ESE PhD candidate Chloe Leblanc defended her thesis on 2D/3D Heterostructures & Ultrathin AlScN Devices for Emerging Applications in Memory & Space on Thursday, June 18th. Advised by Professor Deep Jariwala, Leblanc’s research focuses on developing more energy efficient computing devices to mitigate global energy consumption.
“Global energy consumption is rising rapidly,” Leblanc explains. “Driven heavily by computing needs such as autonomous vehicles which require instantaneous data, and massive data centers.” As Leblanc explains, “by 2040, the energy required for computing binary transitions is predicted to exceed the world’s total energy production capacity.” As a result, Leblanc’s research “aims to explore scaling and reduced power consumption in next-generation electronics.”
In addressing the above, Leblanc’s defense illustrated how Ferroelectric non-volatile technology could be the answer to this challenge as it enables memory and logic tasks to be performed in the same physical units. As Leblanc explains, “this could lead to in-memory computing applications that are vastly more energy efficient over present-day von Neumann architectures.”
As an experimental researcher, Leblanc experienced setbacks due to equipment failures, which delayed her research timeline. According to Leblanc, the equipment failures led to troubleshooting, diagnosing equipment issues, and workarounds.
Despite equipment delays in her research progress, Leblanc appreciated the collaborative and supportive nature of her lab group. According to Leblanc, she’s heard harrowing stories of “cutthroat ”labs at other universities where people are “trying to steal each other’s data or scoop each other’s projects,” Leblanc says, adding, “I was lucky enough to be in a lab where that wasn’t the case, whether it was PhD students or postdocs, everyone was really trying to help each other out.”
Several milestones marked Leblanc’s time at Penn. Getting engaged represented one watershed moment. Having papers published in peer reviewed journals represented another.
For Leblanc, publications in peer-reviewed journals lent validation to her research findings.
Regarding future plans, Leblanc is currently interviewing for industry roles. “I intend to remain in research but will transition from academia to industry,” Leblanc explains.
When Leblanc isn’t researching how to make energy consumption more efficient, she enjoys reading and strolling the streets of Philadelphia.
Learn more about Leblanc’s work here