Tyndall Annual Report 2010

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www.tyndall.ie

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report contents Message from the Chairman ......................................... 2 CEO Report ............................................................................. 3 1. 2010 Highlights ............................................................ 4 2. Research 2.1 Micro/Nanoelectronics ...................................... 12 2.2 Microsystems ........................................................ 14 2.3 Photonics ............................................................... 16 2.4 Theory, Modelling & Design ............................. 18 3. Technology Support ................................................ 20 4. National Access Programme ................................ 25 5. Outreach Programme ............................................ 29 6. Graduate Education ................................................. 30 7. Financial ........................................................................ 35 8. Tyndall Board .............................................................. 36

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Message from the Chairman

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yndall National Institute saw a number of great technical successes during 2010, ranging from the demonstration of new ways to speed-up the operation of photonic systems to a wearable radar system-on-a-chip for monitoring the heart. It is my belief that innovation, leading to the renewal of the Irish economy, will come through the transformation of Irish ideas and inventiveness into the exploitation of new market opportunities. This will depend upon the coupling of excellent research and innovative discovery, such as you will see reported here, with technology and product development by companies and entrepreneurs. Thus, our relationships with industry, and the translation by them of technology into exploitation, are just as important to us as the excellence of Tyndall’s technical developments.

▲ Helios Focused Ion Beam System.

I am therefore delighted to see the strength of our developing relationships with major international companies such as Intel, United Technologies, Seagate and Analog Devices, as well as with indigenous companies such as Intune Networks, Firecomms, Eblana Photonics, Endeco, BiancaMed and Farran Technology. They are all mentioned in this year’s report, as just a few examples of the companies that use Tyndall technologies and expertise. In 2010 the government, through Enterprise Ireland, established two Competence Centre at Tyndall – in Microelectronics and Applied Nanotechnology. These industry-led centres will help to further-expand the links between Tyndall and industry.

Technical success comes through having highly talented and motivated people in the organisation. The investments by the Irish Higher Education Authority, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation have been essential in creating an excellent working environment at Tyndall, which has attracted world-class researchers.

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I was delighted during the year to see the external recognition given to leading researchers Jean-Pierre Colinge and Eoin O’Reilly, and also to read about the awards won by Tyndall research students, many at international conferences. I offer my hearty congratulations to all our PhD students who successfully passed their viva examinations during the year, and on achieving this important milestone in their careers.

We have significantly improved our fabrication facilities during the year and these now include a “training fab” to give our students and post-docs hands-on training in basic semiconductor manufacturing techniques. It can be accessed by third level students from all over Ireland through the INSPIRE network and other training schemes.

I was impressed by the “can-do” attitude and teamwork displayed by all staff in response to the substantial damage caused to parts of the Institute resulting from the exceptional flooding affecting areas of Cork City in late November 2009. This is also a great tribute to the skill and hard work of the technical and facilities staff who, in addition, have also consistently delivered considerable energy savings in recent years, culminating in winning the 2010 National Award for Renewable Energy Systems from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

As the Tyndall Chairman, I am very grateful to the members of the Board, who have given their time so generously during 2010 to help the Institute develop and prosper. The huge breadth of experience that they bring has been invaluable, and the Institute’s success over the year could not have been achieved without their help and guidance. I am also very grateful for the support the Institute has received from UCC and CIT researchers and their respective Presidents Dr. Michael Murphy and Dr. Brendan Murphy.

_____________________________ Chairman, Tyndall

CEO Report

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t is now 5 years since Tyndall was formally established as a National Institute. The period has seen major changes in the Institute, including an overall 25% growth in activity and a neardoubling of the number of graduate students based here, the latter in-line with targets set by the government in 2006. Tyndall has been a major beneficiary of Irish government investment, which is manifested in the excellence of our facilities and the high-quality of our staff and students, who come from all over the world to work here. The return on that investment has to be measured both in the excellence of our outputs, and in terms of the ultimate benefits these will bring to the Irish economy. This is especially-so in today’s very challenging economic conditions. You will see from this report that 2010 was a remarkable year for Tyndall, with excellent results achieved in research, technology development, industry engagement and income, in spite of the very challenging environment. Tyndall’s progress continues to be solidly-founded upon research excellence in science and engineering, demonstrated by the quality of our publications in key scientific journals and the prestigious awards made to our staff and students.

The quality of our outputs is an essential precursor to the raising of research funds from a range of national and international agencies, and the enabler for the translation of research into exploitation.

Our researchers produced exceptional results within the EU FP7 programme during 2010, winning €11.3m for our own research, plus an additional €3m for collaborating Irish industry partners. We were also very pleased to announce important new research collaborations with companies such as Intel and United Technologies, and the establishment of two new Competence Centres hosted at Tyndall. In addition, the government announced the establishment of an important and exciting new International Energy Research Centre, also to be hosted at Tyndall, with the objective of working closely with national and international experts on an industry-driven energy research agenda. These vital collaborations with both indigenous companies and multinationals ensure that our research programmes are closely aligned to industry and market needs, and contribute substantially to the Institute’s sustainability.

I am very grateful to all our industrial supporters and co-workers for their support.

One of Tyndall’s most important characteristics is its ability to translate basic research and knowledge into practical materials, devices and or/systems which do useful things. This depends upon having available high quality facilities to model, design,

fabricate, test and package materials and devices. The continuous enhancement of this infrastructure is essential if researchers, students and industry are to be provided with state-of-art laboratories. During 2010, further funds to expand and develop our fabrication capabilities were secured under Cycle 5 of the Higher Education Authority Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI 5). These will be used to create a completely new type of “FlexiFab”, to allow Tyndall researchers and their collaborators to work with a wide range of active materials in new forms and combinations. Researchers in all Irish third-level institutions can gain access to Tyndall facilities and expertise through the SFI-funded National Access Programme (NAP), which facilitated many projects during the year, ranging from the modelling of the atomic structures of complex oxides to the development of systems for the analysis of cancer biomarkers and sports performance factors.

Tyndall has been very active during the year in the training of people at all levels. Our outreach activities ranged from the highly successful “Science Snaps” competition for schools to our “UREKA” site, which hosts undergraduate students from all over the world for focussed summer project work. Many of these students subsequently returned to undertake postgraduate work. During the year, we graduated 20 PhD students and now have 136 post-graduate students based in the Institute. Tyndall is also spear-heading two structured national graduate training programmes, which are described in the report.

Our current and future success rests on our exceptional staff and students, who have helped position the Institute well for the future.

During 2010, they have further-raised the bar for the Institute’s accomplishments and achievements, and I am deeply grateful for their commitment. I would particularly like to thank the Tyndall Board, its Chairman Alastair Glass, and the members of our External Advisory Board for their constant support and advice. Tyndall is closely dependent upon the support of our parent university, UCC, and our partners in CIT, and I am very grateful to our colleagues and friends in both institutions for all they have done for Tyndall over the year.

Many of the developments described in this report derive from their work. Finally, a particular word of thanks to Dr. Michael Murphy, the UCC President, for his constant support during the year, and to CIT President, Dr. Brendan Murphy, for continuing to foster our important collaborations in the fields of photonics and energy. We look forward with justified optimism to another successful year in 2011.

__________________________________ CEO, Tyndall Page 3

Section 1

2010 Highlights Tyndall PI Wins SFI Scientist of the Year

▲ From Left to Right: Professor Roger Whatmore, CEO Tyndall National Institute; Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation; Mr. Conor Lenihan T.D., Professor Jean-Pierre Colinge, Tyndall National Institute and Frank Gannon, Director SFI.

In November, Professor Jean-Pierre Colinge, recognised as a pioneering figure in the area of semiconductor research, was announced as winner of Science Foundation Ireland’s “Researcher of the Year”. Professor Colinge leads the Micro/Nanoelectronics Centre in Tyndall and was published in the renowned international journal ‘Nature Nanotechnology’ during 2010 for his work on fabricating the world's first junctionless transistor. During a distinguished career to date he has published over 360 scientific papers and books.

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▲ Artist’s view and Transmission Electron Microscope photograph of a cross-section of a gated resistor.

Research at Tyndall Photonic Systems For Future High-Speed Internet

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Photonics researchers at Tyndall, in collaboration with an international team of colleagues, have demonstrated a novel system that can accelerate the information super-highway. This was published in the September issue of Nature Photonics. It was achieved using a new optical signal processing technique developed by the Tyndall team. This uses a local laser oscillator to simultaneously track the carrier phase of the incoming signal while substantially rejecting broadband noise and so providing a high quality phase reference which established a practical route to substantially reducing any noise present on a modulated data signal.

Prof. Andrew Ellis (centre) and team members, Paola Frascella and Stylianos Sygletos, with Nature Photonics publication.

Novel Environmentally Friendly Material To Cool Chips Tyndall researchers, in collaboration with colleagues in the Stokes Research Institute in University of Limerick, have developed a unique nanowirebased thermal interface material which helps to remove the heat generated by today’s smaller and faster semiconductors. They have met this key challenge for the electronics industry by using their invention to fill in the small gaps between two contacting materials. This improves the thermal performance by 50% when compared with commercially-available materials.

UWB Microchip For Bio-Medical Diagnostics Tyndall engineers have developed an energy-efficient electrical impulse generator that produces extremely short pulses using advanced 65nm silicon chip technology. This has been used to build a non-invasive radar system for viewing the mechanical activity of the heart. As well as being used for biomedical diagnostics, the impulse generator may also be employed in transmitting information in the next generation of wireless broadband systems.

