Ultra-low consumption for the future of electronics
The European project E2SWITCH is aiming to develop new electronic systems with ultra-low energy consumption. The nine partners, universities, research institutes and companies, are committed to making these 'circuits of tomorrow' more energy efficient.
The mission of E2SWITCH will be to develop an ultra-low power electronic system based on Tunnel FET (TFET) heterostructures built on silicon substrates and exploiting a phenomenon of quantum mechanics for operating at voltages up to five times lower than those of the current standard mobile phone circuit. This is a real challenge, especially in light of the explosive growth in independent functions expected for portable devices of the future. The EPFL is coordinating this new European research project, which involves not only six universities and research institutes, but also the companies IBM, CCS and SCIPROM. The project has been funded for up to 4.3 million euros over 42 months.
"Our objective is to make the next generation of transistors, which can still operate at voltages below 0.3 Volts and even as low as 0.1V," explained Adrian Ionescu, an EPFL professor and the coordinator of E2SWITCH. At this time, the scaling of the threshold voltage impacts not only the autonomy and energy consumption of electronic appliances, but also their compatibility with new technologies for rechargeable batteries and integrated energy harvesters.
Mobile devices of the type 'smart-hub' (e.g. smart phone or smart watch) will of course be the first components to take advantage of such optimized electronics, which minimize thermal dissipation. But the issue goes beyond this. "Between 125 and 150 degrees, digital circuits begin to lose their functionality. However, our new technology will not only consume less energy, but will be more stable over a wider temperature range, opening the possibility for more robust applications in the automotive and aerospace fields," says the researcher.
- TAMS SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED