Electronics and Photonics

In modern computer systems, processor and memory chips are laid out like single-story structures in a suburb. But suburban layouts waste time and energy. A new skyscraper-like design, based on materials more advanced than silicon, provides the next computing platform.

For decades, engineers have designed computer systems with processors and memory chips laid out like single-story structures in a suburb. Wires connect these chips like streets, carrying digital traffic between the processors that compute data and the memory chips that store it.

But suburban-style layouts create long commutes and regular traffic jams in electronic circuits, wasting time and energy.

Last modified Thu, 10 Dec, 2015 at 15:42

Only an atom thick, graphene is a key ingredient in three Stanford projects to create data storage technologies that use nanomaterials other than standard silicon.

The memory chips in phones, laptops and other electronic devices need to be small, fast and draw as little power as possible. For years, silicon chips have delivered on that promise.

But to dramatically extend the battery life of mobile gadgets, and to create data centers that use far less energy, engineers are developing memory chips based on new nanomaterials with capabilities that silicon can't match.

Last modified Fri, 23 Oct, 2015 at 15:22

    Thursday, October 15, 2015

    7:00 pm

    Li Ka Shing, Room 120

Last modified Fri, 10 Jul, 2015 at 9:51

Stanford scientists and an international research group receive funding to advance solar cells, batteries, renewable fuels and bioenergy.

The Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University has awarded $10.5 million for seven research projects designed to advance a broad range of renewable energy technologies. The funding will be shared by six Stanford research teams and an international group from the United States and Europe.

Last modified Wed, 8 Oct, 2014 at 12:47

Engineers at Stanford have developed a prototype single-fiber endoscope that improves the resolution of these much-sought-after instruments fourfold over existing designs. The advance could lead to an era of needle-thin, minimally invasive endoscopes able to view features out of reach of today’s instruments.

Engineers at Stanford have demonstrated a high-resolution endoscope that is as thin as a human hair with a resolution four times better than previous devices of similar design. The so-called micro-endoscope is a significant step forward in high-resolution, minimally invasive bio-imaging with potential applications in research and clinical practice.  Micro-endoscopy could enable new methods in diverse fields ranging from study of the brain to early cancer detection.

Last modified Thu, 28 Mar, 2013 at 12:12

Decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface from business cards to roofs to window panes.

For all their promise, solar cells have frustrated scientists in one crucial regard – most are rigid. They must be deployed in stiff and often heavy fixed panels, limiting their applications. So researchers have been trying to get photovoltaics to loosen up. The ideal:  flexible, decal-like solar panels that can be peeled off like band-aids and stuck to virtually any surface, from papers to window panes. 

Last modified Thu, 20 Dec, 2012 at 14:42

ME 327 Final Project Demonstrations

Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 10 am to 12 pm

Building 550 (Peterson) Atrium

Http://me327.stanford.edu

Professor Allison Okamura

Last modified Wed, 5 Dec, 2012 at 13:24

Professor of Electrical Engineering will develop new reflective coatings to help cool buildings and cars.

Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering at the Stanford School of Engineering, has been chosen to receive $399,901 to develop Photonic Radiative Day-Time Cooling Devices, better imagined as coatings for the rooftops of buildings and cars that reflect sunlight, allowing heat to escape and enabling passive cooling, even when the sun is shining. Fan’s device would require no electricity and would reduce the need for air conditioning, leading to energy and cost savings.

Last modified Fri, 11 Jan, 2013 at 12:37

Researchers at Stanford are on the verge of a major breakthrough with carbon nanotubes.

Subhasish Mitra, Stanford associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Philip Wong, the Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the Stanford School of Engineering, discuss their work with carbon nanotubes and the interdisciplinary culture at Stanford. This kind of cutting-edge research is made possible by gifts to the Stanford School of Engineering.

Last modified Mon, 3 Dec, 2012 at 14:30

A team of Stanford chemists and engineers has created the first synthetic material that is both sensitive to touch and capable of healing itself quickly and repeatedly at room temperature. The advance could lead to smarter prosthetics or more resilient personal electronics that repair themselves.

Nobody knows the remarkable properties of human skin like the researchers struggling to emulate it. Not only is our skin sensitive, sending the brain precise information about pressure and temperature, but it also heals efficiently to preserve a protective barrier against the world. Combining these two features in a single synthetic material presented an exciting challenge for Stanford Chemical Engineering Professor Zhenan Bao and her team.

Last modified Wed, 28 Nov, 2012 at 13:46