High-k Capacitor Using a newly-established metal-insulator-metal process at Tyndall, researchers have invented a new and scalable capacitor with the combined properties of significantly increased charge storage and stable linear behaviour, even at very high operating voltages. While being able to combine these properties is unique, it is also significant that it is compatible with IC industry processing temperatures. The capacitor could enable the circuitry within analog microchips to become smaller, faster and more energy efficient while maintaining stable and linear behaviour, potentially removing a major bottleneck to the successful integration of analog and digital systems onto the same chip. The invention will have an ultimate market application spanning the entire IC industry, including a reduced power requirement for, and miniaturisation of portable communication, medical, space and automotive devices. The new technology is presently being further developed and commercialisation routes are under consideration.

Industry Collaborations Delivering Value to Ireland Seagate Tyndall has been working with Seagate to develop the next generation of high density hard drives through the Competence Centre in Applied Nanotechnology (CCAN). These devices will be enabled through the integration of optical technologies with current storage device architectures and materials. Tyndall and Seagate have developed a roadmap to a fully integrated manufacturable solution and Tyndall has already designed and delivered a laser technology with a 50% reduction in the laser threshold.

Firecomms Following on from demonstration of 2.5 Gb/s transceiver modules for advanced photonics communications, researchers within the SFI-funded Strategic Research Cluster, PiFAS, in collaboration with Firecomms, have completed the design of next generation, low cost 10 Gb/s modules to support even higher data rates. These new designs enable both receiver and transmitter components to be assembled in an extremely compact module that can replace conventional electronic and copper cable-based communication systems over short distances. Applications of this technology include replacement of copper wire with high speed optical fibre links in hand-held devices such as mobile phones and portable video systems.

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SensL A number of prototype Geiger Mode Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs), flip-chip packaged on flexible substrates were developed by the company.

They have been shown to meet the electro-optic performance specifications required for applications in advanced medical imaging applications.

SensL is currently demonstrating these prototypes to its customers, principally for use in advanced medical imaging applications. Based on the flip-chip packaging process, developed within PiFAS, SensL expects that this device integration format will lead to new product types. The company also presented the prototype at the 2010 Medical Imaging Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee.

▲ Flip-chip packaging of a Geiger Mode photodiode on flexible substrate.

The packaged device is for use in medical imaging applications.

Wide Spectrum LED Light Source A prototype wide-spectrum LED module has been demonstrated exhibiting a continuous emission spectrum from 350 nm to 700 nm. The module is designed to replace high-value lamps commonly used in medical and scientific instrumentation and is ideally suited for fibre coupling.

Based on its technical novelty and commercial potential, a European patent application has been filed. There is currently no solid-state (LED) light source capable of broadband emission and, as a result, the technology has obvious commercial potential.

Announcements of New Collaborations United Technologies Corporation located its new European energy and research centre in Cork – currently based at Tyndall. This will create 37 new jobs over the next four years through a €15m investment.

▲ Pictured from left to right are: Professor Roger Whatmore CEO, Tyndall National Institute; Eamon Ryan T.D., Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; J. Michael McQuade, Senior Vice President Science and Technology United Technologies Corporation; Barry O’Leary, Chief Executive IDA and Dr. David Parekh, UTC Vice President, Research, and Director, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC).

The establishment of a new International Energy Research Centre (IERC) was announced at Tyndall in April 2010. The centre will focus on the industryled research and commercialisation of integrated sustainable energy systems.

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Intel Corporation signed a 3 year, $1.5m advanced research collaboration with Tyndall in September 2010. This establishes a direct research link with the heart of Intel’s technology research group in Portland, USA. Pictured from left to right are: Professor Roger Whatmore CEO, Tyndall National Institute and Mike Mayberry, Director Components Research, VP Technology and Manufacturing Group at Intel.

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Tyndall signed a collaborative agreement with the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) which will combine the respective strengths of the two institutions in ICT design hardware, clinical trial and market validation.

Projects will focus on the development of technology solutions for the global biomedical device and surgical markets.

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Pictured from left to right are: Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO / Registrar, RCSI; Dr Michael Murphy, President of UCC; Micheal Martin T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs and Professor Roger Whatmore, CEO, Tyndall National Institute.

Technology Support to Start-up Companies Endeco Under an EI Innovation Partnership agreement, Irish start-up, Endeco, and Tyndall have collaborated on the development of a wireless electricity metering system based on the Tyndall wireless sensor mote technology. This enables actuation and control of lighting and refrigeration systems in commercial premises.

Under the collaboration, Tyndall has licensed an energy demand management platform that can enable power savings of 20-30%. The market for this is projected to grow to in excess of €8bn by 2020. Endeco have secured additional funding as a direct result of the successful demonstration of this system which will help lead to 30 new jobs at the company by 2012.

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Wireless building energy metering system.

Full Flight Technology

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Tyndall has developed the world’s first in-flight archery ballistic measurement system. The “VELOCITIP” Ballistic System (patent pending) was jointly developed with US company, Full Flight Technology (FFT). It was designed and made using state-of-the-art microelectromechanical systems technology and packaging.

Bob Donahoe, founder of FFT stated that “Tyndall’s expertise in miniaturized systems integration, hardware and software product design and development was critical to the successful realisation of the VELOCITIP system”.

Electronic Tip for Capturing Arrow In-Flight Data.

BiancaMed During 2010, Tyndall worked closely with BiancaMed, a Competence Dublin-based medical Microelectronics technology company which develops and markets non-contact devices for theInmonitoring sleep and breathing in the home. supported March the of Microelectronics Competence CentreTyndall Irelandhas (MCCI) hostinga BiancaMed engagement a major Japanese customer withofaspects of was awarded to Tyndallwith in collaboration with the University Limerick. theThe assembly, testing, and reliability evaluation of one of the company’s new Enterprise Ireland-funded Competence Centre was established to product enables convenient non-intrusive monitoring of sleep products. provideThe technology and skilled people to microelectronics companies in quality for young infants and other patients who may be at-risk from sleeping Ireland. The overall theme of the research is Digitally Assisted Analogue disorders such as sleep circuit design.

In theapnea.

5 year research and development programme the following research areas will be explored: Radio

Frequency Sys▲

BiancaMed Researcher Ciara Leong testing samples in the Environmental Test Laboratory Tyndall.

Tyndall Spin-Out, Firecomms, Acquired In December, the Chinese ZJF Group acquired Firecomms, a spin-out from Tyndall. ZJF have identified the research collaborations between Tyndall and Firecomms, on low-cost 10Gb/s transceivers, as being critical to the future growth of the company.

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The acquisition provides for a €5m investment in R&D in the Cork-based company, together with the expansion of the Firecomms engineering team from 18 to 30 people over the next year. The deal will also facilitate the rapid expansion of Firecomms operations in mainland China.

John Lambkin, CTO Firecomms and Peter O’Brien, Tyndall, collaborate on the development of low-cost transceivers.

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National Industry-Led Competence Centres Established at Tyndall Microelectronics Competence Centre Ireland (MCCI) The hosting of the Microelectronics Competence Centre Ireland (MCCI) was awarded to Tyndall during 2010 in collaboration with the University of Limerick. The Enterprise Ireland-funded Competence Centre was established to provide technology and skilled people to microelectronics companies in Ireland. The overall theme of the research is digitally assisted analogue circuit design, where digital techniques are used to improve the power consumption, cost and reliability of analogue circuits which do not perform as well in newer chip manufacturing processes. In the 5 year research and development programme the following areas will be explored: Radio Frequency System-On-Chip, Power Management, Data-converters and Clocking. This research will enable new applications such as next generation cellular networks, high definition wireless video and healthcare in the home as well as facilitating less power hungry consumer products for mass market production.

Competence Centre for Applied Nanotechnology (CCAN) 2010 saw the establishment of the Competence Centre for Applied Nanotechnology (CCAN) in Tyndall, the hosting of which was awarded to Tyndall in December 2010 (and co-hosted by CRANN at Trinity College Dublin). CCAN is an industry-led, collaborative centre enabling member companies and research providers to work together to develop nanotechnology-enabled products and solutions for the ICT and biomedical industries. Future CCAN research projects will develop opportunities presented by combining ICT and biomedical expertise of the members. CCAN’s current industrial members include leading multinationals and SMEs from the ICT and biomedical industries such as Analog Devices, Proxy Biomedical, Intel, Medtronic, Seagate, Creganna-Tactx Medical, Aerogen and Audit Diagnostics.

Education & Outreach TyndalI Selected to Host ICGEE Graduate School The goal of the International Centre for Graduate Education in Engineering (ICGEE) Graduate School is to develop the infrastructure required to provide a National Graduate Education Programme that relies on resource sharing between academic partner institutions and delivers the programme to the highest international standards. ICGEE has developed and deployed a set of advanced level courses covering both technical and transferable skills training for engineering graduate students. DCU was the latest institution to join the graduate school in 2010 and it is hoped to continue the expansion to include all Irish Higher Education Institutions.

Do ct or al Pr og ra mm In Mi cr oe An d Na no Te ch no lo gy

An internation al engineerin g graduate education centr e producing a new cadre of world -class engineerin g doctoral gradu ates trained to participate and play future leade rship roles in the diver se, globally-en gaged 21 st century engin eering workforce and innovation society.

Tyndall Collaborate with Industry to Develop Unique Transition Year Work Experience Programme Tyndall and Cork Electronics Industry Association (CEIA) developed a unique Transition Year Work Experience Programme run in March 2010.

In the pilot programme eighteen students from thirteen schools took part in workshops, career talks, campus visits and a team based innovation competition combined with an industry placement day in one of seven engineering companies in the Cork area. The programme is expanding in 2011 following positive student/schools feedback and increased demand for places.

