FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORTResearch Fellow Karina Hudson uses nanodevices to study spin-orbit interaction in topological insulators. Image courtesy of Grant Turner. PhD student Marina Castelli observes topological materials at the atomic-scale using scanning tunnelling microscope. Image courtesy of Steve Morton. New liquid-metal technique used for a wide range of applications from flexible circuits to filtration devices. Image courtesy of Steve Morton. PhD student Fei Hou studies nano-scale properties of functional oxide materials. Image courtesy of Grant Turner.The ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) addresses a grand challenge: reducing the energy used in information and communication technology (ICT), which now accounts for 8% of the electricity use on Earth, and is doubling every 10 years. The current, silicon-based technology is 40 years old, and reaching the limits of its efficiency. To allow computing to continue to grow, we need a new generation of ultra-low energy electronics.2 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES INTRO 05 FLEET at a glance 06 Vision 08 2018 highlights 10 Message from the Director INNOVATE 13 Key data 14 FLEET research themes 16 FLEET team 24 Topological materials 28 Exciton superfluids 34 Light-transformed materials 40 Atomically-thin materials 46 Nano-device fabrication 01 02 03 COLLABORATE Key data 53 Research collaborations 54 Connecting global researchers 56 Professional collaborations 59EQUITY 61 Key data 62 Women in FLEET fellowships 63 Family-friendly workplaces INSIDE FLEET 89 90 91 93 94 96 97 98 99 100 EDUCATION 65 Key data 65 Education at FLEET 67 Mentoring 67 Pitch training 69 Building outreach skills ENGAGE 71 Key data 72 Spreading a passion for science: outreach 78 FLEET launch 80 Sharing FLEET research: communication 86 Annual workshop PERFORMANCE 102 Key performance indicators 104 Research outputs 107 Recognition 108 Centre finance 110 Collaboration development 05 07 08 06 04 Governance Business team Advisory committees FLEET Strategic plan Executive committee Equity and diversity committee Education and training committee Outreach committee Industry relations committee Communications committee 3 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORTINTRO 0 1 FLEET PhD James Collins (Monash) studies novel materials under scanning tunnelling microscope. FLEET will develop a new generation of ultra-low energy electronics.5 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 12 JUNE 2018 FLEET LAUNCHES 2017-2023 RESEARCH FUNDING IN-KIND COMMITMENT BY COLLABORATING ORGANISATIONS FLEET AT A GLANCE 194 158 49 20 16 3 CENTRE MEMBERS AND AFFILIATES EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS RESEARCH LEADERS FROM 7 UNIVERSITIES INTERNATIONAL PARTNER ORGANISATIONS ADDITIONAL PARTNER ORGANISATIONS IN 2018 INVESTIGATORS AND RESEARCH ASSOCIATES 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 $ 4 2 . M I L L I O N 2 0 17 - 2 0 2 3 $ 5 . 9 M $ 5 . 9 M 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 $ 4 2 . M I L L I O N 2 0 17 - 2 0 2 3 $ 5 . 9 M $ 5 . 9 M $26.2 MILLION $6 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES 2018 marked the first full year of research operations at FLEET, and the Centre’s research efforts were well underway by early in the year: most research fellows were on board and key new laboratory capabilities had been installed. Although much of the Centre was still in a development phase, FLEET researchers rolled out impressive results that made a splash in the international scientific community, including: • a new technique to rapidly synthesise a vast array of high-quality metal oxides in two-dimensional (2D) form • the first demonstration of electrical switching of a topological insulator • demonstration of a new 2D material platform for intense nano-confined light. A large part of the mission of a Centre of Excellence is to build capacity in Australia for cutting-edge science where none existed before. It is hard work and cannot happen overnight, but building this capacity provides the foundation for future breakthrough research. The foresight of the Australian Research Council (ARC) and Australian Government in funding Centres of Excellence for seven-year terms gives researchers the time and resources to build new efforts from the ground up. The timeliness of FLEET’s research mission – to reduce the energy used in information and communication technology (ICT) – was reinforced in an important review published in Nature Electronics. The article offered evidence that the silicon CMOS industry that supports our current