This research area focuses on electronic devices for processing information, including new applications, new materials and the integration of novel technologies into electronic components.
This area covers Research into electronic devices for processing information, including new applications, new materials and the integration of novel technologies into electronic components.
It also includes devices based on integrating electronics with computational state variables beyond electronic charge alone, for example spin polarisation.
It links to other research areas in relation to the integration of electronics with photonics, radio frequency and microwave technology, and quantum technology.
This area includes development of novel devices using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible technology.
This strategy recognises the area’s importance as a key enabler for most industrial sectors.
Developments in microelectronics device technology are likely to continue to enable advances across information and communication technologies (ICT). Microelectronics Device Technology is an evolution of previous research areas CMOS Device Technology and Non-CMOS Device Technology, and builds on previous strategies for them.
We aim to have:
- researchers making contributions to the EPSRC cross-ICT priorities of Safe and Secure ICT and Future Intelligent Technologies, through work on the security and reliability of devices and on technology to enable lower power consumption, faster communication and on-node processing
- a community with stronger links to physical sciences research areas, to draw on advances there, and create the next generation of microelectronics devices
- researchers continuing to integrate new functionality into electronic devices to further extend performance
- researchers addressing the challenges of handling power efficiently
- strong links between researchers in this area and the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, and with EUROPRACTICE (integrated circuit design and manufacture support, funded by the EU), to facilitate impact strategies, and to have considered other opportunities to improve coordination of usage of specialist facilities.
Fully addressing many of these challenges will require ambitious interdisciplinary proposals bringing together researchers from fields including materials, devices, photonics, healthcare, manufacturing and instrumentation (as described in our Cross-Disciplinarity and Co-Creation cross-ICT priority).
We will continue to monitor research training provision, especially in power electronics, and the development of future leaders to ensure that these reflect academic and industrial needs.
As with our previous rationale for CMOS Device Technology, we do not wish to support research aimed at miniaturisation through gate-length reduction (to meet Moore’s Law predictions) as part of this area. Our priority remains novel device research that goes beyond Moore’s Law.