The area of electronics and semiconductor engineering includes a broad range of research topics, including material synthesis, device fabrication, sensor development, and digital, analog, and mixed-signal circuit design and ICs (integrated circuits). These technologies provide the building blocks for all kinds of modern and emerging applications, such as novel computing hardware, (bio-inspired or quantum), communications, wearable electronics, and smart IoT devices and autonomous systems.
Our specific areas of expertise include:
Emerging Non-volatile Memory
Our research aims to develop emerging non-volatile memory devices for next-generation computing and many other far-reaching applications. We design and manufacture novel memory device structures incorporating a wide variety of nanomaterials and nanostructures, such as nanowires, oxides, redox-active molecules, and two-dimensional materials to achieve a rare combination of high speed performance, low power consumption, and low manufacturing cost. Candidates such as ReRAM (resistive RAM), PCM (phase change memory), MRAM (magnetic RAM), and fRAM (ferroelectric RAM) are explored to ultimately replace the current on-chip or off-chip memory technology and/or enable new application areas that meet with deep learning, wearable electronics, and IoT. Principal investigators: Dimitris Ioannou and Ethan Ahn.
Semiconductor Device and Nanoelectronics
We research, develop, and engineer modern semiconductor devices for micro- and nano-electronics (diodes and transistors, logic switches, volatile/non-volatile memories, BEOL interconnects), radio frequency (RF)/millimeter wave high speed electronics, power electronics (wide bandgap or III-V semiconductor), electrostatic discharge (ESD) prevention, wearables, and SoC (system-on-chip) or LoC (lab-on-chip) applications. We are the primary research group who uses and leverages Mason’s state-of-the-art nanofab facility (NFF) and cleanroom for semiconductor and micro- and nano-electronics research. Principal investigators: Dimitris Ioannou, Rao Mulpuri, Alok Berry, and Ethan Ahn.
Sensor and Sensor Systems
The focus of our research is to develop optical/photonic, chemical/biochemical, temperature, mechanical (vibration, acceleration) sensors based on novel materials and device structures. This includes conventional or emerging semiconductor materials, metal oxides and dielectrics, thin film metals, chalcogenides, low-dimensional nanostructures and quantum materials. We integrate sensors and sensor arrays into small stand-alone systems for intelligent sensing applications. Our research also seeks to exploit analytical, AI-assisted algorithms to enable precise identification of similar chemicals or objects, and detection of complicated hybrid gases. Microfluidics and MEMS technologies are actively employed to develop advanced sensors that find useful in biomedical and many other transdisciplinary fields. Principal investigators: Rao Mulpuri, Dimitris Ioannou, and Ethan Ahn.
Energy Harvesting and Storage
We use cutting-edge electronics to develop novel energy harvesting and storage solutions. The research topics include piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity, photovoltaic cell, and supercapacitor. The goal is to explore properties of emerging electronic materials and devices in the context of how we can better address the critical societal challenges related to energy. For example, we research energy-harvestable 2D materials to increase the energy conversion efficiency and scale-up to the power to a practical level, design and fabricate micro-supercapacitor cells with enhanced energy density and other performance metrics, and bring emerging nano- and quantum structures into photovoltaics. Principal investigator: Ethan Ahn.