computing technology will soon halt its four decades of exponential technological gains (described by Moore’s Law). Instead, as soon as 2020, we could see a steady-state phase marked by the commoditisation of silicon chips. In this new phase, the industry players will compete to make the same chips more cheaply, rather than to make new chips with faster, smaller and more energy-efficient transistors. It remains to be seen whether this change will mark an inflection point in the energy consumption by the ICT sector, but that now seems nearly inevitable. The authors also made a strong case that industry- funded research and development (R&D) will not solve the energy crisis in ICT. They concluded that the sustainable future of the industry is now in the hands of government-funded basic research centres like FLEET. The foundational science behind FLEET continues to receive important recognition. The 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was awarded to Profs Charles Kane and Eugene Mele (University of VISION RESEARCH MOMENTUM Pennsylvania). This is well-deserved recognition for their discovery of topological insulators of the type FLEET is now exploiting to make electronic devices. The science underpinning FLEET’s work in exciton superfluids also seems close to a breakthrough moment. Researchers in Prof Emmanuel Tutuc’s group at the University of Texas, in collaboration with FLEET Partner Investigator Allan MacDonald, in 2018 reported the first hints of an excitonic superfluid in double bilayer graphene, a system first proposed by FLEET Partner Investigator David Neilson and CI Prof Alex Hamilton. More work is needed – and FLEET is rapidly pursuing similar approaches – but the results point to an exciting time ahead in this field. FLEET’s sound management team is encouraging scientific productivity in an inclusive way from a diversity of members. Professor Andrew Peele Director, Australian Synchrotron FLEET Advisory Committee FLEET will develop: • New systems in which electricity flows with minimal resistance and therefore minimal wasted dissipation of energy • Devices in which this ‘dissipationless’ electric current can be switched on and off at will. These devices will enable revolutionary new electronics and communications technologies with ultra-low energy consumption.7 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT EFFICIENCY OF COMPUTING (MEGAWATTS PER QUADRILLION INSTRUCTIONS PER SECOND) Time 1,000 20102015202020252030 100 10 0.1 1 Silicon New Technology FLEET’S GRAND CHALLENGE: MINIMISING ICT ENERGY TO ENABLE FUTURE COMPUTING FLEET addresses a grand challenge: reducing the energy used in information and communication technology (ICT), which already accounts for up to 8% of the electricity use on Earth and is doubling every 10 years. The current, silicon-based technology (CMOS) is 40 years old, and reaching the limits of its efficiency. Fundamental physics indicates that computing efficiency could still be thousands of times better, which inspires us to search for a replacement technology. Using computers consumes energy. Lots of energy. Computers work by activating microscopic switches called transistors – a couple of billion of them are packed into each small computer chip. And each time one of those transistors switches, a tiny amount of energy is burnt. Consider the billions of transistors in each small computer chip, each switching billions of times a second, and multiply that by hundreds of servers in hundreds of thousands of factory-sized data centres. For many years, the growing energy demands of computing were kept in check by ever more efficient, and ever more compact computer chips – a trend related to Moore’s Law, which observed that the size of transistors halved around every 18 months. But Moore’s Law is already winding down, and will probably be declared dead in the next decade. There are limited future efficiencies to be found in present technology. DID YOU KNOW... Every year, the demand for computation grows by 70% FLEET will develop electronic devices that operate at ultra-low energy, enabling revolutionary new technologies to drive future electronics and computing, while meeting society’s demand for reduced energy consumption. Focus on research milestones Prepare for Centre mid-term review Review strategic plan Review and renew strategic governance committees Review research and Centre operational budgets Establish links with industry and end-users Communicate FLEET research outputs Strengthen links with existing partners Develop new strategic collaborations Identify opportunities for members for prestigious awards 2019 FOCUS AREASNext >