SHINE 4th Technical Workshop
March 25, 2024
The 4th technical workshop of the Singapore Hybrid-Integrated Next-Generation μ-Electronics (SHINE) centre took place on 25th and 26th of March 2024, at the NUS Auditorium. The seminar focused on advancing new material discoveries for future semiconductor technology, defence electronics, photonics and device integration demonstrating innovation and innovative collaboration within the industry.
Day 1 of the event was open to the public, professors, staff, researchers, and industry collaborators, drawing in about 100+ participants both onsite and online.
Professor Aaron Thean, Director of SHINE, commenced the conference with a welcoming speech. He shared the highlights from the recent Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s GTC keynote, featuring it as the future of everything. Jensen Huang, Nvidia launched on Mar 19, 2024, a “bigger, Faster, Hotter” with higher speed “2.5-5x speed, P=1200W with TSMC 4nm chip”. Prof Thean highlighted its alignment with SHINE from the new challenges as he articulated SHINE’s R&D Mission to enable interdisciplinary Innovations for Heterogenous & Hybrid Systems Integration that strives to solve the area of hybrid electronics where there has not been innovation in this area with a potential differentiation for many smaller players.
Citing some of SHINE’s innovations, including Stretchable low-resistivity interconnect systems. Prof Thean emphasized partnership and ecosystem building for translational heterogeneous electronics innovation nursery to drive disruptive innovation and translation,
enable acad-industry co-research sandbox, and incubate small-semi spin-offs and talent creation and development. He introduced SHINE’s shared facilities to spur capabilities akin to some of the industry’s standards and its diversity of talents. He reiterated the alignment of SHINE with the latest launch by Nvidia, bringing a new Era with exciting new opportunities going beyond Moore’s law.
SHINE had the privilege of arranging five distinguished speakers, including Prof Philip Wong, Professor of Electrical Engineering Stanford University, USA; Dr Suresh Venkatesan, CEO of POET Technologies; Dr Vincent Leong, Director RF Programme DSO National Laboratories; Prof Takao Someya, Executive Director and Vice President (Start-up) & Professor, Graduate School of Engineering at The University of Tokyo; and Dr Guillaume Besnard, Research Engineer SOITEC.
The keynote address by Prof Philip Wong accentuated the significance of semiconductor advancements in future electronic systems, emphasizing the importance of three-dimensional integration. He introduced the concept of Nanosystems of 3D integrated “X” technology (N3XT) and underscored the need for MOSAIC integration to assemble chips into systems. In a nut shell, his discussion centred on developing new materials, device technologies, and design concepts for energy-efficient computing systems to achieve this vision.
Dr Vincent Leong, the third speaker of the seminar explored Trends in Defence Electronics, including miniaturization, pushing for higher RF power and leveraging commercial technologies, presenting insights into technology’s role, such as electronic warfare, on contemporary battlefields and forecasting its impact on defence electronics. He wrapped up his presentation by emphasizing the potential of research conducted at the SHINE research centre to propel these trends forward and foster innovation within the realm of defence electronics.
Next, Dr Suresh Venkatesan delved into Photonics Technologies for the next era of AI Computing and Data Center Interconnects. He featured the shift towards photon-based data transmission and processing, distinguishing it from traditional electron-based methods. The emergence of photonic fabrics presents new opportunities for AI workloads, particularly in deep learning applications like ChatGPT. Anticipating accelerated AI development, Dr Venkatesan explored the growing importance of “semiconductorizing” photonics in enhancing hardware capabilities and its future implications for AI-driven solutions.
Subsequently, Prof Takao Someya presented Ultra-flexible Organic Photonics, focusing on the versatility of flexible and thin photovoltaics in various applications, including powering wearable electronics and soft robots. Achieving remarkable bendability and lightweight properties by reducing the thickness to several micrometres was a key accomplishment. Emphasizing high efficiency and stability under ambient air conditions as crucial factors, Prof. Someya highlighted recent advancements in ultra-flexible organic photonics for next-generation wearables with novel applications of fully solution-processed PPG sensors and high-definition flexible imaging systems that will ultimately harmonize with humans.
Dr Guillaume Besnard resumed after the lunch break with a presentation on SmartGaN, heralding it as the future of GaN-engineered substrates for power and RF applications. He underscored the increasing demand for semiconductors to power everyday devices and SOITEC’s commitment to engineering materials for enhanced performance and value at the system level, prioritizing energy efficiency and sustainability. He also shared industry concerns and paint points with GaN for power, such as price competition with silicon and RF applications like co-integration with CMOS. SmartGaN represents a pivotal advancement in this pursuit, leveraging SOITEC’s expertise in material science and Smart Cut™ technology alongside GaN epitaxy expertise. Additionally, Soitec is working towards for SmartGaN to become a solution to industry challenges, aiming a broader market acceptance for GaN, more open GaN device design and improved system value.
The series of invited talks concluded with Prof Lim featuring SHINE research activities and highlights. The open seminar ended at 2.55pm.
Throughout the event, there were eight stations of poster display featuring latest innovations and advanced technologies developed by the four SHINE research thrusts and industry partners such as AMD, POET Technologies and Soitec. This provided an avenue for engaging in technical discussions and exchanges among participants.
Eight presentations were delivered by SHINE research thrust co-investigators and research fellows during the two-day closed-door technical workshop, held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on March 25th and from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm on March 26th.
In conclusion, the invited talks and technical workshops facilitated profound discussions among participants, nurturing collaborative dialogues and fostering essential knowledge exchange crucial for advancing the workshop’s objectives.
For further information about the speakers and synopsis of the talks and presentations, please download our event booklet.
The Photo Gallery