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Tyndall Collaborates in New European Research Programmes To date, Tyndall has secured 47 projects (13 as coordinator), worth over €19m to Tyndall since the launch of FP7. The total value of these projects is approximately €176m within which Tyndall collaborates with over 270 partners from 27 countries and has already delivered a number of exciting outputs described in the research sections throughout the report.

“BIANCHO” BIANCHO will research, develop, test and demonstrate novel photonic components, including highly efficient uncooled lasers. The new components will significantly reduce power consumption in telecomm networks by using novel dilute bismide and nitride alloys of GaAs and InP to eliminate intrinsic loss mechanisms. The device properties are also highly beneficial for high speed photodiodes as required in transceivers. www.biancho.org

“Heart-e-Gel” This project will utilise an Electro Active Polymer (EAP) for novel, less invasive treatment of cardiovascular disorders such as abdominal aortic aneurysms. An EAP has the ability to occlude (close), fill, and seal, vessels and cavities. Leading material and microelectronics scientists, surgeons and medical device companies from five different countries, including Irish company Creganna, will work with Tyndall researchers to develop and test these treatments. www.heartegel.eu

“C-3PO” C-3PO will develop a new generation of colourless (wavelength agnostic) components in fibre-to-the-home terminal equipment and novel, reflective “IP-over-DWDM” router interfaces. These will not require cooling and will reduce power requirements. The project proposal, which is coordinated by Tyndall, received an evaluation mark of 15/15 by the international referees and was placed first in the evaluation list. www.greenc3po.eu

Conferences Hosted by Tyndall Tyndall hosted and/organised several conferences throughout 2010:The UK Nitride Consortium 2010 Annual

12th & 13th January

Theory and Practical Use of Quantum ESPRESSO

14th – 18th June

ACAM Workshop on Empirical Methods for Nanostructure Simulation and Design

21st & 22nd June

Electronics Materials Conference Workshop

23th – 25th June

Wafer Bonding Symposium at the Electrochemical Society Fall Meeting

11th – 15th October

International Workshop on Power Supply On Chip

13th – 15th October

Nanoweek

30th November – 4th December

International Visits On 29th June 2010 the President of the Brazilian Universities Association, Professor Carlos Alexandre Netto, representing over 50 Universities throughout Brazil, led a delegation to Tyndall. This included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fiocruz (the most prominent science and technology health institution in Latin America) and the Brazilian Embassy, Ireland. The delegation received a tour and overview of Tyndall and during the visit met two of Tyndall’s Brazilian researchers.

▲ From left to right: Cristian Bonatto, Tyndall PhD; Professor Carlos Alexandre Netto, President of the Brazilian Universities Association; Dr. Fatima Gunning, Tyndall and Michael Grufferty, Tyndall.

Other international visits of note during 2010 included His Excellency Mr. Kim Chang Yeob, Korean Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and His Excellency Julian King, British Ambassador to Ireland.

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Awards Renewable Energy Systems Award for Tyndall In November 2010, Tyndall won the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland national award for Renewable Energy Systems. The award recognises the sustainable approach to the heating of the new research building, which uses energy recovered from the substantial data centre cooling load (provided from the existing site chilled water system), giving a significant saving on energy costs and substantially reducing the carbon footprint of the building.

Royal Irish Academy Honours Professor Eoin O’Reilly In May 2010 the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) admitted Tyndall Theory Centre Head, Professor Eoin O’Reilly, as a member in recognition of his academic achievement.

He is widely recognised for his pioneering ideas and analysis of semiconductor laser and optical devices.

His ideas have had significant impact in optical communication and wider photonic applications. At Tyndall, he directs a world-leading research group with programmes ranging from fundamental semiconductor physics through to the engineering of semiconductor lasers.

▲ Tyndall data centre.

What People Are Saying About Tyndall “Intel and Tyndall have been working closely together for some time on a range of different technologies. This new agreement forms a direct relationship with Intel’s internal research group in Portland. Through their publications and technology, Tyndall researchers have demonstrated their ability to innovate and invent technologies that can advance the frontiers of semiconductor technology. We at Intel are excited to enter into this advanced research agreement with Tyndall and look forward to a productive collaboration with the team here.”

Mike Mayberry, Intel Director Components Research, VP Technology & Manufacturing Group – on the occasion of the announcement of the $1.5m advanced research collaboration between Tyndall and Intel.

"Establishing a hub for European collaboration in Ireland will help accelerate technologies addressing renewable energy, energy efficiency, and integrated building systems. Taking advantage of Ireland's agility, as well as Europe's commitment to 'clean' technology, we intend to demonstrate emerging technologies on a scale ranging from individual buildings to district-wide applications."

David Parekh, Vice President, Research, and Director, United Technologies Research Centre – on the occasion of the announcement by UTRC on setting up its European HQ at Tyndall.

“Our initial research in Tyndall was brought to a level of maturity before we spun-out the technology in 2001.

Since then we have always maintained a deep and highly productive collaboration with the Photonics group in Tyndall. The ZJF Group is very aware of the depth of resources available at Tyndall which will continue to play a key role in our future R&D investments.”

John D. Lambkin, CTO and co-founder of Firecomms

“We have been at a critical stage in our development and had a need for access to test facilities and associated expertise at Tyndall. These facilities and expertise are not otherwise available on the island of Ireland. Our experience at Tyndall was indeed world class and in my view, Tyndall represents a very valuable national asset (not just for expertise but also attitude) – this will certainly make a great difference to our success.”

Colin Lawlor, CEO, BiancaMed Ltd.

“This unique collaboration between RCSI and Tyndall, the first of its kind in Ireland, will enable the application of fabrication techniques and products traditionally used in ICT hardware to be used in healthcare applications, to ultimately improve patient care and outcomes and enable faster recovery time for patients due to less invasive surgery, as well as reducing healthcare costs.”

Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO / Registrar, RCSI – on the occasion of the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between Tyndall and RCSI. Page 10

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Our Mission Statement Tyndall will deliver new opportunities for Ireland’s economic growth through excellence in research and development, and postgraduate education & training, and by delivering innovative ICT solutions to society’s grand challenges in communications, energy, healthcare and the environment.

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Micro/Nanoelectronics Introduction Research in Tyndall’s Micro/Nanoelectronics centre is focused on the development of materials, processes and characterisation techniques for today’s microelectronics industry leading to the future nanoelectronics industry. The semiconductor industry is continuously scaling down the dimensions of transistors in order to develop faster and more energy-efficient microchips. The frantic pace at which this is happening poses challenges that require the development of new materials, novel device structures and advanced characterisation techniques.

Main Highlight

Section 2.1

The creation of ultra-small semiconductor devices such as nanowire metal oxide semiconductor transistors, junctionless transistors or nanowire sensors requires four main components: • The careful formation and characterisation of thin semiconductor and dielectric layers.

• The patterning of the layers into nanometre-size structures.

Exploring the Quantum World Electron Microscope Images of a Multifingered Silicon Nanowire Transistor

SEM image of a device with three parallel nanowires sharing a common gate electrode.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the contact between the thin silicon film and the metal inter-connect in the source via. This reconstruction was made using an electron-microscope tomography technique.

Electron-microscope tomography reconstruction of the multifingered silicon nanowire transistor. The left and right nanowires are “dummy” nanowires that are not connected to the source and drain.

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ne exciting feature of nanoelectronic devices is the emergence of quantum effects. Quantum effects occur in silicon devices when their dimensions are smaller than ten nanometers – which is about the size of a small protein molecule, or one hundred atoms across. These effects have a measurable impact on the electrical characteristics of nanoscale transistors. To predict them, we have developed a simulator that accounts for the quantum effects which occur when electrons are “confined” between barriers which are very close together. This takes account of the way electrons “tunnel” through barriers – a peculiar quantum effect where electrons can actually be partly on both sides of a barrier at the same time. The simulator predicts that nanowire transistors with a particular geometry could be switched using less voltage, and thus less energy, than classical devices. This revolutionary concept is being developed further by industrial and academic partners within the EU FP7 Project “SQWIRE” (Silicon Quantum Wire transistors) coordinated by Tyndall. Quantum confinement effects manifest themselves as oscillations or “wiggles” observed in the transistors’ conductances when the gate voltage is increased. Ground breaking research carried out in Tyndall, in collaboration with the University of Incheon in South Korea, has demonstrated these conductance oscillations in junctionless nanowire transistors. Such effects, which are currently only Simulated energy-resolved distribution of density observed at cryogenic temperatures, should become observable at room temperature of states in a silicon nanowire transistor. The red ripples represent the energy values allowed to as the dimensions of semiconductor devices are scaled down further. electrons as they travel from source to drain.

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• The precise control of the interfaces between the different materials.

• The in-depth characterisation of the fabricated devices.

To help meet the challenges of nanoelectronics device fabrication, Tyndall is developing a number of advanced tools and processes in the areas of atomic layer deposition, nanowire synthesis and wafer bonding. It is also developing leading techniques in the field of high-k dielectric deposition and characterisation. The structural and optical properties of the materials are assessed using powerful characterisation tools such as electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and ellipsometry, while the electrical properties of the devices are explored using the complete suite of electrical characterisation facilities at Tyndall.

See Section 3.4 on Technology Support Services to discover more about the full range of characterisation tools available at Tyndall.

Nanopatterning Techniques Enable Formation of Nanowire Transistors

TEM image of silicon-on-insulator nano-wires etched using a self-organised diblock copolymer mask template.

A new way to make nanostructures on a “large” scale (microns) has been developed using “bottom-up” techniques exploiting materials that organise themselves spontaneously into regular patterns. Researchers at Tyndall, in collaboration with UCC in Cork and CRANN in Dublin, have used the self-organising properties of diblock copolymer compounds to form masking templates.

