Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1104607
APRIL 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 29 ing. Thus, when we print it, we have a better chance of improving the properties. Johnson: When you're done with your pro- gram and have your doctorate, do you intend to continue with this work? Varghese: I do. I acquired a post-doctoral posi- tion there, so I intend to finish up with a better result than what I have currently at the doctor- ate level. Johnson: Congratulations, and thanks for walk- ing me through your project. This looks very promising. Varghese: Thank you. Nolan Johnson: Sameeksha, do you plan to continue on this path of work after you finish school? Sameeksha Katoch: I am working on a couple of different projects with deep learning model development for different data modalities, in- cluding EEG data classification, audio source separation, image subsampling, and texture and cloud movement prediction. All of these models have been optimized for time and com- putational complexity. I definitely think they can be scaled for use in commercial products. Johnson: Goutham, do you have plans to con- tinue with this research after completing your degree? Goutham Ezhilarasu: Yes. I plan to continue re- search on flexible electronic packaging after my doctorate. _____________________________ Similar research is taking place at technical universities worldwide. These three teams of u niversity researchers were among a dozen or more present at the FlexTech/MEMS con- ference, with an untold number of teams not in attendance. Work continues with develop- ing new and innovative temperature control and monitoring with industrial applications (Tony Varghese), software models that bring AI and machine-learning models to a wide variety of applications (Sameeksha Katoch and Emma Pederson), and packaging/in - terconnect methods (Goutham Ezhilarasu). The foundational pieces for the evolution of our industry continue. And somewhere, in all of this work, is a revolution waiting to happen . PCB007 A research team at The Ohio State University has discovered a way to simplify how electronic devices use electrons by using a material that can serve dual roles in electronics. Historically, multiple materials were necessary. The team published its findings in Nature Materials. Their findings could mean a revamp of the way en- gineers create different kinds of electronic devices from solar cells to the LEDs in your television, the tran- sistors in your laptop, and the light sensors in your smartphone camera. Traditionally, each part of the elec- tronic device could only act as an electron-holder or a hole-holder, but not both. That meant that electronics needed multiple layers and materi- als to perform. But the researchers found a ma- terial—NaSn2As2, a crystal that can be both an electron-holder and a hole-holder—potentially eliminat- ing the need for multiple layers. The finding could simplify our electron- ics, perhaps creating more efficient systems that operate more quickly and break down less often. The research- ers named this dual-ability phenomenon "goniopolarity." They believe the material functions this way because of its unique electronic structure and say it is probable that other layered materials could exhibit this property. (Source: The Ohio State University) Researchers Discover New Material to Help Power Electronics