Silicon devices and integrated circuits

Exploring the future of electronics, our research in Silicon Devices and Integrated Circuits drives innovation across diverse fields, from high-performance ICs to flexible electronics and sustainable energy solutions.

The Silicon Devices and Integrated Circuits (SiDIC) research area encompasses a broad range of sub-disciplines, including semiconductor materials and processing, electronic device modeling and simulation, fabrication technologies for electronic devices, and integrated circuits. This research spans a variety of application domains, including high-performance IC technologies, large-area electronics, digital medical imaging, flexible electronics, display technologies, and photovoltaic energy conversion.

SiDIC research is supported by two world-class facilities: the Giga-to-Nano (G2N) Center and the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (CAPDS). Established in 2000 with a budget of over $15M, the G2N facility is at the forefront of cutting-edge research, while CAPDS, founded in 2004 with a $12M budget, was developed through two successful CFI Innovation Fund projects led by SiDIC professors.

Faculty members in the SiDIC group hold prestigious research chairs, including NSERC Industrial Research Chairs (e.g., DALSA, COMDEV), Canada Research Chairs, the NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship, and the Ontario Research Chair. Their research is supported by major industry partners such as XEROX, KODAK, DALSA, COMDEV, IBM, ATS, and ARISE Tech. Additionally, numerous faculty members and researchers from various departments collaborate within the G2N and CAPDS facilities.

Current research activities in SiDIC include modeling and experimental process technologies for Bipolar and Field Effect Devices, SiGe Devices, low-temperature and integrable IC technologies, Silicon-on-Insulator technologies, buried silicides, and cost-effective process technologies for high-performance sensors and thin-film transistors. The group also works on the design of novel sensors, readout circuitry, and system architectures, the development of transient and steady-state numerical and SPICE models, and the integration of various technology kernels for applications in optical and X-ray imaging, OLED displays, biomedical X-ray imaging, photon counting, crystalline and thin-film photovoltaic technologies, and next-generation nano-photovoltaic systems.

Graduate students in the SiDIC group gain hands-on training in electronic materials, devices, and integrated circuits, making them highly sought after by both academia and industry. Many have gone on to receive prestigious NSERC doctoral prizes and postdoctoral fellowships, contributing to the advancement of the field.

Faculty members participating in silicon devices and integrated circuits research:

Hany Aziz

Hany Aziz

Biography

Hany Aziz is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering with a cross-appointment to the Department of Chemical Engineering. He served as the Associate Director of Waterloo’s Nanotechnology Engineering program from 2015-2019. He is also Associate Director of the Giga-to-Nanoelectronics Centre. He previously held the appointment of NSERC- DALSA Research Chair in organic electronics.

Dr. Aziz’s group conducts research in the interdisciplinary area of organic electronics and optoelectronics including both electroluminescent (such as Organic Light-Emitting Devices or OLEDs and quantum dot LEDs ) and light harvesting (such as organic photovoltaics and optical sensing) materials and devices. The research spans a wide range of areas ranging from studying fundamental phenomena in organic semiconductors (such as carrier injection and transport, exciton dynamics, carrier-exciton interactions) to developing novel devices and fabrication technologies for next generation electronics (such as flexible flat panel displays and printable electronics).

Dr. Aziz’s research contributions are widely cited in the organic electronics community, and have resulted in over 150 peer-reviewed publications to date. He has several inventions including the industry’s benchmark long-life and thermally-stable OLED and the contrast enhancing Black Cathode™ Technology. He holds 51 U.S. patents. In 2020 he was awarded a University Research Chair.

Research interests

  • Organic electronics
  • Optoelectronic materials and devices
  • Charge and energy transfer in amorphous semiconductors
  • Materials for flexible and printable electronics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Additive manufacturing
  • Renewable energy
  • Nano-electronics
  • Organic light emitting devices (OLEDs)
  • Organic photovoltaics
  • Optical sensing\/imaging

Dayan Ban

Dayan Ban

Biography

Dayan Ban is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Director for the Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems, and a researcher at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. His expertise lies in the conversion of near infra-red light directly to visible light, design and fabrication of high-performance quantum devices and the development of ultra-sensitive surface plasmon sensors.

