National Science Foundation funds research into quantum material-based computing architecture at the VCU College of Engineering
Supporting the development of advanced computing hardware, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., Commonwealth Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering with more than $300,000 to develop processor-in-memory architecture using quantum materials.
“This is one of the first mainstream applications of quantum materials that have unusual and unique quantum mechanical properties,” Bandyopadhyay said. “Quantum materials have been researched for more than a decade and yet there is not a single mainstream product in the market that utilizes them. We want to change that.”
The four-year project, titled “Collaborative Research, Foundations of Emerging Technologies: PRocessor In Memory Architecture based on Topological Electronics (PRIMATE),” aims to advance computing hardware and artificial intelligence by integrating topological insulators and magnetic materials.
Topological insulators are a special material with an electrically conductive surface and an insulated interior. They have special quantum mechanical properties like “spin-momentum locking,” which ensures the quantum mechanical spin of an electron-conducting current on the surface of the material is always perpendicular to the direction of motion.This marks the first time such quantum materials will be used in a processor-in-memory system.
“We place a magnet on top of a topological insulator,” Bandyopadhyay said. “We then change the magnetization of the magnet by applying mechanical strain on it. That changes the electrical properties of the topological insulator via a quantum mechanical interaction known as exchange interaction. This change in the electrical properties can be exploited to perform the functions of a processor-in-memory computer architecture. The advantage is that this process is fast and extremely energy-efficient.”
If successful, this approach could reduce energy use and dramatically speed up computing by moving data processing into the memory itself. It addresses the longstanding “memory bottleneck,” the slowdown caused by computers constantly needing to move data back and forth between processor and memory. These efficiencies could make advanced AI more efficient and accessible, paving the way for the first commercially viable applications of quantum materials..
The research is a collaboration with University of Virginia professors Avik Ghosh and Joseph Poon. A VCU Ph.D. student will work on the project and receive training in fabrication, characterization and measurement techniques, preparing them to lead in the rapidly evolving field of computing hardware.
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Secure communication technology research at VCU College of Engineering receives Commonwealth Cyber Initiative support
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative’s (CCI) Northern Virginia Node recently awarded a $75,000 grant to Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering, to develop an ultra-subwavelength microwave polarization switch for secure communication.
The one-year grant comes through the Cyber Acceleration, Translation and Advanced Prototyping for University Linked Technology (CATAPULT) Fund. It supports Bandyopadhyay’s project, “An ultra-subwavelength microwave polarization switch for secure communication,” which develops a nanomagnet-based antenna integrated with a piezoelectric component. This system can switch the polarization of electromagnetic beams at specific microwave frequencies to enable secret communication between two points without traditional encryption methods.
“Secret communication sheds the need for encryption,” Bandyopadhyay said. “Any cryptography can be broken, but this scheme does not use cryptography for secret communication and does not suffer from this vulnerability. It is also entirely based on hardware and cannot be hacked.”
The technology offers significant benefits for banking, healthcare and government communications where data security is critical because a hardware-based approach makes it immune to software hacking.
Another result of the research is antenna miniaturization, with antenna sizes several orders of magnitude smaller than the radiated wavelength. This addresses limitations in algorithms, physical size and power requirements that current secure communication systems face.
Bandyopadhyay is collaborating with two researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and Erdem Topsakal, Ph.D., senior associate dean for strategic initiatives and professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at VCU.
Students involved in the project will be trained in antenna engineering, microwaves and communication engineering, gaining skills increasingly vital in today’s connected world.
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay is Commonwealth Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received a B. Tech degree in Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India; an M.S degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois; and a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He spent one year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana (1986-87) and then nine years on the faculty of University of Notre Dame. In 1996, he joined University of Nebraska-Lincoln as Professor of Electrical Engineering, and then in 2001, moved to Virginia Commonwealth University as a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, with a courtesy appointment as Professor of Physics. He directs the Quantum Device Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Research in the laboratory has been frequently featured in national and international media. Its educational activities were highlighted in a pilot study conducted by the ASME to assess nanotechnology pipeline challenges. The laboratory has graduated many outstanding researchers who have won numerous national and international awards.
Prof. Bandyopadhyay has authored and co-authored over 400 research publications and presented over 150 invited or keynote talks at conferences and colloquia/seminars across five continents. He is the author of three popular textbooks, including the only English language textbook on spintronics. He is currently a member of the editorial boards of ten international journals and served in the editorial boards of ten others in the past. He has served in various committees of ~100 international conferences and workshops. He is the founding Chair of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Technical Committee on Spintronics and past-chair of the Technical Committee on Compound Semiconductor Devices and Circuits. He was an IEEE Electron Device Society Distinguished Lecturer (2005-2012) and an IEEE Nanotechnology Council Distinguished Lecturer (2016, 2017). He is a past Vice President of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council in charge of conferences (2006-2007) and later in charge of publications (2020-2022). Prof. Bandyopadhyay is the winner of many awards and distinctions.
