Yuan Yue, an undergraduate student from Class of 2021 majoring in Chemical Engineering Program at Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), published an article titled "Hybrid 2D–CMOS microchips for memristive applications" in the world-leading international journal Nature as a co-author while studying for the PhD degree at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

According to Yuan Yue, exploiting the excellent electronic properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials to fabricate advanced electronic circuits is a major goal for the semiconductor industry. However, most studies in this field have been limited to the fabrication and characterization of isolated large (more than 1?µm²) devices on unfunctional SiO2–Si substrates. Some studies have integrated monolayer graphene on silicon microchips as a large-area (more than 500?µm²) interconnection and as a channel of large transistors (roughly 16.5?µm²), but in all cases the integration density was low, no computation was demonstrated and manipulating monolayer 2D materials was challenging.

When it comes to her research interest, her joy surpassed all description. "Our hybrid 2D/CMOS microchips combine the robust performance of ubiquitous silicon electronics with the superior electronic properties of 2D materials. We demonstrate memristive memory cells with small sizes below 0.05 squared micrometers and switching endurances of millions of cycles, which are superior to commercial memristive memories. The combination of small size, competitive performance and on-chip integration grants our prototype the highest technology readiness level ever achieved in the field of 2D materials based electronic circuits, and represents a huge step towards post-silicon electronics."

Academic Sharing

During her PhD study, Yuan Yue participated in the Falling Walls Lab, an annual international scientific conference held in Berlin, Germany, where she gave a three-minute speech titled "Breaking the Wall of Energy-hungry Electronics" as a young scholar. Giving public speeches on stage is nothing new for her. As early as her junior year, she participated in a TEDx speech with her classmates at GTIIT.

Yuan Yue participated in Falling Walls 

It seems impossible for many students to publish an article in Nature just over two years after graduating from university. For Yuan Yue, she said that every "highlight moment" she has today is inseparable from what GTIIT has brought to her in a subtle way. "GTIIT provides us with a wonderful English learning atmosphere, which greatly helps me adapt to study and life abroad in advance. It has a very strong teaching team, and the professors are approachable and always very willing to help students. They have given me a lot of support and encouragement both during my studies and after my graduation."

"Travel more to explore the world! Focus on scientific research and enjoy your time attending activities!" Starting from GTIIT, she gained a lot from the experience of studying abroad. In the future, she will continue to devote herself to scientific research and enjoy a fulfilling academic journey.

Text/Photos: Yuan Yue, GTIIT News & Public Affairs