Dr. Ban successfully improved the efficiency of hybrid organic/inorganic devices by more than one order of magnitude and applied time-domain terahertz spectroscopy to study the device physics of terahertz quantum cascade lasers. Dr. Ban’s research has also accomplished the fabrication of prototype hybrid organic/inorganic devices by direct tandem integration and the study of the effects of interfacial states on device performance. These devices are responsible for the conversion of near-infrared light directly to visible light (green) at room temperature.

Dr. Ban pioneered the development of new methods in scanning probe microscopy to observe, with nanometric spatial resolution, two-dimensional profiles of conductivity and potential inside actively-driven lasers. He also resolved the nanoscopic reason for anomalously high series resistance encountered in ridge waveguide lasers. In addition, Dr. Ban reported the first direct experimental observation of electron overbarrier leakage in operating buried heterostructure multi-quantum-well –lasers. His work has provided the first experimental visualization of the inner workings of operating semiconductor lasers, and has also provided a platform for enabling tools for quantum semiconductor device and nanotechnology research.

Research interests

  • Semiconductor Quantum Devices
  • Photonics
  • THz Technology
  • Nanotechnology
  • Atomic Force Microscope
  • Fiber-Optical Communication System
  • Silicon Devices
  • Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers
  • Biophotonics
  • Scanning Probe Microscopy
  • Connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Nanofabrication
  • IoT Devices
  • Application Domains

Slim Boumaiza

Professor Slim Boumaiza

Biography

Dr. Slim Boumaiza is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

His research is focused on defining, conceptualizing, designing, and realizing high-performing microwave and millimeter wave circuits and systems for wireless communications (with applications in 4G, 5G and the Internet of Things). He directs the Emerging Radio System Research Group (EmRG), which conducts multidisciplinary research encompassing the semiconductor device, circuit, and system levels of radio hardware. Under his supervision, researchers investigate the areas of transistor modelling and characterization (at the semiconductor device level), ultra wideband and highly efficient power amplifiers (at the circuit level) and low power linearization schemes (at the system level).

He is passionately involved in communicating knowledge of radio systems through teaching, supervision, and youth outreach. He has taught several undergraduate and graduate courses covering basics of electrical engineering and advanced topics in microwave engineering. Over 100 highly qualified personnel (undergraduate, master's, and PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and other research staff) have worked under his supervision to date. Many have gone on to secure highly sought-after positions in industry. Dr. Boumaiza and his team actively participate in university-led efforts to engage youth and minorities and promote their interest in engineering.

Research interests

  • Microwave and Millimeter Wave (mm-wave) Circuits and Systems
  • High Efficiency Power Amplifiers for Wireless Communications (sub 6 GHz and mm-wave)
  • Digital Predistortion Techniques for 4G and 5G Power Amplifiers and Massive MIMO\/Beamforming Transmitters
  • Nonlinear Microwave Circuits Characterization and Modeling
  • 5G Radio Hardware
  • Advanced Circuits and Systems for Microwave and mm-wave Radio Front-ends (printed circuit boards and integrated circuit technologies)
  • Advanced Signal Processing for Wireless Communications

Vincent Gaudet

Vincent Gaudet

Biography

Vincent Gaudet is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

His research interests focus on high-speed and energy-efficient microelectronic circuits applied to digital communication systems and signal processing. He is particularly interested in stochastic computing systems and multiple-valued logic. He has worked on low-density parity-check (LDPC) and turbo decoders, multiple-access channels, implantable neural recording systems, and integrated lab-on-chip instrumentation circuitry.

