Electronics and Manufacturing

Enhancing industrial competitiveness through innovative technologies that lead varying manufacturing

We are contributing to enhancing industrial competitiveness by developing advanced electronic and optical device technologies that enable both performance enhancement and significant energy savings of IT equipment, and innovative manufacturing technologies that enable energy savings, resource savings, and low cost. Moreover, we are building a highly efficient production system by combining innovative manufacturing technologies and sensing technologies based on the advanced devices.
By advancing cyber-physical systems that integrate data collection in the real world, digital technologies in cyberspace, and interventions in physical space, we build efficient industrial production systems and contribute to solving social issues as well as strengthening industrial competitiveness.

New Research Results

Development of multi-stage dimming blinds enabling quick and easy operation

Researchers at AIST have developed multi-stage dimming blinds that are easy to process, install, and implement. These blinds utilize a unique nano-structured polarizing sheet.
Blinds and curtains control the amount of natural light entering through windows to adapt to daily rhythms and lifestyles. In recent years, dimmable glass using liquid crystals has taken part of this role, but its implementation is limited because it requires a power source for control.
The newly developed dimming blind allows multi-stage adjustment of light transmittance, which was previously limited to an ON/OFF setting, simply by sliding two layered sheets a few millimeters. This enables one-handed, effortless adjustment to a comfortable brightness level when sunlight feels too glaring. The sheets can be mass-produced using nanoimprint technology with specially designed polarization patterns. Since no power source is required to control light transmittance and it can also modulate near-infrared and infrared light, it is expected to be used for adjusting heat-shielding effects, which is a need in residential settings. Furthermore, future applications are anticipated in a wider range of fields, such as use in sensor peripheral components.

Overview of the Developed Multi-Stage Dimming Blinds

Nanoscale magnetic memristors emulate synaptic function

In collaboration with the National Institute for Materials Science, we, researchers at AIST, have developed magnetic memristors that can be integrated at high densities and operate at high speeds. These magnetic memristors use an ultrathin film of a magnetic iron-manganese alloy in which the alloy composition fluctuates periodically on the scale of several nanometers. These nanostructures are formed spontaneously through heat treatment. Furthermore, researchers successfully used these devices to emulate the synaptic function of the brain.
Brainmorphic systems are a new type of computing system that operates by emulating the information processing in human and animal brains. The use of brainmorphic systems is expected to drastically reduce the power consumption in AI architectures. In the brain, synapses transmit signals between neurons and demonstrate long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), processes that strengthen or weaken information transmission. Magnetic memristors are a promising candidate that can perform these synaptic functions while enabling high-speed operation and high endurance. However, device structures suitable for high-density integration were still missing.
Here, we developed a simple, fine circular pillar device with a 200-nanometer diameter using an iron-manganese alloy as the magnetic data storage layer. Stepwise resistance control is enabled by forming nanometer-scale magnetic subdivisions within the magnetic storage layer through spinodal decomposition. Furthermore, we successfully reproduced fundamental synaptic learning functions, including LTP and LTD, using these magnetic memristors. Practical brainmorphic systems capable of high-speed operation are expected to benefit from this achievement.

Concept of magnetic memristor developed in this study and an example of synaptic functions emulated by using the magnetic memristor
^*This figure is based on and modified from the original paper.

Research Unit

Open Innovation Laboratory

Since FY 2016, as a part of the “Open Innovation Arena concept” promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), AIST has created the concept of “open innovation laboratories” (OILs), collaborative research bases located on university campuses, and has been engaged in their provision. We are planning to establish more than ten OILs by FY 2020.

AIST will merge the basic research carried out at universities, etc. with AISTʼs goal-oriented basic research and applied technology development, and will promote bridging research and evelopment and industry by the establishment of OILs.

Cooperative Research Laboratories

In order to conduct research and development more closely related to strategies of companies, we have established collaborative research laboratories, bearing partner company names.

Partner companies provide their researchers and funding, and AIST provides research resources, such as its researchers, research facilities, and intellectual property. The loaned researchers of companies and AIST researchers jointly conduct research and development.

By setting up cooperative research laboratories, we will accelerate the commercialization of our goal-oriented basic research and application research with partner companies.