Glasgow Uni key player in £23million nanotransistor project

The focus of MODERN (MOdeling and DEsign of Reliable, process variation-aware nanoelectronic devices, circuits and systems) is to develop new design tools and methodology for transistors and circuits at the nanoscale. According to the project organisers, this will enable the manufacturing of reliable, low cost, low electromagnetic interference, high yield complex silicon chips and corresponding products using unreliable and variable devices. As part of the MODERN consortium, the University of Glasgow is providing expertise in the physical simulation of statistical variability and reliability, statistical compact model extraction and statistical circuit simulation. Simulations will be conducted using variability simulation tools developed in the Glasgow Device Modelling Group over the last 10 years and will involve a recently established spinout company called Gold Standard Simulation which will be providing additional services to the project. Professor Asen Asenov, a device modelling expert in electronics and electrical engineering is leading Glasgow's involvement in the project which is worth £1.5m to the university and comprises 28 European partners. Prof Asenov said: "We invested heavily in variability research and in the development of variability simulation tools at a time when the industry was not fully aware of the gravity of the forthcoming variability problem. Now we are in the position to make significant contribution in tackling the variability challenge". The MODERN team was assembled in response to a funding call by the European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council. Support for Glasgow's involvement was made possible due to a funding package from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC) and Scottish Enterprise.