Dr. Gaudet is currently a Senior Member of the IEEE, and holds many editorial positions. In 2009, he received the Petro Canada Young Innovator Award to recognize and support his work of outstanding young faculty-based research.

Research interests

  • VLSI circuits
  • Analog circuits
  • Mixed-signal circuits
  • Digital circuits
  • CMOS design
  • Low-power circuits
  • LDPC decoding
  • Turbo decoding
  • Iterative decoding
  • Stochastic computation
  • Connectivity and Internet of Things
  • Digital design and fabrication technologies
  • Embedded systems
  • Information systems
  • Sensors and devices
  • Wireless communications/networking
  • Microelectronic circuits
  • Digital communications
  • Signal processing
  • Devices

Karim Karim

Karim Karim

Biography

Dr. Karim S. Karim is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He has secured more than $15M in research grant funding, trained over 40 PhD and MASc students, and has co-authored 250+ publications and 50+ patents. 

He is a founder and Chief Technology Officer of KA Imaging, a University of Waterloo spinoff company that makes innovative X-ray detectors and systems for medical, veterinary, scientific and industrial markets. Dr. Karim has developed novel imaging devices and systems since 1998, and has both supported and founded multiple startups over the past two decades. One of his “color” X-ray innovations is now starting to replace black and white medical X-ray globally, while another is used in ultrasonic fingerprint sensors in mobile phones and tablets.

Research interests

  • Spectral X-ray Imaging
  • Phase Contrast X-ray Imaging
  • Medical Imaging
  • Large area electronics
  • Semiconductor Devices and Fabrication

Na Young Kim

Na Young Kim

Biography

Dr. Na Young Kim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She is affiliated with the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) and holds cross-appointments in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy, and Chemistry.

As the leader of the Quantum Innovation (QuIN) Laboratory, Dr. Kim drives cutting-edge research to develop large-scale quantum processors using novel materials and advanced technologies. Her team is currently spearheading two major projects:

  1. Semiconductor Quantum Processors – This project explores controllable optical and electrical domains, unveiling the properties of exotic materials and the fundamental nature of symmetries.
  2. Multi-Functional Classical and Quantum Device Arrays – This initiative aims to establish a planar architecture integrating nano-scale devices with electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical functionalities.

Before joining the University of Waterloo in 2016, Dr. Kim worked at Apple Inc., where she contributed to the development of small display products. She earned her BS in Physics from Seoul National University and completed her graduate studies at Stanford University’s Department of Applied Physics, focusing on mesoscopic transport properties in low-dimensional nanostructures. Her postgraduate research expanded into quantum optics and nanophotonics, encompassing both experimental and theoretical projects in collaboration with leading scholars.

Research interests

  • Large-Scale Solid-State Quantum Computer
  • Quantum Simulator
  • Quantum Information Processing & Communications
  • Quantum Artificial Intelligence
  • Quantum Security
  • Nanotechnology

Peter Levine

Peter Levine

Biography

Dr. Peter Levine is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

His research group develops complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs) that translate the chemical world of biology to the digital world. By combining standard CMOS analog/mixed-signal ICs with novel structures, materials, or devices, he and his team are developing advanced CMOS imagers and biosensors for a wide range of life-science and biosensing applications.

Research interests

  • CMOS analog/mixed-signal integrated circuits (ICs)
  • CMOS electrochemical biosensors
  • CMOS imagers (visible, IR, and X-ray)

Omar Ramahi

Omar Ramahi

Biography

Dr. Omar Ramahi is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. 

His research interests include radiating systems, renewable energy technology, biomedical applications of electromagnetic waves and fields, electromagnetic compatibility and interference, metamaterials and its engineering applications, and material measurements. In addition to his research, he co-founded Applied Electromagnetic Technology, LLC., and Wave Intelligence Inc.

Dr. Ramahi has received numerous awards as a result of his extensive research and teaching capabilities. He was recognized for his graduate research work with the 2010 University of Waterloo Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision. Additionally, he was awarded the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society Technical Achievement Award in 2012. Dr. Ramahi is an elected IEEE Fellow.

