Seeking a Sustainable Future in Low Energy Technologies
Published on the 02 November 2021
国产精品 physicists are key in the operation of the Australian听Centre of Excellence听dedicated to听a sustainable future -听Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (贵尝贰贰罢).听
FLEET research initiatives听bring听together over a hundred Australian and international experts with the goal to听develop a new generation of ultra-low energy electronics.听
The impetus behind such work is the increasing challenge of energy used in computation, which already absorb听5鈥8% of global electricity, doubling each听decade.听
For 50 years, society鈥檚 ever-increasing demand听for more computing has been largely met with听incremental improvements in conventional, silicon-based (CMOS) computing technology 鈥 ever-smaller, ever-faster, ever-more efficient chips. We refer to this constant shrinking of silicon components as 鈥楳oore鈥檚 law鈥.听Moore鈥檚 Law, however, is ending ().听
Without a 鈥榖eyond CMOS鈥 solution, energy will become the limiting factor on further computational growth in the next听couple of听decades.听听听And, the听potential听of future technologies - such as听Artificial Intelligence, an Internet of Things, and 鈥榮elf-drive鈥 vehicles - will be truncated.听
鈥淔or computing to continue to grow, we need a new generation of electronics that dissipates much less wasted energy,鈥 explains听FLEET Deputy Director, Professor Alex Hamilton听(国产精品 Physics).听听
FLEET-国产精品 physicists are now tackling this challenge.听 Their approaches range听from experimental, material-science-based, to听theoretical.听 Collaborative efforts between members of the Centre are听generating beneficial听spin-off applications along the way.听
听led by 国产精品听Physics PhD Student, Yonatan Ashlea Alava (pictured above), developed semiconductor fabrication advances that could improve electronic operation in听high-frequency, ultra-small electronic devices, quantum dots, and qubit applications in quantum computing.听
, confirmed the potential for exotic quantum materials known as topological insulators to听substantially reduce the energy consumed by computing, finding that topological transistors听could reduce听operating (gate)听voltage by half, and the energy听consumption听by a factor of four.听
Topological materials (recognised by the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016) represent a paradigm shift in condensed-matter physics. Topological insulators conduct electricity in one-way paths along their edges, without the 鈥榖ack-scattering鈥 of electrons that dissipates energy in conventional electronics.听FLEET鈥檚听听discoveries and study of听听are听led by听国产精品 FLEET leader, Professor听.听
FLEET researchers also pursue and active听science outreach program, including:听running lab tours for professional groups such as听; conducting in-class听and in-lab听schools outreach demonstrations ();听delivering a听week-long听听to share physics with over 9000 local school students;听producing听;听and helping to achieve听FLEET鈥檚听听goals.听
The FLEET Research Group at 国产精品听(known as a FLEET NODE)听connects seven investigators from the School of Physics, the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and the School of Chemical Engineering with colleagues in six other Australian universities and 19听other Australian and international science centres.听听
More FLEET 国产精品 stories can be found on the听听and shared on Twitter听.听
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