Nov 12 (Tues) @ 11:00am: "Towards Practical Superconducting Computing with Technology-Driven Optimizations," Jennifer Volk, ECE PhD Defense

Location: Henley Hall (HH), Room 3014
Zoom Meeting: https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/5233470612 | Meeting ID: 523 347 0612
ECE Research Area: Computer Engineering, Electronics & Photonics
Research Keywords: Emerging Technologies for Computing, Circuit Design, Computer Architecture/System Level Design, VLSI Design/Circuits & Systems

Abstract

Semiconductors have dominated every aspect of electronics over the past decades. However, the diminishing gains in performance and power efficiency observed in recent years, coupled with the diversification of target applications, have sparked a search for the next breakthrough. Although it is unlikely for semiconductors to be completely replaced in the foreseeable future, there are signs that a transition to superconductors may benefit many domains from classical high-performance computing and quantum computing to sensing systems. In this work, I firstly introduce the underlying principles of superconductor electronics and describe how common misconceptions have hampered progress. Secondly, I present a logic-biasing co-optimization that results in a versatile superconducting logic family with truly zero static power dissipation. Thirdly, I describe how to overcome the biggest obstacle in superconducting computing—the lack of a scalable memory solution—by exploiting nearly-lossless passive superconducting delay lines. Finally, I outline a roadmap for practical superconducting computing and discuss how this can be generalized to close the gap between other emerging devices and applications.

Bio

Jennifer Volk is a UC President’s Dissertation Fellow and PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Santa Barbara, as well as an incoming Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds visiting researcher affiliations with MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the University of Michigan. Her research spans from applied physics to circuit design and computer architecture in novel technologies, particularly superconducting. Her contributions have been recognized by the respective communities with two IEEE Micro Top Picks distinctions and a Best Student Paper award at the Applied Superconductivity Conference. She was also selected as a 2023 EECS Rising Star.

Hosted By: CS Professor Timothy Sherwood

Submitted By: Jennifer Volk <jevolk@ucsb.edu>