He has written over 450 journal and conference papers on electromagnetic phenomena and computational techniques. EMI/EMC Computational Modeling Handbook is one of the notable books that Dr. Ramahi co-authored.

Research interests

  • Radiating Systems
  • Theoretical and Computational Electromagnetics
  • Electromagnetic Compatibility
  • Interference and Electronic Packaging
  • Biomedical Applications of Electromagnetics
  • Photonics
  • Material measurements
  • Antennas, Microwaves & Photonics
  • Medical imaging
  • Scanning
  • Energy harvesting/bio-energy
  • Renewable energy
  • Sensors and devices
  • Wireless communications/networking

Siva Sivoththaman

Siva Sivoththaman

Biography

Dr. Siva Sivoththaman is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo and serves as the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs in the Faculty of Engineering.

Dr. Sivoththaman earned his Doctorate from the University of Paris XII - Créteil Val de Marne (France) in 1993. He then worked as a Research Scientist at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) in Belgium for six years before relocating to Canada in 2000 to join the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Sivoththaman was honored with the Ontario Premier's Research Excellence Award in 2002 and has held two prestigious Research Chairs: the NSERC Associate Industrial Research Chair in Radio Frequency Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (2002-2006) and the Ontario Research Chair (ORC) in Renewable Energy Technologies and Health (2010-2015). He is also the Director of the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaic and Display Systems (CAPDS) at Waterloo.

Dr. Sivoththaman served as the inaugural director of the University of Waterloo's Nanotechnology Engineering Program from 2004 to 2006. A Senior Member of the IEEE, he currently serves as the Chapter Chair for the Electron Devices Society of the IEEE Kitchener-Waterloo Section.

Research interests

  • Solar Photovoltaic Technologies
  • Microelectronic Fabrication
  • Nanotechnology
  • Advanced Photodetectors and Sensors
  • Crystalline Silicon and Thin Film Materials
  • Synthesis of Colloidal Quantum Dots
  • Quantum Dot-enabled Emission Devices
  • Smart Circuits for Solar Photovoltaic Systems
  • Backplane Electronics in Displays

Lan Wei

Lan Wei

Biography

Professor Lan Wei received her B.S. in Microelectronics and Economics from Peking University, Beijing, China in 2005 and M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Stanford, USA (with Professor H.–S. Philip Wong) in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Before joining University of Waterloo in 2014, she worked at Altera Corporation in San Jose, California, where her responsibilities included foundary technology evaluation, power management and Stratix X FPGA product development with Intel 14nm technology. She also worked as a post-doctoral associate in Microsystems Technology Laboratories, Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Professor Dimitri Antoniadis. Her research focuses on device-circuit interactive design and optimization, cryogenic CMOS electronics for quantum computing, error-resilient computation, and integrated electronic systems using emerging technologies including GaN, RRAM and low-dimensional materials.

Wei has served on the Technical Program Committee of several academic conferences including IEDM (2011-2012, 2021-2022), DATE (2021 - ), ICCAD (2019 - ), VLSI-TSA (2013 - ), GLSVLSI (2017 - ), ISQED (2019 - ) ISLPED (2013), etc, and was listed as one of the key contributors to the Process Integration, Devices, and Structures Chapter (PIDS) of International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) 2009 Edition. She is the co-developer of the MIT Virtual Source GaN HEMT (MVSG) Compact Model, which is an Industry Standard approved and supported by the Compact Model Coalition for GaN HEMT compact model.

