low-speed), large transistor-to-transistor variability, and a different interconnect to transistor speed ratio than is found in silicon. This project takes a bottom up approach by first laying the groundwork including the creation of a model logic cell library for organic semiconductors, then it uses that library as a synthesis target for different computer architectures, and finally an architectural design tradeoff study to understand pipeline length and machine architectures.
This research can broadly impact humanity by laying the groundwork for electronics and computers that can be manufactured and disposed of without adversely impacting the environment. This can ultimately lead to electronics such as a fully biodegradable cell phone, thereby removing the need to properly recycle electronics, removing e-waste from our landfills, and reducing dangers to electronics.
