Nanoelectronics and information technology S3-5

In the context of the accelerated digitalization of our society, new constraints such as reliability, environmental footprint, and security have emerged. For instance, the widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence applications raises major concerns in terms of power consumption which are tightly related to the limited energy efficiency of our computing systems. To address these new challenges, disruptive information processing technologies and computing paradigms that are both resilient and energy-efficient are currently being explored. These strategic research areas are at the heart of a new space race between competing continents, supported by multi-billion-dollar programs (such as the EU Chips Act) aimed at reindustrializing national semiconductor industries and regaining sovereignty in micro-nanoelectronics.

In this context, this course will provide an overview of research strategies deployed to develop highly efficient computing systems based on the heterogeneous integration of emerging information processing and storage technologies. The topics covered by this lectures span from material science, device physics and modelling up to the hetreogeneous integration of computing architectures based on emerging technologies.

The course is organized along a series lectures and labwork sessions. Learning outcomes are the following :

• Understand the challenges raised by the massive deployment of computing systems
• Understand the added values of new computing paradigms based on emerging technologies
• Acquire elementary notions of CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) processes and device physics (memories and transistors)
• Gain knowledge on technological roadmaps for logic and memory device and disruptive devices
• Acquire elementary notions of heterogeneous integration techniques & methodologies and their applications

Lectures:

• Logic and data processing circuits - functionality and performances

  o Introduction to logic and data processing

  o Advanced Electron Device Technologies. Emerging FET devices roadmap

  o Silicon photonics for opticall interconnect

• Emerging Memory Technologies & Applications

  o Overview of current memory technologies

  o Review of emerging memory technologies (ReRAM, PCRAM, MRAM, FeRAM)

  o New computing paradigms based on emergning memories

• Nanoelectronics Integration technolgies

  o Basics of nanoelectronics & semiconductor industry o Overview of integration strategies o Packaging, power supply, sensors and actuators

Practical sessions:

• Computer Assisted Design (CAD) o Technology-oriented design : semiconductor device and physics o Circuit-oriented design : simulation of logic gates and circuits

• Clean room labwork