These can then be used to etch silicon into nanostructures. This technique allows for the formation of semiconductor-on-insulator nanowires with a very tight pitch, thereby increasing the current drive towards nanowire transistors.

The Synthesis of Optically Active Materials based on Advanced Growth Techniques

Colloidal photonic crystal with a spherical assembly of colloidal particles.

Colloidal photonic crystals, also called artificial opals because they look like the gemstone, which is a natural photonic crystal, are made by the periodic self-assembly of nanoscale-objects, such as tiny spheres suspended as a colloid in water. Photonic crystals have a “photonic bandgap”, which allow them to block the transmission of certain wavelengths of light in particular directions, while transmitting others. These optical properties will enable the design of new types of filters, sensors, flexible displays and various optoelectronic devices. Growing such self-assembled structures has also required the development of new ways to impregnate polymers into the material that prevent it from cracking when it dries out.

Also Working On:• The Formation of Silicon-Germanium Heterostructures for Infrared Imaging Applications Careful control of the surface chemistry of germanium and silicon is used to wafer bond the two materials without forming an interfacial oxide layer. These heterostructures are then used for the fabrication of avalanche photodiode detectors capable of operating in the infrared.

• Radiation Sensors for Astronauts Tyndall is working on the development of radiation sensors that will be built into active personal dosimeters for European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Three types of Tyndall sensors, RADFET and two specially designed silicon

diodes, will be incorporated in the mobile phone size dosimeters worn by the astronauts inside the ISS and during space walks.

First devices will be delivered to ESA in early 2011.

• The Development of Heavy N-type Doping for Germanium Transistors In germanium the formation of low-resistance highly-doped n-type regions, and low-resistance contacts to same, are key bottlenecks in the realisation of scaled germanium devices. Research is on-going to understand the physics underpinning dopant solubility, activation, diffusion, and defect formation in germanium, as well as the realisation in optimised devices including thin germanium nanowire structures and photon detectors which will eventually produce high speed micro chips.

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Microsystems Introduction Research in the Microsystems centre places particular emphasis on the development of innovative materials, devices and microsystem hardware platforms to address key society challenges. The centre is engaged in multi-disciplinary, collaborative programmes with both industry and academia. Research areas include: building energy management and remote water quality monitoring; wearable electronics for physiological monitoring and motion sensing in health and sports performance; implantable electronics for in-the-body diagnostics and therapeutics and portable devices for point-of-care diagnostics. The centre made significant progress during the year in delivering value through the transfer

Main Highlight

Section 2.2

of technology to industry.

Smart Reconfigurable Wireless Inertial Measurement

Smart Reconfigurable Wireless Inertial Measurement Unit

W

Precision Biomechanical Modelling of Darts Player

earable wireless sensors have recently received significant attention in the research community where they

are emerging as a realistic alternative to wired systems, even in critical applications where human safety is paramount. The market for these solutions is set to grow to more than 400 million devices by 2014, where

the demand will come from the professional healthcare, home healthcare and sports and fitness markets. In order to place Tyndall squarely at the forefront of this rapidly growing field of research, the Wireless Sensor Systems (WSS) team has developed an end-to-end solution in “Smart�, reconfigurable, wearable, wireless inertial measurement.

In parallel with the design, development, characterisation and calibration of the constituent hardware and software components, the WSS team is actively deploying these solutions, in both the wearable sports science and healthcare spaces.

Sports applications which have been investigated to date include tennis, darts, golf and archery while the healthcare application has focused on monitoring of elderly patients in a convalescent home. To facilitate technology transfer, the WSS team has developed a smart user-friendly platform which simplifies system configuration and data collection.

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A technology license was signed with Irish start-up Endeco, (formerly Wirelite Sensors), in the area of wireless systems for energy demand management (EDM); and US company Full Flight Technology licensed an inertial sensor system for the first arrow-mounted microsystem device to provide information about an arrow’s flight characteristics for archery. The centre also achieved notable success in the EU FP7 Programme winning more than €2.5m from 6 projects. The centre is coordinating the Heart-eGel project on cardiovascular microsystems and has engaged Irish companies in the projects including Arup, Creganna, Decawave, Lincor Solutions, Resourcekraft and Yougetitback. Through the Life Sciences Interface (LSI) Group, the centre established a strategic partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland to bring novel biomedical microsystems to the clinical community.

Microneedles Drug Delivery System

SEM image showing top surface of Thermal Interface Material composite.

700um tall silicon microneedles painlessly perforate the outer skin layers and will be used in a wide range of biomedical applications.

Today's semiconductors are smaller, run faster, process more information and generate more heat as a result. Removing this heat is a key challenge in today’s consumer electronics products.

Tyndall researchers, in collaboration with the Stokes Research Institute, in University of Limerick, have developed a novel nanotechnology-based thermal interface material (TIM), which has demonstrated a 50% better thermal performance than the commercial state-of-the-art. It is a nano-wire-based material which reduces the thermal contact resistance between the Silicon chip and heatsink by filling in the micro-voids that are normally present due to the micro surface roughness between two contacting materials. The nanoscale diameter of individual wires enables the TIM to conform with the surface roughness to make proper thermal contact. Furthermore, each individual nanowire connects directly, along its length, from the heat source to the heat sink. In this way, these novel materials transfer the heat more efficiently than traditional particle-filled TIMs.

A team of researchers from UCC’s School of Pharmacy and Tyndall have collaboratively developed a novel, transdermal drug and vaccine delivery system. The ‘ImmuPatch’ device is fabricated using a proprietary micromoulding process that replicates the shape of Tyndall’s ultrasharp silicon microneedles. Designed to be worn in the style of an adhesive patch, ImmuPatch incorporates an array of polymer microneedles that dissolve upon insertion into the skin, thereby rapidly and painlessly delivering a drug or vaccine cargo which addresses the global healthcare priority of needle-free drug delivery.

The ImmuPatch transdermal delivery system is a microneedle-based technology that can incorporate a number of different therapeutic agents on the same low-cost, dissolvable, adhesive patch.

▲

High Performance Thermal Interface Material

Also Working On:• Indefinite Lifetime Wireless Sensor Node

• Nanocatalysts for Zero Carbon Emission

from Energy Harvesting

Micro Fuel Cells

Novel power management circuits enable Tyndall’s wireless sensor nodes to operate continuously for smart building applications using a credit card sized solar cell under normal indoor lighting conditions (12 hours/day of moderate light (350Lux) and no lighting over weekends).

This eliminates the need for the regular replacement of batteries.

The Electrodeposition and Micro-power team has demonstrated the use of nano-porous gold catalysts for fuel cell applications. The materials catalyse fuel oxidation reactions at potentials closer to the theoretical value thereby delivering greater energy efficiency than has been demonstrated previously.

• High Current Sensor for Future Electric Cars A novel contactless electric current sensor for monitoring electric car battery energy flow is being developed within the EU FP7 ENIAC E3 Car project coordinated by Infineon Technologies. Tyndall researchers have used the sensor to measure currents of more than 500 Amps.

• Magnetics-on-Silicon for Power Suppy on Chip Tyndall researchers in the area of Magnetics-on-Silicon have designed, developed and demonstrated a technology to meet the specifications required by the next generation of power supply on-chip. The micro-inductor fabricated at Tyndall could save up to 50% of the footprint space of a full-solution dc-dc converter.

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Photonics Introduction The Photonics centre at Tyndall comprises internationally recognised research teams carrying out R&D and commercialisation activities spanning the areas of semiconductor materials and devices, photonic integration and packaging, through to advanced photonic systems for telecommunications applications. They not only develop new technologies for the communications, healthcare and energy sectors, but also advance scientific knowledge in photonics through cutting-edge research, for example into the fundamental quantum processes in semiconductor materials and

Main Highlight

Section 2.3

cooled atomic vapours.

All-Optical Phase and Amplitude Regenerator

Testing the phase and amplitude regenerator.

F

ibre optic communication systems have traditionally carried data using binary amplitude modulation – switching the

light on and off. Next generation systems will achieve higher overall data capacities by modulating both the amplitude

and the phase of the optical field. However, this will make them susceptible to nonlinear phase noise, an interaction

between amplitude and phase fluctuations that occurs in optical fibres caused by the Kerr effect. Now, a collaboration involving researchers in the Transmission & Sensors group at Tyndall and colleagues from the EU-FP7 Phasors consortium, which includes Dublin-based Eblana Photonics, has shown the first practical solution to this problem.

The team’s ingenious technique exploits the same Kerr nonlinearity to ‘squeeze’ the phase fluctuations back into the amplitude domain in a fibre-based, phase sensitive amplifier. This is combined with an injection-locked laser to remove the amplitude noise. The result is a ‘clean’ regenerated signal, ready either for onward transmission or for further signal processing. The research was published in the September 2010 issue of Nature Photonics and was also featured on the Journal’s front cover.

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The two primary SFI-funded programmes within the centre receive more than 25% matching support from their industry partners, BT Ireland and BT Design (UK), Intune Networks, Firecomms, Eblana Photonics and SensL. In addition, new SFI funding was obtained for III-V and III-Nitride semiconductor growth together with new EU FP7 funding for programmes in ultra high capacity fibre transmission, ‘green’ photonics for low power optical networks and LED arrays for retinal prosthesis.

During the year, the centre was also active in its support for Irish industry, helping to gain €1.1M of EU funding for Eblana Photonics and playing a key role in enabling Firecomms to grow through its acquisition by the ZJF Group.

Capturing More Light with Tuned Quantum Dots

Photonic Integration – More Functions in a Smaller Package

Measuring the re-emission decay time of quantum dot materials.

