Current projects
The research focus “Emerging Electronics” encompasses today three major areas pertaining to life-science technologies and brain-inspired computing.
1. Solid-state nanopore technology for biomedical applications
1.1. Novel nanopore designs for protein studies
Project leader: Shi-Li Zhang
Contributing scientists: Ngan Pham, Yao Yao, Chenyu Wen
Internal collaborators: Zhen Zhang’s group (Shuangshuang Zeng, Zhen Zhang)
External funding: SOEB
The sub-project explores novel nanopore designs for protein studies. This project builds on the rich outcomes of our recently successfully concluded framework project on nanopores for DNA sequencing sponsored by the Swedish Research Council (VR). The outcomes span from knowledge, process technology, modelling capability to advanced characterisation facilities. The fabrication process for the novel nanopores is based on standard silicon technology and is being developed in the cleanroom laboratory at Ångström. Theoretical modelling with a focus on strategies for signal enhancement and noise mitigation has been instrumental for our design and operation of nanopores and nanopore systems.
1.2. Nanopores for DNA sequencing
Project leader: Shi-Li Zhang
Contributing scientists: Shiyu Li, Shuangshuang Zeng, Klas Hjort, Chenyu Wen, Zhen Zhang
The sub-project represents our final efforts to demonstrate DNA sequencing based on our novel silicon-based nanopore technology. The detection capability has been extended to including advanced optical means, thereby making our characterisation more versatile. Theoretical modelling continues to both support our understanding and improve our device and characterisation design.
2. A novel optoelectronic device for sensing at single-molecule level
Project leader: Shi-Li Zhang
Contributing scientists: Yupeng Yang, Apurba Dev
Internal collaborators: Apurba Dev’s group
With this new project, we explore a novel optoelectronic device for sensing at single-molecule level. Smart exploitation of emerging technologies such as efficient phototransistors based on ultrathin semiconductors including 2D layered structures, upconversion nanocrystals and Förster resonant energy transfer will be key to the success of this project. The research is conducted in the Ångström Laboratory, but we also seek collaborations.
External funding: VR
3. Brain-inspired computing
Project leader: Shi-Li Zhang
Internal collaborators: Zhibin Zhang’s group (Libo Chen, Zhibin Zhang); Robin Augustine’s group; Tomas Kubart’s group; Zhen Zhang’s group
Advanced electronic components constitute the core research area of our scientific discipline “Solid-State Electronics”. In the past, we carried out research on innovative technologies to enable extremely down-scaled silicon CMOS devices. To cope with the drastic changes in device research towards next/generation computing, we have been initiating this new direction on brain-inspired computing. This represents an effort to strengthen our research portfolio, to support new activities being conducted at the various research groups and to exploit and further develop our existing strengths in thin-film, silicon processing and semiconductor device technologies. A couple of examples of the new activities are neuromorphic electronics and ultralow-temperature electronics.