2024-02-28

Title of thesis: Ferroelectric Memristors – Materials, Interfaces and Applications.

Link to thesis in Lund University Research Portal.

Defence: Friday March 8th, 09:15, room E:1406.
Zoom link.  Zoom ID: 63504410836

Describe your research in a popular science way

Today’s society is heavily dependent on electronics, from the smartphone in your pocket to the heat pump heating your house. This digitalization is the engineering result of “chips”, where billions of electrical switches called transistors are integrated on an area the size of a fingernail. The huge improvements seen over the last 50 years can mainly be attributed to making these switches smaller, allowing one to pack more of them onto the same chip. However, we are now at a crossroads where this is no longer possible. Issues with heat dissipation and fundamental physical properties severely hamper today’s chips. This, coupled with an ever-increasing demand for computation driven by applications such as AI, requires new approaches which look beyond this miniaturization trend. By integrating new materials with superior properties and taking inspiration from the biological brain more energy efficient and faster systems can be achieved.

What made you want to pursue a PhD?

I had a taste of conducting research during my master’s thesis where I initiated the work on ferroelectric materials which at the end extended into a PhD project. I was intrigued by the process of research and breaking new ground which potentially could advance our society.

What is the most fascinating or interesting with your thesis subject?

The complexity and intricacies of modern chips which make up the backbone of all our electronic devices and applications is incredibly difficult to grasp. The ability to successfully integrate billions (!) of transistors onto a chip the size of a fingernail requires atomic scale accuracy, which in my opinion is probably the greatest engineering feat to date of humankind.

What are your plans?

For the coming months I will continue our research on ferroelectrics as there is much more to be done, then we will see what the future might hold!