Flip-chip packaging photonic devices.

A collaboration between the CIT-led Photonic Device Dynamics group at Tyndall and researchers from UCLA and the University of Arkansas has succeeded in converting type I semiconductor quantum dots to type II by “tuning” their antimony content. This breakthrough is a step towards more efficient solar cells and photodetectors. More of the captured energy is retained with these dots because the photo-excited electrons quickly move away from the “holes” they leave behind, reducing the chance that they will lose the energy by falling back to their unexcited states.

The extraordinary growth of internet traffic already requires interfaces in the core of the network operating at 100 Gbit/s and there is no sign that the rate of expansion will reduce. Manufacturing optical transceivers to deliver these phenomenal rates, for an acceptable cost and power consumption, requires the integration of multiple photonic devices within a single compact package.

Tyndall researchers, together with colleagues from TCD, have developed a suite of key building blocks for future integrated transceivers, including high speed data modulators and photoreceivers. The team is currently working with Irish Industry to commercialise the technology.

Also Working On:• Metal-Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy System Tyndall has recently installed a new state-of-the-art metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy system for the growth of group-III nitride semiconductors. Researchers will use the reactor to grow novel materials for applications in visible and ultraviolet optoelectronics, and for high-power, high-frequency switches.

• Short Pulse Self-Mode-Locked Laser

• Miniaturised Oxygen-Sensitive Fluorescence Detector Tyndall’s unique high brightness, low divergence micro-LED technology has been used in a recent collaboration with Dublin City University to develop a miniaturised oxygen-sensitive fluorescence detector for monitoring the breath quality of patients with lung conditions. There are plans to use the micro-LED technology again within a follow-on project in a clinical setting.

The Laser Physics group has developed a new type of short pulse, self-mode-locked laser based on indium phosphide ‘quantum-dash’ material. The lasers have low timing jitter and wide optical spectrum making them ideal sources of highly coherent microwave signals.

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Theory, Modelling & Design Introduction Reseach in the centre investigates leading edge concepts and develops these ideas through to design and implementation. Successes during 2010 included significant research achievements, both in the fundamental understanding and the application of the science, and resulted in strong engagement and recognition by the wider scientific and commercial communities. An example of this success is highlighted by the completion of a license agreement with Intel for the TIMES software developed by the Electronics Theory group. This software models current

Main Highlight

Section 2.4

flow in advanced nanoscale devices, and was recently used to identify the benefits of junctionless transistors for future generation electronics.

Simulating the Deposition of New Materials

C

ontinuing the improvements in speed and performance of today's electronic devices is as much about using new materials as about scaling down to nanometre dimensions. A crucial challenge is whether the new materials can be synthesized at these length scales within the stringent quality requirements of semiconductor fabrication lines. Such new processes for nano-scale deposition were successfully developed in the EU FP7 "REALISE" project, a 10-partner project coordinated by Tyndall. Tyndall researchers contributed to the project by modelling precursor chemicals, simulating growth reactions and measuring the dielectric performance of the thin films.

Using the new materials in memory cards and USB flash drives allows a three-fold improvement in data storage capacity. The partners also targeted the decoupling capacitors that are used in mobile phones and other wireless devices. Such capacitors fabricated in the project are three times smaller than the current record, with the bonus of double the working lifetime and, in terms of surface area on the chip, should cost 70% less to produce. According to the European Commission, "this project can be considered as a real success".

Realise co-ordinator Simon Elliott.

Engineering III-V Quantum Dots

Researchers in the Photonics Theory group have developed new techniques to analyse and design semiconductor quantum dot (QD) nano-structures. Their work has identified several novel devices which can be obtained using QDs. including polarisation insensitive optical amplifiers needed in optical communication systems. They have also shown that the formation of gallium nitride based QDs should give efficient LED emission for the first time in the yellow-amber part of the spectrum. Their work is also guiding the growth and development of QD-based materials

â–˛

and devices by other reseachers in Tyndall.

Page 18

Analysis of Quantum Dot Structures.

New research funding achieved during the year includes five EU FP7 projects, two of which are coordinated by centre researchers, as well as two SFI principal investigator awards.

The challenge for 2011 is to take full advantage of these successes and ensure the development of future projects in photonics, nanoelectronics

Impulse Generator Microchip

R

esearchers in the Circuits & Systems Group have won the race to demonstrate the implementation of an efficient ultra-wide-band (UWB) monocycle pulse generator that is fully integrated in 90nm CMOS technology. The circuit produces very short radio pulses to enable both long range radar detection and high data rate UWB wireless communications. This invention makes it possible to implement radar sensors on silicon chips for longer range detection and to download data wirelessly from the internet over longer distances. This groundbreaking microchip produces monocycle pulses with the highest reported peak-to-peak voltage and energy efficiency in standard silicon technology. The device is 30 times more efficient than the best solution currently available. Tyndall’s pulse generator is a key building block for implementing low-cost UWB pulse radar in silicon technology. It will enable the development of a range of novel wireless applications, from security to innovative non-invasive diagnostic tools in medicine. Commercial avenues for exploitation are now being explored. ▲

Main Highlight

and microsystems that continue to address the challenges associated with communications, energy, healthcare and the environment.

Close-up of Compact Radar Source.

Also Working On:• Atomic Scale Simulation of Junctionless Transistors Collaboration within Tyndall has highlighted the benefits of a junctionless design at the sub-5nm scale as a solution to end-ofroadmap technologies where current scaling breaks down, and shows that there are some interesting twists and quantum surprises for device physics at this length scale.

• Optical Synthesis of Terahertz & mm-Wave Frequencies The Photonics Theory group researchers have designed and demonstrated passively mode-locked, discrete mode (DM) lasers that generate both sinusoidal and pulsed intensity output with modulation frequencies from 100 – 160 GHz. These results are based on technology that has been licensed to Irish company, Eblana Photonics and indicate that DM lasers have significant potential as ultrastable sources for a wide range of applications. These include wide-bandwidth, wireless communications, optical sampling and THz generation by photo-mixing.

• Photodriven Hydrogen Production by Water Splitting Electronics Theory group researchers have shown for the first time through simulations, that composites of titanium dioxide clusters deposited on a titanium dioxide surface are novel material systems for hydrogen production by water splitting using sunlight. These systems show great potential for the development of novel materials with targeted properties including light absorption, chemical reactivity and protective coatings.

• Injection-Locked Frequency Dividers (ILFDs) ILFDs are becoming more popular in wireless communication systems to control frequency selection. One of the problems with ILFDs is how to make them lock over as wide a range of frequencies as possible. The Circuits & Systems group has developed a new design methodology for ILFDs which solves this problem and is expected to make it easier to design high performance microchips for wireless applications.

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Section 3

Technology Support

T

his year saw further expansion to the laboratories and facilities

in November 2009, including the Electron Microscopy facility SEM and

at Tyndall. A major upgrade and move of the MEMS fabrication

both Focused Ion Beam systems. The Nanotechnology group’s SEM was

activity into the new research building has delivered the ex-

also replaced and the TEM and the E-beam lithography systems were

pected synergies, resulting in improved cleanroom conditions and energy

completely refurbished. A new training fabrication facility was commis-

efficiency. The move also provided much needed increased cleanroom and

sioned during the year and is now open to all third level students in

lithography areas within the lab. During the year, Tyndall upgraded and

Ireland. In addition, work is almost complete on the installation of an

replaced equipment that was damaged during the exceptional flooding

MOVPE reactor for the growth of III-N materials.

“A major upgrade and move of the MEMS fabrication activity into the new research building has delivered the expected synergies, resulting in improved cleanroom conditions and energy efficiency”

Wafer Fabrication During the year the MEMs fabrication and Compound Semiconductor processing activities relocated to a new purpose built, state-of-the-art-

implemented to prevent contamination problems. The increased clean-

cleanroom. The co-location of silicon MEMS and Compound Semicon-

room space has allowed for a more open access policy where all

ductor fabrication in the same cleanroom area presents a unique

researchers working in Compound Semiconductors now have complete

challenge to the engineering staff. New protocols, using equipment

access to the cleanroom and all of the equipment therein.

▲ A patterned wafer prior to dicing and packaging.

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differentiation rather than a laboratory segregation policy, have been

Training Fab A new training and teaching laboratory, funded under Cycle 4 of the

are fabrication based or not. The equipment includes an etcher, PECVD,

Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI4), which will

E-beam evaporator, photo lithography and measurement equipment such

facilitate a complete semiconductor fabrication experience, was opened

as the Tencor Profilometer. As part of Tyndall’s continued national access

at Tyndall during the year. The Training Fab will be made available to all

policy, the opportunity for hands-on processing experience within the

students and staff within Tyndall regardless of whether research projects

training fab will be made available to all postgraduate students in Ireland.

▲ Training on the E-beam evaporator in the training fab.

FLEXIFAB Plans are underway to establish a unique “FlexiFab” research laboratory within the new research building at Tyndall. Based jointly on the principles of “More than Moore” wafer processing with “Beyond Moore” concepts, the FlexiFab will operate in conjunction with enhanced test facilities for analogue & mixed signal circuits in the 60GHz range. State-of-the-art semiconductor wafers (silicon, III-V’s), will be post-processed in the facility with other inorganic and biomaterials, to give new device and sub-system capabilities. Examples could possibly include Bio/ICT convergence devices, III-V photonics-on-active silicon to facilitate high density magnetic recording and nanoelectronic devices using germanium and graphene. Open access protocols will allow efficient use by research students, academia and industry of these uniquely-flexible design, fabrication and test facilities. The facilities will also support the two industry-led Competence Centres established at Tyndall. This FlexiFab will be unique internationally and will have the capacity to handle a wide range of materials, and will enable Tyndall influence new developments in nanoelectronics within

▲ Installation of the horizontal furnace in the new cleanroom.

