£1M grant to develop nanoelectronics in ECS

A Platform Grant (PG) awarded this month could have a major impact on the UK's system and chip design capabilities.

The grant for just over one million pounds sterling has been awarded to the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

It is a renewal of a recent Platform Grant which enabled ECS researchers to develop algorithms and tools for digital synthesis, to design low-power systems and to expand their research activities in analogue and mixed signal design.

'The renewal of this grant for a further four years is recognition of the fact that we are UK leaders in this field,' said Dr Peter Wilson of the Electronic Systems Design group, one of the key investigators on the project. 'The award of any Platform Grant is special, and to have it renewed is really something.'

Dr Wilson and the team of ECS investigators, led by Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi, will continue to undertake highly challenging projects in system-level design methods and mixed-signal design, which they will validate through demonstrator projects.

Two of their key challenges are to push analogue mixed signal design into very small chips and to design nanoelectronics systems with particular emphasis on modelling, simulation and defect-tolerant logic circuit design.

'With the scaling limit of conventional CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) in sight, the PG renewal will enable us to develop new strategic directions by pump-priming adventurous research projects in nanoelectronics design,' said Dr Wilson.

‘The new Pervasive Systems Centre being launched in ECS next week will provide an excellent base for research undertaken within this PG,’ added Professor Al-Hashimi.