Industry Expertise
Education/Learning
Research
Areas of Expertise
Self-assembly of Regimented Nanostructure Arrays
Spintronics
Quantum Devices
Hot Carrier Transport in Nanostructures
Nanoelectronics
Quantum Computing
Nanomagnetism
Computing Paradigms
Optical Properties of Nanostructures
Coherent spin transport in Nanowires for Sensing and Information Processing
Nanowire-based Room Temperature Infrared Detectors
Accomplishments
University Award of Excellence
2017-08-23
Virginia Commonwealth University faculty award for performing in a superior manner in teaching, scholarly activity and service. One award is given to one faculty member in the University in any year. It is one of the highest awards the University can bestow on a faculty member. Dr. Bandyopadhyay is the only recipient of this award in the history of the College of Engineering.
Virginia's Outstanding Scientist
2016-02-15
Named by the Governor of the State of Virginia, 2016. One of two recipients in the State of Virginia in 2016. This award is given across all fields of engineering, science, mathematics and medicine.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award, VCU
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015. One of two such awards given in the department's history.
Distinguished Scholarship Award, Virginia Commonwealth University
2012-08-07
Virginia Commonwealth University faculty research award, 2012. This is the highest award given by the University for research and scholarship. One award is given to one faculty member in the University in any year. The recipient is picked from all disciplines of science, humanities, business, education, social science, engineering and medicine in the University.
Interdisciplinary Research Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
2001-05-01
Given jointly by the College of Engineering, the College of Science, and the Institute for Agricultural and Natural Resources at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
IBM Faculty Award
1990-06-01
International Business Machines, 1990
College of Engineering Service Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1999-05-15
College of Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1999
College of Engineering Research Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
1998-05-15
College of Engineering, University of Nebraska Lincoln, 1998
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India
2016-07-07
One of seven industry, government and academic leaders worldwide honored with this award in 2016. All are alumni of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
2005-01-01
Citation: For contributions to device applications of nanostructures
Fellow, American Physical Society
2005-01-01
Citation: For pioneering contributions to device applications of nanostructures.
Fellow of the Electrochemical Society
2006-10-13
In recognition of the contributions to the advancement of science and technology, for leadership in electrochemical and solid state science and technology and for active participation in the affairs of the Electrochemical Society
Fellow of the Institute of Physics
2005-05-03
For outstanding contributions to physics of nanostructured devices.
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancment of Science
2006-10-27
For pioneering contributions to spintronics and device applications of self assembled nanostructures
Fellow of the Industry Academy of the International Artificial Intelligence Industry Alliance
2024-10-01
Elected Fellow for contributions in the field of artificial intelligence
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award
2020-12-01
Award given by Marquis' Who's Who organization to recognize lifetime contribution.
Jefferson Science Fellow
2020-08-16
Prof. Bandyopadhyay served as a Jefferson Science Fellow of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine during 2020-2021. In that role, he acted as a Senior Adviser to the USAID Bureau for Europe and Eurasia, Division of Energy and Infrastructure, on safeguarding the energy infrastructure in the Western Balkan and South Caucasus nations.
IEEE Pioneer in Nanotechnology Award
2020-04-15
Citation: For pioneering contributions to spintronics and straintronics employing nanostructures. It is the highest award given by the Nanotechnology Council of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award
2018-01-31
The Outstanding Faculty Awards are the Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities. These awards recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research, and public service.
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Education
Purdue University
Ph.D.
Electrical Engineering
Southern Illinois University
M.S.
Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
B.Tech
Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering
Affiliations
American Physical Society
The Electrochemical Society
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers: Past Vice President of Nanotechnology Council, Past Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Past Chair of the Technical Committee on Compound Semiconductor Devices and Circuits, Founding Chair of the Technical Committee on Spintronics
Institute of Physics (UK): Editorial Board Member of the journals Nanotechnology and Nano Futures
Media Appearances
Gov. Northam recognizes Outstanding Faculty Award recipients
Augusta Free Press print
2018-03-02
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay is commonwealth professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University where he has worked for 17 years as director of the Quantum Device Laboratory. Bandyopadhyay was named Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2016.
RICHMOND - Governor Ralph Northam today recognized 12 Virginia educators as recipients of the 32nd annual Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching, research, and public service. The annual Outstanding Faculty Award program is administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) and sponsored by Dominion Energy.
“These outstanding educators have devoted their lives to research and teaching.” said Governor Northam. “Each has a proven track record of academic excellence and giving back to their communities. I am pleased to support these wonderful Virginia teachers and it is my privilege to recognize each of them with the Outstanding Faculty Award.”
The recipients, all faculty members from colleges and universities across the Commonwealth, were honored today during an awards ceremony at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.