Europe.

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Electron Microscopy & Analysis Facility (EMAF)

â–˛ Sample chamber of the Helios Focused Ion Beam system.

The EMAF came of age in 2010 following re-location to new laboratory space and the addition of state-of-the-art new tools. The facility has a objective to deliver state-of-the-art electron microscopy and analysis through optimised characterisation protocols. The tools of the facility are available to research users throughout the wider Irish and international research community as well as to industry. A core staff of experienced technical professionals and microscopists are available to assist users as required. The unit provides a comprehensive understanding of the crystallography and structural analysis of a wide range of materials and devices, and also develops research in advanced electron microscopy.

The facility was funded from programmes under Science Foundation Ireland and the HEA.

â–˛ Loading a sample for SEM analysis.

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Design Technology Evaluation (DTE) Tyndall’s DTE Group provides IC design evaluation, technology analysis and characterisation expertise to clients. It also provides expertise in Intellectual Property (IP) and assists with patent assertion. As part of its patent infringement service to clients, DTE systematically extracts the design and technology detail of suspect designs. A report is then compiled for the client to present evidence of patent infringement to.

During 2010, the Head of DTE, successfully represented Tyndall’s technical evidence at the ITC in Washington DC on behalf of a major European company. The total value of our IP investigative work for clients exceeds €150 million to date. Tyndall’s DTE Group performs this work mainly for major European and US companies, and it is also a potent resource for the protection of Tyndall’s IP portfolio. ▲ Richard Fitzgerald and Ted O’Shea evaluate an IC design.

European Space Agency (ESA) Support Services

▲ Tyndall’s Photonic & Electronic Packaging Facility.

Technology Development, Component Analysis and Electronic Packaging Tyndall’s long association with the European Space Agency (ESA) continued successfully during 2010 with significant project activity in several major areas. Tyndall provides technical support to the Agency’s test centre, ESTEC, located in Noordwijk, The Netherlands and is a Microelectronics Technology Support Laboratory (MTSL) to ESTEC. In 2010, the Tyndall MTSL carried out tasks including: the analysis of radiation effects on power MOSFETS, the design analysis of integrated circuits, construction analysis on Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices for the GREAT2 programme, the construction analysis of hybrid microcircuits, and the characterisation

Throughout 2010, Tyndall has also been engaged in several longer-term research & development projects with ESA including: • The evaluation of the reliability of interconnect technologies for SiC solar cell shunt diodes intended for very high temperature operating environments (350ºC).

• An Investigation of dielectric charging in capacitive MEMS devices in IR Radiation environment (DIMER) • The development of a highly conformal iridium coating on high aspect ratio silicon pore optics using atomic layer deposition to improve the efficiency of the X-ray optics design of the International X-ray Observatory (IXO).

of point-of-load power supplies and the supply of RADFET dosimeters.

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Tyndall & Farran Technology Develop State-of-the-art Terahertz Schottky Diode for ESA In a collaborative development project with Farran Technology, funded

by ESA, Tyndall’s III-V fabrication group have further enhanced their Schottky MMIC technology by transferring commercial MMIC technology to a gallium arsenide membrane substrate. The demonstrator mixer, operating at 366GHz, performed on par with best published mixer results, whilst the 183GHz mixer equalled the performance of the standard Farran equivalent. UMS, the manufacturers of the commercial device, are also very pleased with the work because of the implications it has for extending the frequency range of their devices (nominally 77GHz). ▲ 366GHz Mixer Fabricated in a Gallium Arsenide Membrane.

Photonics Packaging & Integration: Addressing Industry Needs

▲ Laser welding of an optical fibre in a high speed butterfly package.

With a growing demand for bandwidth, there is a need for photonic

Tyndall, through its strategic investment in an advanced photonics

systems that power fibre optic communication links to become cheaper,

packaging and integration laboratory, now offers opportunities for

faster and less power hungry than they are today. This need is best

companies to develop next generation photonic products for emerging

addressed by integrating photonic devices on a common platform, similar

markets. Through its advanced facilities and highly experienced research

to the approach adopted by the microelectronics industry when it

staff, Tyndall offers companies the ability to develop advanced photonic

developed the integrated circuit. Innovations in integrated photonics

prototypes from start to finish, ready for evaluation and demonstration.

are leading to increases in system performance, while the ability to

To-date, photonic packaging and integration researchers have provided

produce multiple functioning devices on a common platform can signif-

support across a number of key industry sectors, including communica-

icantly reduce manufacturing costs. These technical developments also

tions (Intune Networks, Intel, Firecomms, Eblana Photonics), medical

benefit other industries that exploit the unique features of photonics,

devices (SensL), biotechnology (Radisens Diagnostics, Audit Diagnostics)

including medical devices (imaging), biotechnology (diagnostics), con-

and energy efficient lighting (Lita Lighting). These industrial collaborations

sumer electronics (data transfer) and energy efficient lighting (LEDs).

are expected to grow in both the indigenous and multi-national sectors,

Many companies see exciting commercial opportunities offered by

as photonics becomes the technology of choice for an increasing range

integrated photonics and need access to prototypes developed under

of applications.

production-like manufacturing conditions, which they can quickly evaluate and demonstrate to potential customers.

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▲ Fibre coupled 10 Gbit/s photoreceivcer with flip-chip packaged electronics on a coplanar waveguide ceramic submount.

National Access Programme Section 4

“This NAP proposal allowed access to a modelling technique, infrastructure and most importantly, expertise that was not available at the PIs home institution. It formed an essential part of the overall research into the hybrid materials under investigation. Both the project results and the professional interaction were top-quality” Dr. Colm O’Dwyer - UL - Project title: Modelling Curvature in Lamellar Vanadium Oxide-Thiol Bilayer Nanostructures (NAP 223)

T

yndall’s National Access Programme (NAP) successfully completed its sixth year of operation in 2010. NAP is a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) programme that funds access to Tyndall’s state-ofthe-art facilities and expertise for all researchers acros the whole island of Ireland. NAP is governed by an independent committee of 18 senior academics representing the Universities and IT’s and is chaired by Prof.

Mark Keane of University College Dublin.

SFI continued its support for NAP in 2010, and in December announced a further 5-year support for the Programme. This continued support emphasises the importance of enabling access to the Tyndall national infrastructure. It also reflects the positive impact and benefits gained by the wider community by having access to the advanced facilities at Tyndall. In 2010 Tyndall received letters of support from all the Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology (ITs), including Queens University Belfast and the University of Ulster, that acknowledged and emphasised how access to Tyndall facilities has been of significant benefit to their organisations.

Key metrics for the programme since its inception include: • Over 460 researchers from all 9 Universities (including QUB and UU) and 6 IT’s have submitted 328 proposals and of these 244 projects have been approved to date. Over 1,500 researchers have attended NAP talks and Open Days and 220 researchers have spent over 470 access days at Tyndall performing collaborative research.

• The publication output has been very strong and a total of 394 publications have resulted to date, 88 of these in high quality scientific journals.

• The results from NAP projects have been used by researchers to leverage further research funding. NAP projects have led to larger projects from SFI, Enterprise Ireland and EU funded programmes. The creation of intellectual property may also generate further funding and to date five related patent applications have been reported.

Irish Third Level Institutions participating in the National Access Programme

Sligo Institute of Technology

Galway Mayo Institute of Technology

Athlone Institute of Technology

Limerick Institute of Technology University of Limerick Tyndall National Institute University College Cork Cork Institute of Technology

Queen’s University Belfast

Dundalk Institute of Technology

National University Ireland Galway

Institute of Technology Tralee

• NAP has contributed to Irish scientific education by encouraging postgraduate students to avail of the facilities and expertise at Tyndall; 30% of participants are postgraduate students and 51 completed PhD and Masters theses have acknowledged NAP. Outputs from NAP projects are also being used within taught Masters programmes.

University of Ulster

Letterkenny Institute of Technology

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Carlow Institute of Technology

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin City University Trinity College Dublin University College Dublin Institute of Technology , Tallaght

Waterford Institute of Technology

Blanchardstown Institute of Technology Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Page 25

NAP205 Raman Spectroscopy as a Non-Destructive Methodology to Monitor Stem Cell Differentiation and Cellular Processes In Vitro Dr. George Burke, University of Ulster (UU) A critical issue in stem cell therapy is monitoring how the cells behave during stem cell culture in-vitro. Current techniques take a long time and can result in the destruction of the cells. In UU researchers are investigating a new way to monitor cell responses that is non-destructive and gives a real-time analysis of what is happening in the cells. The cells of particular interest were for bone growth from adult stem cells and, in particular, repairing bone that is not healing. The ultimate goal would be to remove stem cells from a patient with a broken bone that is not healing; grow new bone and then re-implant the new bone into the patient. The method chosen to monitor cell growth was Raman spectroscopy and, using the highly specialised equipment and expertise available at Tyndall, this project demonstrated that Raman is a suitable method that could track the key stages and confirmed bone growth in the cells under study. Excellent results were achieved and it is expected that Raman will become part of the UU laboratory’s process control hardware and could potentially have widespread applications in hospitals and pharmaceutical applications.

▲ Dr. Lindsay McManus (UU) and Dr. Mircea Modreanu (Tyndall) using the Raman spectrometer for bone growth analysis.