Research interests

  • Nanoelectronic devices
  • Device-circuit interactive design and optimization
  • Cryogenic CMOS electronics for quantum computing
  • GaN-based devices and circuits
  • Low-dimensional materials based integrated nanoelectronic systems
  • RRAM device, circuit, and integrated system
  • Device-circuit interactive design
  • Error-resilient computing

William Wong

William Wong

Biography

Dr. William S. Wong is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where he also serves as Director of the Giga-to-Nanoelectronics Centre and is a researcher at the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

Dr. Wong leads the Advanced Flexible Electronics Technology (AFET) group, which is dedicated to advancing high-performance, low-cost flexible electronics. The group is focused on the heterogeneous integration of silicon-based and Group III-nitride materials and devices to enable the development of flexible, large-area electronics on plastic substrates. These innovations are particularly relevant for applications in displays, image sensors, and energy generation systems, all of which benefit from enhanced functionality and mechanical flexibility. By leveraging the capabilities of the Giga-to-Nanoelectronics (G2N) Centre, the AFET group is advancing the synthesis of nanowire materials, processing of thin-film devices, and the development of hybrid devices using novel ink-jet printing and thin-film layer transfer techniques. The overarching goal of the group's research is to improve system performance while reducing fabrication costs.

Dr. Wong is an inventor with over 80 U.S. patents and has published more than 110 papers, including 45 invited talks, in the fields of electronic materials growth, processing, and characterization. He is an active member of the IEEE, the Materials Research Society, and serves on the committee of the Electronic Materials Conference. He is also on the Editorial Board of IEEE Electron Device Letters.

Research interests

  • Large-area systems
  • Flexible electronics
  • Printed electronics
  • Heterogeneous Integration
  • Nano- and Microfabrication

Adjunct faculty members participating in silicon devices and integrated circuits research:

Chris Backhouse (Adjunct)

Chris Backhouse

Biography

Chris Backhouse is an Adjunct Professor Emeritus in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on nano-biological technology-based quantum devices, medical diagnostics, and the development of miniaturized, microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems.

After earning his degree from the University of British Columbia, Professor Backhouse pursued academic and industrial fellowships in electrochemistry at the university and in non-invasive medical imaging with CTF Systems. He collaborated with Applied Biosystems, a life sciences company, to develop large-scale microchips and fabrication technologies for the Human Genome Project. Additionally, he led a research team that created genetic analysis instruments now sold internationally.

Professor Backhouse’s work has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the Summit Award for Project Achievement from the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, and Geophysicists of Alberta in 2008, and the National Award for an Engineering Project of 2009 from Engineers Canada. He has also published numerous articles in IEEE journals and other professional publications.

Research interests

  • Quantum devices
  • Biomedical engineering
  • MEMS/MOEMS and CMOS integration
  • Lab on chip
  • Medical diagnostic devices
  • Microfluidic devices
  • Radio astronomy
  • Sensors
  • Microfabrication
  • Remote sensing
  • MEMS/NEMS
  • Nanotechnology

Bo Cui (Adjunct)

Bo Cui

Biography

Dr. Bo Cui is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. With over 2 decades of cleanroom research experience, his work focuses on nano- and microstructure fabrication using advanced techniques such as nanoimprint lithography, electron beam lithography, and thin film deposition and etching. His research spans various device applications, including biomedical, energy, and other sectors. Notably, Dr. Cui pioneered research in the bit-patterned magnetic recording area, and his group recently developed a process for conducting electron beam lithography on irregular, non-planar surfaces, which was published in ACS Nano.

In addition to his work in nanofabrication, Dr. Cui has conducted significant research on plasmonic bio- and chemical sensors, utilizing techniques like Extraordinary Optical Transmission (EOT), Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS), and Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR). These bio-sensors are designed to detect bio-binding events, such as DNA hybridization and antibody-antigen binding, with applications in pathogen detection for diseases and crops.

Dr. Cui has published 113 peer-reviewed journal articles, three patents (four granted, one PCT filed), four book chapters, and a sole-edited book on nanofabrication. He is a recipient of the 2014 Faculty of Engineering Research Excellence Award and serves as an assistant editor for Nanoscale Research Letters. Dr. Cui is also an active member of the IEEE and the American Vacuum Society.