Nanoelectronics Program

Good things come in small packages.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the computer industry where microchips get smaller and faster with each passing year. However, there is a limit to how small current silicon circuits can be shrunk.  It is therefore vital to explore new computing technologies now before this threshold is reached.

Enter nanoelectronics, which holds the potential to create circuits thousands of times smaller than those found on a current microchip.  Though the rewards are very high, realizing the potential of this new technology demands the resolution of complex issues in physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering.

Launched in 1999, CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program comprises a group of internationally recognized Canadian researchers who have made a broad range of contributions to nanoelectronic technology. The program focuses both on the fundamental science of how materials behave at the nanometre (one billionth of a metre) scale, and engineering issues such as creating new nanomaterials used for both research and applications.

Through CIFAR’s Nanoelectronics program, researchers are opening doors to potential new devices that outpace today’s computers by several orders of magnitude and will lead to solutions to a full gamut of important issues that impact our society.