NAP223 Modelling Curvature in Metal-Oxide Nanostructures Dr. Colm O’Dwyer, University of Limerick (UL) Nano-materials have been widely studied in recent years and researchers in UL have been researching the nanoscale properties of metal-oxide nanostructures for a range of applications such as energy storage, sensors and photovoltaics. One of their research strands is to understand the impact of adding additional organic layers to the nanostructures and the impact on the atom-scale structure of these bilayers, in particular the bending and change of shape that is introduced. There were no simulation models available to understand this phenomenon but through NAP, UL researchers could work closely with the Tyndall Electronics Theory group and a new simulation model was developed. This model demonstrated previously unknown mechanisms for organic molecule insertion within layered materials and the model could now predict, for example, how much bending was possible while still maintaining a stable organic-inorganic layered structure.

The future benefits of this work and the knowledge gained on the atomic arrangements means that research can continue on the development of new candidate materials with controlled flexibility at the nanoscale and molecular level. ▲ Modelling of Curvature in Vanadium Oxide Nanostructures.

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NAP226 Fabrication of Integrated Microfluidic-Electrochemical Arrays for Multiplexed Detection of Cancer Biomarker Proteins Prof. James Ruisling and Dr. DĂłnal Leech, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) Early cancer detection is the focus of the Biomolecular Electronics Research Laboratory in NUIG. Their research involves the detection of cancer biomarker proteins in human samples and tissue. They have developed the biological techniques to identify the biomarkers and are now developing next generation devices with very high sensitivity that would give very fast response times and could ultimately enable automated disease detection and monitoring. To fabricate the device prototypes NUIG undertook this NAP project with the Life Sciences Interface group within the Microsystems centre to design and fabricate a miniature microfluidic device that can draw in the sample fluid 65mm and then pass it over the electrode array. The advantage of this multiple electrode approach is that it elevates â–˛ Microfluidic Device for Cancer Biomarker Detection the success rate for cancer prediction which is often poor with a single biomarker. As well as enabling higher sensitivity the miniaturised device will allow ultra-low detection limits in minimal sample volumes. The devices have been successfully fabricated using a low-cost process and are currently being tested at NUIG.

NAP246 Synthesis & Characterisation of Gold Nanoparticles for Environmental Research Prof. David Sheehan, University College Cork (UCC) Nanomaterials are becoming more widely used in a range of applications and it is important to understand if they pose a toxic threat to biological systems.

Researchers in UCC are well established experts in using mussels as demonstrators for potential toxicity effects on humans. Changes in profiles of proteins in the mussels, which is a multi-organ animal, can give significant information on whether materials are damaging the cells and what the mechanism for transfer is. The toxicological effects of gold nanoparticles were seen to be highly dependent on the size of the nanoparticles, but it is difficult to purchase nanoparticles with customised and highly controlled â–˛ Synthesised Gold Nanoparticles particle dimensions. In this NAP project the nanotechnology team at Tyndall were involved in synthesising nanoparticles of particular dimensions (e.g. 5nm) so that a full evaluation of the effects of the specific sized particles could be undertaken. As a result of this project, the UCC researchers were able to publish key results in nanotoxicology and contribute to an EU-wide research programme in this field.

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NAP251 Physiological Sensing System for Fitness and Health Dr. Shirley Coyle, Dr. Fernando Benito-Lopez and Prof. Dermot Diamond, Dublin City University (DCU) Physiological monitoring of athletes is useful to both assess and improve their performances. In this NAP project, DCU researchers developed a wearable, real-time wireless device for non-invasive performance monitoring. The composition and amount of fluid lost through perspiration or sweat can be used to measure electrolyte and dehydration levels so that an optimum balance can be achieved between too little and excessive fluid in-take. Existing techniques for fluid measurement require complex measurement and postsample analysis, whereas the system developed in this project is wearable and very straight-forward to use.

The WSS team at Tyndall adapted the Tyndall 25mm wireless sensor mote platform for this application and ▲ Wireless Physiological Sensing Device. designed a completely novel integrated muliti-layered PCB for the sensor. DCU provided the micro-fluidic chip that enables the fluid to be drawn on to the sensor and the overall packaging of the device.

The next stage of this work will be to refine the sensor to measure more functions and conduct a large scale clinical study using the device.

NAP270 Fabrication of 3D System-in-a-Package (SIP) Devices Using Circuit Board Folding Liam Moore and Dr. John Barrett, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) As electronic systems have reduced in size and increased in complexity it has resulted in an increased demand for advanced packaging technology and in particular for 3-D packaging solutions. Current 3-D systems are complex and expensive whereas researchers in CIT are developing a low-cost 3-D “system-in-a-package”. This project focussed on designing a PCB board-bending technique using the packaging facilities available at Tyndall and critically using the Reliability Evaluation Laboratory to validate the test results and confirm that the circuitry was still fully functional. The final stage of the project was to build a 1cm cube with sensors mounted on the outside of the cube and the circuitry on the inside and this successfully demonstrated a low cost solution.

This technique has the advantage of using low-cost assembly methods with no degradation of device performance. CIT will continue to develop this process further with the ultimate goal of developing a miniaturised 5mm cube. ▲ 3-D System-in-a-Package.

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Outreach Programme Section 5

T

hrough our outreach activities, we aim to encourage a greater interest in science amongst students from first to third levels, and to communicate our research to a wider audience. Tyndall continues to increase its collaborations both locally and nationally in an effort to amplify our impact.

BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Intel invited Tyndall to exhibit on their stand at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition demonstrating the ‘sand to microchip’ story.

Visitors to the stand were shown how the element silicon, extracted from sand, is the starting point for making the microchips that power our electronics, from computers to mobile phones.

▲ Winning students at the Munster final of Debating Science Issues 2010.

Debating Science Issues Tyndall collaborated with 7 research centres nationwide to run the 2009 - 2010 Debating Science Issues competition for secondary schools funded by the Wellcome Trust. Students debated topical issues such as nanotechnology, stem cell research and animal testing.

Science Snaps ▲ Transition Year students in an electronics workshop at Tyndall.

Transition Year Work Experience Programme Tyndall and Cork Electronics Industry Association (CEIA) teamed up to develop a unique TY Work Experience Programme. In the pilot programme run in March 2010 18 students from 13 schools attended workshops, career talks and campus visits, combined with an industry placement day in one of 7 engineering companies. Tyndall and CEIA also produced a teachers’ wall planner of outreach activities for the academic year which was sent to all schools in the Cork region.

Science Café Tyndall collaborated with local partners to create a Cork Science Café where members of the public cane come, on a monthly basis, to hear and discuss science in an informal setting. Topics addressed by Tyndall researchers included the applications of nanotechnology in healthcare and the environment and our research with the European Space Agency.

Science Snaps, Tyndall’s annual science photography competition, ran from September to November 2010. The competition was expanded to include a public category as well as the student categories and hundreds of entries were again received, a selection of which were exhibited in Dublin and Cork during Science Week 2010.

Discovery Exhibition Thousands of local school children visited Tyndall’s popular stand at the annual Discovery Exhibition in Cork City Hall in November. The stand featured interactive demonstrations on sensors, light, nanotechnology and electronics.

SFI UREKA Programme (Undergraduate Research Experience & Knowledge Award) Tyndall hosted 12 national and international undergraduate students from Ireland, Aisa and the US to participate in SFI-funded research during the summer of 2010.

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Section 6

Graduate Education

T

yndall’s graduate community continued to excel during the year, with 20 candidates successfully passing their PhD vivas and Tyndall students competing for and winning several prestigious prizes. At the end of 2010, there had been a slight increase in student numbers compared to 2009, with 125 PhD and 11 Masters students, based at Tyndall. The graduate student body currently consists of students from 22 different countries. The overall breakdown of nationalities is: 42% Irish nationals, 27% from EU countries other than Ireland, and 31% from outside the EU. The gender balance is currently 71% male and 29% female.

We continue to host students from a range of academic departments and institutes. The composition of the student body well suits Tyndall’s research mission. Notably, the number of PhD candidates researching

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topics in chemistry has increased substantially in recent years, leading to a healthy balance between our core disciplines of electrical engineering, microelectronics, physics and chemistry.

â–˛ Students by Academic Department/Institute 2010.

“Tyndall’s graduate community continued to excel during the year, with 20 candidates successfully passing their PhD vivas and Tyndall students competing for and winning several prestigious prizes.”

The graduate supervision procedure introduced by Tyndall has become one of the models used by University College Cork in formulating its guidelines for supervision teams and structured reporting for PhD students. We continue to work with our academic partners to refine our procedure and to ensure a consistent implementation for all graduate students hosted at Tyndall.

Tyndall is spearheading two National Graduate Education Programmes: INSPIRE (Integrated Nanoscience Platform for Ireland) and ICGEE (International Centre for Graduate Education in Micro- and Nano-Engineering).

Significant effort is being invested in developing a nanoengineering curriculum that can be shared between all Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology, and to develop a model where sharing of modules (sets of lectures) can be seamlessly exchanged between participating institutions. The INSPIRE and ICGEE consortia jointly organised the “Fabrication to Application” school which took place at Tyndall during 2010. More than 50 graduate students participated at the event, during which leading national and international experts shared their knowledge on the latest topics in research including Nanofabrication, Nanoelectronics, Nano for Health applications, Photonics for ICT, Applications and Integration (micro-machines) and Business & Innovation. Experts also provided insights on how laboratory concepts and ideas were being brought to manufacture or used to launch new and innovative ventures by industrialists.

Tyndall Graduate Education management is currently working with our academic partners in UCC to develop custom PhD training. Our goal is to enhance technical training that matches the nature of Tyndall’s cross disciplinary PhD projects and to introduce students to concepts in inno-

vation and entrepreneurship. The proposal is at an advanced stage and we anticipate all Tyndall-hosted students will participate in structured PhD training in the near future.