“The 12 educators that we are recognizing play a pivotal role in the lives and successes of the people they teach and inspire,” said Secretary of Education Atif Qarni. “With this award we thank them for their service to students, to their institutions, and to the Commonwealth.”
“We are fortunate that Virginia is home to one of the world’s great systems of higher education,” said Peter Blake, director of SCHEV. “The Outstanding Faculty Awards recognize faculty members who have dedicated their lives to research, teaching, and mentorship. Their work improves the lives of everyone in the Commonwealth.”
The awards are being made through a $75,000 grant from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Energy and the sponsor of the Outstanding Faculty Awards for the 14th year.
“Dominion Energy is pleased to partner with SCHEV once again to honor Virginia’s outstanding educators,” said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. “Every year, I am impressed and humbled by the dedication shown by these teachers and researchers to guide and inspire our young people to excel in the classroom and in life.”
VCU Engineering Professor receives Governor's highest award for Teaching
Virginia Commonwealth University online
2018-02-07
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., Commonwealth Professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering, has been named a recipient of the 2018 State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award
Bandyopadhyay, named Virginia’s Outstanding Scientist in 2016 by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, leads the Quantum Device Laboratory. His work centers on improving the speed and performance of electronic devices — and lowering their cost. The last piece is very important, Bandyopadhyay said.
“An electronic gadget means absolutely nothing if it is affordable to only a tiny fraction of the world’s population,” he said. “What has motivated, informed and guided my research is to make things cheaper in a more efficient way so they become more accessible. Science is never for the 1 percent; it is always for the 100 percent.”
IIT-Kharagpur to confer Distinguished Alumnus Award at the 62nd convocation
Times of India online
2016-07-12
Kolkata: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur will confer the Distinguished Alumnus Award on the occasion of the 62nd convocation of the Institute which will be organized on July 30 and 31. Seven eminent alumni have been selected for the award for their exceptional professional achievements in the industry, in the academia or as entrepreneur. The awardees are - Dr Anurag Acharya, Ajit Jain, Asoke Deyasarkar, professor Gautam Biswas, professor Indranil Manna, professor Supriyo Bandopadhyay and Professor Venkatesan Thirumalai.
An international leader in the field of spintronics, Dr. Supriyo Bandyopadhyay directs the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Quantum Device Lab. He was recently named one of Virginia’s Outstanding Scientists by Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Science Museum of Virginia. This is the first of several articles on all of the 2016 Virginia Outstanding STEM Award winners...
EVMS diabetes researcher named one of two outstanding scientists of the year in Virginia
The Virginia Pilot
2016-02-05
The other is Dr. Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. His work entails making electronic gadgets out of tiny magnets 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. The magnets consume so little energy that they can work without a battery by harvesting energy from wireless networks and wind vibrations...
Back in the 1990s, Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Biswajit Das and Albert Miller at the University of Notre-Dame in France described how to inscribe and manipulate ‘bits’ of logic information in the spin of single electrons. Among the advantages of this computing architecture, they list speed, information density, robustness and power efficiencies. Other groups have also studied how control of single electrons may benefit quantum computing...
Straintronic spin neuron may greatly improve neural computing
ECN Magazine online
2015-07-09
"Most computers are digital in nature and process information using Boolean logic," Bandyopadhyay told Phys.org. "However, there are certain computational tasks that are better suited for 'neuromorphic computing,' which is based on how the human brain perceives and processes information. This inspired the field of artificial neural networks, which made great progress in the last century but was ultimately stymied by a hardware impasse. The electronics used to implement artificial neurons and synapses employ transistors and operational amplifiers, which dissipate enormous amounts of energy in the form of heat and consume large amounts of space on a chip. These drawbacks make thermal management on the chip extremely difficult and neuromorphic computing less attractive than it should be."
'Straintronic spin neuron' may greatly improve neural computing
Phys.org online
2015-07-08
Researchers have proposed a new type of artificial neuron called a "straintronic spin neuron" that could serve as the basic unit of artificial neural networks—systems modeled on human brains that have the ability to compute, learn, and adapt. Compared to previous designs, the new artificial neuron is potentially orders of magnitude more energy-efficient, more robust against thermal degradation, and fires at a faster rate.
The researchers, Ayan K. Biswas, Professor Jayasimha Atulasimha, and Professor Supriyo Bandyopadhyay at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, have published a paper on the straintronic spin neuron in a recent issue of Nanotechnology.
Non-volatile memory improves energy efficiency by two orders of magnitude
Phys.org online
2014-09-03
By using voltage-generated stress to switch between two magnetic states, researchers have designed a new non-volatile memory with extremely high energy efficiency—about two orders of magnitude higher than that of the previous most efficient non-volatile memories.
