The main objective of SPICE is to realize a novel integration platform that combines photonic, magnetic and electronic components. Its validity will be shown by a conceptually new spintronic-photonic memory chip demonstrator with 3 orders of magnitude higher write speed and 2 orders of magnitude lower energy consumption than state-of-the-art spintronic memory technologies. This enables, e.g., future petabit-per-second processor-memory bandwidths, required in a decade from now, and highly energy-efficient exascale datacenters with reduced carbon footprint. Such a versatile memory will result in so-called Universal Memory: one technology for all memory applications ranging from cache to storage.
The methods to achieve this are based on the recent discovery of magnetization reversal by short optical pulses. SPICE will bring this technique to the integrated circuit level by first developing free magnetic layers that can be optically switched into a magnetic-tunnel-junction layerstack, with optically transparent top contacts. These layers will then be processed into spintronic memory elements that can be electrically read. A novel short-pulse switching architecture will be designed and implemented in a silicon photonic integrated circuit. This photonic switching layer will then be combined with the spintronic memory layer to achieve an optically switched 8-bit memory with write efficiency of 600 fJ per bit: the proof of concept of the technology.
The novelty of SPICE is the convergence of the emerging fields of opto-magnetism and spintronics with electronic and photonic integration technologies. The ambition is to develop this technology in such a way that it can be compatible with future mature electronics fabrication processes, for real-world applications beyond 2025, thereby creating a new field. The SPICE platform is therefore foundational as it can be used not only for ultrafast and energy-efficient memory, but also for RF nano-oscillators and sensor technology.  

The main goal of the STARDUST project is to realize a novel wireless implantable and independent micro-scale device (200x200x200 µm3) enabling in-vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics and ultra-localized drug delivery in freely moving animals. The device will be used to target specific neural circuits of the brain and test a new therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s Disease (PD).
The methods used in this project are based on cutting-edge miniaturized technology combining integrated chips, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), local drug delivery, integrated electrodes and micro-scale light emitting diodes (µLEDs). STARDUST will benefit from these advances and for the first time provide an implantable ultrasonically-powered miniaturized device for in-vivo optogenetics, local drug delivery and electrophysiological monitoring – all in one single device. The proposed device is expected to provide an output power of 1-20 mW/mm2 for optogenetics with two different wavelengths, one for neuron activation and one for triggering drug-delivery; STARDUST will provide proof of concept.
The main novelty of the STARDUST project is the convergence of multiple, interdisciplinary fields including optogenetics, triggered drug-delivery, miniaturized ultrasonic energy harvesting, material science and nanoelectronics. The main ambition of the project is to develop a new technology platform to be used for future implantable in-vivo optogenetic devices for monitoring and treating diseases, with an optional local drug delivery add-on beyond 2025. Establishing proof of concept of the STARDUST platform will be the foundation for other applications within photodynamic therapy such as cancer treatment and other neurological and non-neurological disorders. 

Neuromorphic computing has emerged as a promising approach to mimic the brain by overcoming the limitation of the conventional computers. The current implementation of neuromorphic computing systems (NCSs) has been done in CMOS technology, which comes with area and power-inefficiency. Enormous effort has been devoted to optimize the area and power-efficiency of such NCSs. One of the most promising approaches is the implementation of NCSs using spin-based devices combined with electronics (i.e. spintronics). Although, power-density is improved by spintronics-based NCSs, they are still far from the power-density of the brain that is attributed to the traditional way of changing the state of magnetic moment using a bias current that contributes to 90% of the total power consumed by such NCSs. Given a technique eliminating or decreasing this bias current, the power density of NCSs can be improved by orders of magnitude.
PHOTON-NeuroCom proposes a novel approach that adds the benefits from photonics to the current spintronics-based NCSs by replacing the large bias current of the state of the art NCSs with a short polarized laser pulse. This will lead to at least two and three orders of magnitude lower energy consumption and higher speed in comparison with the state-of-the-art spintronics-based NCSs. This is a major step towards filling the huge gap between the power density of human brains and computers. The main objectives of this project are to model magnetic-photonic interaction, design and simulate a NCS through extracted model and fabrication of photonic-assisted STNO.
My previous experience with spintronics and mixed signal IC design has put me in a unique position to run such a promising project. On the other hand, I will benefit from a supervision team from host and partner organization with more than 15 years of experience in photonic integrated circuits and IC design. Moreover, the running FET-OPEN project at Aarhus University will speed up my fellowship.  

  Brain disorders are the most invalidating condition, exceeding HIV, cancer and heart ischemia, with significant impact on society and public health. Regenerative medicine is a promising branch of health science that aims at restoring brain function by rebuilding brain tissue. However, repairing the brain is one of the hardest challenges and we are still unable to effectively rebuild brain matter. Epilepsy is particularly challenging due to its dynamic nature caused by the relentless brain damage and aberrant rearrangements of brain rewiring. To overcome the biological uncertainty of canonical regenerative approaches, we propose an innovative solution based on intelligent biohybrids, made by the symbiotic integration of bioengineered brain tissue, neuromorphic microelectronics and artificial intelligence, to effectively drive self-repair of dysfunctional brain circuits and we validate it against animal models of epilepsy. HERMES fosters the emergence of a novel biomedical paradigm, rooted in the use of biohybrid neuronics (neural electronics), which we name enhanced regenerative medicine. To this end, HERMES will promote interdisciplinary cross-fertilization within and outside the consortium; it will extend the concepts of enhanced brain regeneration to philosophy, ethics, policy and society to foster the emergence of a new innovation eco-system. Intelligent biohybrids will represent a major breakthrough to advance brain repair research beyond regenerative medicine and neurotechnology alone; it will bring new knowledge in neurobiology, cognitive neuroscience and philosophy, and new neuromorphic technology and AI algorithms. HERMES will bring a giant conceptual leap that will shift the concept of biomedical interventions from treating to healing. In turn, it will potentially generate major returns on health care and society at large by bringing previously unimaginable possibilities to defeat disorders that represent today a global major burden of disease.  

This project aims at exploring, researching and developing a novel embeddable, long-life time, ultra-low power, high resolution sensing principle for structural health monitoring (SHM) in mainly reinforced concrete (RC). The objective of the sensor is to output the corrosion rate wirelessly to a remote device e.g. a computer, where the data is available for the owners of the structure.

The service life of structures and can create serious safety hazards, with fatal consequence, as in the recent tragic event in Genoa. Corrosion can be minimized and mitigated with a careful design in the manufacturing process. However, in recent years, due to the rapid climate changes, the deterioration processes have been accelerated, which makes it difficult for the corrosion engineers to estimate the service life of structures. In the absence of adequate corrosion rate information, overdesign is required to ensure reasonable service life, resulting in wasted resources. In corrosion measurements, today, only very indicative and error-prone sensors exist, that are based on technology developed half a century ago with slow processing, high power usage and large form factor. They are therefore not an attractive commodity for owners to implement. Thus, this project will challenge this status quo.

In this research project new design methods, for the development of new types of wireless sensor network to assess the corrosion performance in reinforced concrete is made. The embedded sensors must be able to withstand the harsh and inhospitable environment of concrete and have long life-time. This will happen, through low-power design of the electronics and utilizing energy-harvesting from omnipresent sources, such as the corrosion process itself.