MNC News
The Nano Center is a hub of innovation. Stay up to date with the Center's latest updates and events.
NSF Awards UMN $1.2 Million for Efficient Semiconductor Research
The Minnesota Nano Center is proud to be a part of a new $1.2 grant from the National Scientific Foundation aimed at creating more energy efficient semiconductors in order to support AI development and other energy intensive forms of computing. As readers may already know, while the potential applications of AI are immense but so too are the power needs of the computers which make up AI systems like Chat GPT. Consequently, creating more energy efficient semiconductors for computing would not only save money on existing forms of computing but potentially create new commercially viable applications of AI technology. We are excited to work with the keen minds throughout the UMN and see what they come up with in response to this problem!
Read more at the link below from the UMN's Research Innovation Office!
https://cse.umn.edu/college/news/u-m-awarded-12m-help-improve-energy-efficiency-computer-systems-using-ai
MNC Research News: Efficient Materials
New research from the Minnesota Nano Center and the department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science have published a paper detailing the properties of a new material which allows for fast, high efficiency transfers of electrons while the structures themselves are transparent in both visible and UV light. These characteristics make it uniquely suitable for applications in high-power electronics and deep-ultraviolet (DUV) optoelectronics. Advancements in material sciences often rely on nanoscale tools to manipulate the minute details of the structure and composition of materials in order to produce new properties that allow for the creation of new devices. For instance, this material allows for more efficient semiconductors that could lead to advances in computing.
This new research is published in Scientific Acvances:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq7892
MNC Research Update: Archeaomagnetic Dating
Most people don’t think of the nanoscale when they think of archaeology. We usually think about dinosaurs, pyramids, and maybe some fossils. But here at the Nano Center researchers have been working on ways to adapt current archaeological techniques to Minnesota’s unique climate. In Minnesota, artifacts suitable for radiocarbon dating are relatively scarce but other techniques are showing promise.
A recent dissertation analyzes the feasibility of creating a dating curve to reference when identifying the date of discovered objects using their magnetic intensity. The study performed rock magnetic analysis on a selection of objects already identified through carbon or qualitative dating to detect magnetite/maghemite, goethite, and hematite deposits. The size, composition, and intensity of these magnetic minerals can be used to date the objects they are found in, but only with sufficient existing data to understand the geological history of Minnesota.
https://www.proquest.com/docview/3072382543/abstract/5A86B8E46C8A45C0PQ/1?accountid=14586&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses