1338901 University of Florida; Nishida 1338895 University of Central Florida; Yuan
The vision of the proposed Center "Multi-Functional Integrated System Technology (MIST) is to pioneer the More than Moore" era by translating novel materials, devices, and manufacturing processes into multi-functional integrated systems that yield rich functional diversity compared to traditional integrated circuit platforms. The University of Florida (UFL) and the University of Central Florida (UCF) are collaborating to establish the proposed center, with UFL as the lead institution.
The proposed Center aims at the innovation beyond Moore's Law. Through iindustry-driven collaborative research initiatives, interdisciplinary mixing and intersectional collisions will be promoted in order to catalyze innovation opportunities such as combinations of computing, sensing, actuation, and energy storage/generation on the same system on a chip (SoC) or system in package (SiP). The MIST Center will lay the pavement on the roadmap to next-generation integrated electronic systems.
A result of Moore's law is the transformation of the computing platform from the advent of the solid-state mainframe computer to the desktop computer to the laptop computer, and most recently to the tablet computer. Research at the MIST Center will operate at the forefront of this transformation by connecting research advances in materials science, electronics, magnetics, acoustics, photonics, microfluidic devices, MEMS, and circuits to societally relevant technologies with industry guidance. The proposed I/UCRC MIST Center will integrate a strong team of complementary investigators, train the next generation of graduate students who are versed in cutting edge research, actively recruit and introduce participants from underrepresented groups in science and engineering, and team with industrial member companies, governmental agencies, and associations. These exchanges will broaden the perspectives of all involved participants.
Intellectual Merit: The MIST Center is motivated by three major research/industry trends: Stepping beyond the current challenge of continued conventional scaling of integrated circuits, a.k.a. Moore’s Law, Exploring new functionalities at intersections of materials/processes/devices/circuits for multi-functional systems, and Integrating nanoscale materials into micro/nanosystem manufacturing. While significant advances have been made in the engineering of novel materials at the nano-scale, they must be properly interfaced to larger length scales to fully realize their commercial potential. A result of the intense scaling of digital logic is that the transistor itself is essentially free, thus, added commercial value will come from new functionalities and not the number of transistors. New functionalities are enabled by sensors and actuators, which provide new inputs and outputs for the logic and associated electronics. The International Technology Roadmap of Semiconductors has recognized that future advances in the semiconductor industry will integrate computing with sensing and/or other functionalities to create more opportunities for innovation, a new intersectional direction called ’More than Moore.’ Through industry-driven collaborative research initiatives and incentives including an integration fund, interdisciplinary mixing will be promoted at the MIST Center in order to catalyze innovation opportunities such as combinations of computing, sensing, actuation, and energy storage/generation on the same system on a chip (SoC) or system in package (SiP). The MIST Center will lay the pavement on the roadmap to next-generation integrated electronic systems. Broader Impacts: A result of Moore’s law is the transformation of the computing platform from the advent of the solid-state mainframe computer (1960s) to the desktop computer (1980s) to the laptop computer (1990s), and most recently to the tablet computer (2010). In a similar manner, we anticipate a revolution in the size and capability of smart devices through the downscaling and integration of multi-functional systems. Research at the MIST Center will operate at the forefront of this transformation by connecting research advances in materials science, electronics, magnetics, acoustics, photonics, microfluidic devices, MEMS, and circuits to societally relevant technologies with industry guidance. The proposed I/UCRC MIST Center will integrate a strong team of complementary investigators, train the next generation of graduate students who are versed in cutting edge research, actively recruit and mentor participants from underrepresented groups in science and engineering, and team with industrial member companies, governmental agencies, and associations. These exchanges will broaden the perspectives of all involved participants. The proposed NSF I/UCRC for Multi-functional Integrated System Technology (MIST Center) led by the University of Florida (UF) with founding partner site, University of Central Florida (UCF), is focused on the hardware technologies necessary to propel the next generation mobile sensing/computing/communication systems. Our vision is to pioneer the "More than Moore" (MtM) and "Internet of Things" (IoT) era by translating novel materials, devices, and manufacturing processes into multi-functional integrated systems. The MIST Center has received a total of $520K in commitments corresponding to 13 memberships at $40K/membership. The NSF I/UCRC on MIST is unique in its focus on enabling technologies for multi-functional systems, including innovative integration that will be promoted by a MIST integration fund, and complements existing NSF I/UCRCs.