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What Our Students Say About Tyndall...

Merid Legesse PhD Student, Theory, Modelling & Design Centre Graduate Degree: MSc Materials Science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia PhD Research: Simulation of Nanowires for Photovoltaics “I have been here one semester, I enjoy the interactions with my peers and my supervisors. I have learned so much just through my involvement with people from various backgrounds. I have met many new friends that I not only interact with inside of the Tyndall, but outside as well.”

Lorenzo Mereni PhD Student, Photonics Centre Graduate Degree: Masters in Electronic Engineering, University of Firenze (Florence), Italy PhD Research: Site Controlled Quantum Dots “I had heard about Tyndall as I was already in Ireland and Tyndall kept popping up as a centre of excellence for research. For me, the best things include the lab facilities and the availability of a wide range of equipment. As well as that, Tyndall provides a friendly environment!”

Micki Mitchell PhD Student, Micro/Nanoelectronics Centre Graduate Degree: Bsc (Hon) in Medical Biotechnology, Sligo Institute of Technology PhD Research: Development & Optimisation of Photonic Crystal based Nanosensors “I found this project online. Tyndall has a very good reputation internationally and there is some fabulous work going on. I would advise potential students to think carefully about the research project you will invest a lot of your time and energy, make sure it's what you want to do and enjoy doing!”

Seán O’Connell Masters Student, Microsystems Centre Graduate Degree: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, UCC Masters Research: Development of a Multi Radio Platform for Wireless Sensor Networks “After completing my undergraduate degree I participated in a CLARITY Internship in Tyndall.

This enabled me to see first-hand the research being undertaken here. I was extremely impressed by the diversity of the research projects and the experience helped develop my interest in my chosen area of study.”

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Student Awards & Prizes The annual Tyndall Postgraduate

Brice Jamieson, a PhD student in the Microelectronics Applications

Poster Competition attracted 30

Integration group, won the best commercial ‘pitch’ of PhD research, as

entries this year. The event is organ-

part of the PG6006 Commercialisation Skills for Research module.

ised by the Postgraduate Student

This generic skills module gives PhD students an understanding of the

Committee and judged by the Tyndall

relationship between research and commercial opportunity. Brice, with

Board. First prize was awarded to

a presentation entitled “Power Supply on a Chip – Next Generation

Karen Dawson. Karen Dawson, a

Inductive Components”, won the best presentation prize, which was

PhD student in the Nanotechnology

sponsored by the Cork City Enterprise Board.

group, won 1st prize for her research ▲ Karen Dawson

on: “Direct Electrochemical Detection

Chi-Woo Lee, a PhD student in the Silicon Research group, received

of H2O2 at Single Gold Nanowire

the best paper award at the IEEE NANO 2010 workshop in Korea for

Electrode Sensors”. Karen also received joint 1st prize at the INSPIRE/

his research on“Nanowire Zero-Capacitor DRAM Transistors With and

ICGEE summer school poster competition.

Without Junctions” At the 12th International Conference of

Azrilawani Ahmad, PhD student in the Life Sciences Interface group won the best poster presenter award at the United KingdomMalaysia-Ireland Engineering Science Conference (UMIES) held in Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland in June 2010. Her poster was entitled “Cytotoxicity Monitoring of Benzo[a] ▲ Azrilawani Ahmad

-pyrene using Impedance Cell-based Biosensor”.

Advanced Materials & Technologies, Olan Lotty and Colm O’Regan of the Supercritical Fluids group were presented with prizes for their posters entitled “Controllable Synthesis of Single Crystalline Uniform Arrays of Silicon Nanowires”, and “Electro Microscopy Analysis of Nanoscale Materials” respectively. ▲ Colm O’Regan

The 2010 BOC Gases Bursary Award was presented to Eamon Ki-Yeol Byun, a PhD student in the Advanced Materials Systems group, won the European Materials Research

O’Connor, a PhD student with the Silicon Research group. Eamon was presented with the award for his work on “High Dielectric Constant Thin Films on III-V Semiconductors for Future CMOS Processes”.

Society Young Scientist Award at the 2010 E-MRS Spring meeting, in recognition of his outstanding paper on “Post-Si CMOS Electronic Devices: The Role of Ge and III-V materials”. ▲ Ki-Yeol Byun

Mark Daly, a student in the Quantum Optics group, won the Institute of Physics in Ireland Rosse Medal for graduate research for his poster on “Laser Cooling and Trapping of Neutral Alkali Metals”.

Francesco Dicorato, a PhD student in the Life Sciences Interface group, won first prize for his poster at the INSPIRE postgraduate workshop in

▲ From left to right: Professor Roger Whatmore, CEO Tyndall; Eamonn O’Connor PhD student receiving BOC Gases Bursary Prize from Mr. Gerry O’Donovan, Business Director, BOC Gases.

UCD. His poster was entitled: “Development of a Modular Integrated

Aileen O’Mahony, a PhD student in the Advanced Materials Systems

System with Amperometric Detection

group, was awarded a student travel grant to present at the 218th

for Capillary Electrophoresis”.

meeting of the Electrochemical Society (ECS). Aileen’s research concerns Atomic Layer Deposition of High-k Oxides for application in electronics.

▲ Francesco Dicorato

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Anna Paschero, a PhD student in the Life Sciences Interface group, won an award for her oral presentation at the NanoBioTox conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. Anna is investigating the development of an integrated sensor platform to

PhD Theses 2010 Mark Crowley Electronic & Optical Properties of InAS/GaAs Semiconductor Quantum Dots Mary McCarthy Phase Estimate Receiver for Full-Field Detection

monitor cell behaviour for screening of anti cancer drugs.

Courtney Collins Liquid-Liquid Extraction and Detection of Drug Molecules

▲ Anna Paschero

Laura Russell, a PhD student in

Pawel Sajewicz Investigation of Loss Mechanisms in Edge Emitting Semiconductor Laser Diodes

the Quantum Optics group, was awarded the Shell and Institute of Physics Very Early Career Woman Physicist Award (for UK and Ireland) in recognition of her scientific and outreach contributions. Laura’s research explores the behaviour of “cold” atoms using pioneering new micro-optic technology. ▲ Laura Russell

Amy Watkins, a student in the Quantum Optics group, received the 2010 Incubic/Milton Chang Travel Award from the Optical Society of America. She was awarded this for her research on “Atom Optics Tools: Optical Nanofibres, Microspheres and Microbubble Resonators”.

Ran Yan, a PhD student in the Silicon Research group, received the best paper award at the 10th Electron Technology Conference ELTE 2010 for her research on “Performance Analysis of SOI Junctionless Nanowire Transistors”.

Liqiang Zheng, a PhD student in the Heterogeneous Systems Integration group, received an Excellent Paper award at the International Symposium on Embedded Systems Design and Applications (ESDA) 2010 for his work on “Miniaturization of Wireless Sensor Network Nodes”.

▲ Liqiang Zheng

Ronan Meere Magnetics on Silicon for Power Supply-on-Chip Zbigniew Olszewki Dielectric Charging in RF MEMS Capacitive Switches Rathnait Long A Study of the Electronic and Structural Properties of the High-k/In0.53Ga0.47As System Yan Lai Antimony as Source/Drain Extension Dopant for Relaxed and Strained Si MOSFETs Saeid Daneshgar Observations Concerning the Locking Range in LC Injection-Locked Frequency Dividers Kamil Gradkowski Influence of Coulomb Interactions on Emission Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum Dot Systems Tamjid Chowdhury Electrodeposited Copper Composites for Advanced IC Interconnect Iris Choi Quantum Key Distribution on Multi-User Optical Networks Brice Jamieson Integrated Magnetics for Future DC-DC Microprocessor Power Delivery Ran (Ruby) Yan A Study of Doping Schemes and Fluctuations in Nanoscale SOI Devices Wenbin Chen Electrical Characterisation of Novel High-k Materials Jakub Baran A Theoretical Study of Organometallic Molecules on Metal Surfaces Chi-Woo Lee Physics and Characterisation of Silicon Nanowire FETs Shane O'Donoghue Characterisation and Optimisation of Passively Mode-Locked Quantum Dot Semiconductor Lasers Cleitus Antony 10Gb/s Burst Mode Transmission in Long Reach Passive Optical Networks Boyang Ding Development of Heterogeneous and Hybrid Opal-Based 3-Dimensional Photonic Crystals for Extended Light Moulding and Trapping

Page 34

Financial Section 7

Income & Expenditure Summary INCOME

2010 €’000

2009 €’000

Government Grant

3,000

3,415

27,963

28,528

2,235

2,231

33,198

34,174

EXPENDITURE

2010 €’000

2009 €’000

Remuneration Costs

16,192

17,343

Equipment and Infrastructure

5,013

7,495

Consumables and Related Costs

6,338

6,765

Other Operating and Deferred Costs

5,655

2,571

33,198

34,174

Research UCC Contribution

Page 35

Section 8

Tyndall Board

Back Row (From Left to Right) Mr. Brendan Cremen (UCC), Mr. Ian Quinn (Creganna-Tactx Medical), Mr. Martin Cronin (Forfรกs), Mr. Martin Shanagher (Department of Enterprise, Trade & Innovation) and Mr. Kevin Fielding (Alta Berkeley) Front Row (From Left to Right) Prof. Jim Merz (University of Notre Dame), Dr. Alastair Glass (Chairman), Prof. Roger Whatmore (CEO, Tyndall) and Ms. Geraldine Kelly (rXi Ventures)

Missing from Photo: Professor John McCanny (Queens University Belfast) and Dr. Danielle Merfeld (General Electric)

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