The engineers, Ayan K. Biswas, Professor Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, and Professor Jayasimha Atulasimha at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, have published their paper on the proposed non-volatile memory in a recent issue of Applied Physics Letters.
SAN FRANCISCO—A team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) was awarded two grants totaling $1.75 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative of Semiconductor Research Corp. to create powerful, energy-efficient computer processors that can run an embedded system without requiring battery power.
The research, based on a paper published by the VCU research team in the August issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters, replaces transistors with special tiny nanomagnets that can also process digital information, theoretically reducing the heat dissipation by one 1,000 to 10,000 times, according to VCU.
Hybrid spintronics and straintronics enable ultra-low-energy computing and signal processing
Kurzweil online
2011-08-17
Ref.: Kuntal Roy, Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, and Jayasimha Atulasimha, Hybrid spintronics and straintronics: A magnetic technology for ultra-low-energy computing signal processing, Applied Physics Letters, 2011; [DOI:10.1063/1.3624900]
Strain and spin could drive ultralow energy computers
Institute of Physics: PhysicsWorld online
2011-01-27
Tiny layered magnets could be used as the basic processing units in highly energy-efficient computers. So say researchers in the US who have shown that the magnetization of these nanometre-sized magnets can be switched using extremely small voltages that induce mechanical strain in a layer of the material. The resulting mechanical deformations affect the behaviour of electron spins, allowing the materials to be used in spintronics devices. These are electronic circuits that exploit the spin of the electron as well as its charge.
Hybrid spintronics/straintronics processors made from such magnets would require very little energy and therefore could work battery-free by harvesting energy from their environment. As a result they could find a host of unique applications, including implantable medical devices and autonomous sensors.
Dr. Supriyo Bandyopadhyay: Spintronics Drives Next-Gen Computing
NanoScienceWorks online
2008-01-17
“Spin based computers can be powered by small lightweight batteries. I am particularly interested in organic spintronics. Organics can sustain spin memory for very long times and organics can be integrated with flexible substrates. One day that may lead to wearable spin based organic supercomputers housed in a wristwatch and powered by a wristwatch battery,” Dr. Bandyopadhyay told NanoScineceWorks.org.
Dr. Bandyopadhyay also serves as Professor of Electrical Engineering and Professor of Physics at VCU.
Researchers have made an important advance in the emerging field of 'spintronics' that may one day usher in a new generation of smaller, smarter, faster computers, sensors and other devices, according to findings reported in today's issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The research field of 'spintronics' is concerned with using the 'spin' of an electron for storing, processing and communicating information.
The research team of electrical and computer engineers from the Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Engineering and the University of Cincinnati examined the 'spin' of electrons in organic nanowires, which are ultra-small structures made from organic materials. These structures have a diameter of 50 nanometers, which is 2,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The spin of an electron is a property that makes the electron act like a tiny magnet. This property can be used to encode information in electronic circuits, computers, and virtually every other electronic gadget.
"In order to store and process information, the spin of an electron must be relatively robust. The most important property that determines the robustness of spin is the so-called 'spin relaxation time,' which is the time it takes for the spin to 'relax.' When spin relaxes, the information encoded in it is lost. Therefore, we want the spin relaxation time to be as long as possible," said corresponding author Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the VCU School of Engineering.
Spintronics, the Way to Faster and Smaller Computers
Softpedia News online
2007-03-27
"In order to store and process information, the spin of an electron must be relatively robust. The most important property that determines the robustness of spin is the so-called 'spin relaxation time,' which is the time it takes for the spin to 'relax.' When spin relaxes, the information encoded in it is lost. Therefore, we want the spin relaxation time to be as long as possible," said corresponding author Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Researchers spin out smaller electronics than ever before
Computer World online
2007-03-23
A research team of electrical and computer engineers in the U.S. is taking a new approach to electronics that harnesses the spin of an electron to store and process information. Dubbed 'spintronics', the new technology is expected to one day form a basis for the development of smaller, smarter, faster devices.
Current day electronics are predominantly charge-based; that is, electrons are given more or less electric charge to denote the binary bits 0 and 1. Switching between the binary bits is accomplished by either injecting or removing charge from a device, which can, in more resource-intensive applications, require a lot of energy.
"This [energy consumption] is a fundamental shortcoming of all charge based electronics," said lead researcher Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"In order to store and process information, the spin of an electron must be relatively robust. The most important property that determines the robustness of spin is the so-called spin relaxation time, which is the time it takes for the spin to "relax." When spin relaxes, the information encoded in it is lost. Therefore, we want the spin relaxation time to be as long as possible," said corresponding author Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, PhD, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the VCU School of Engineering.
Researchers study electron spin relaxation in organic nanostructures
Phys.org online
2007-03-19
Researchers have made an important advance in the emerging field of 'spintronics' that may one day usher in a new generation of smaller, smarter, faster computers, sensors and other devices, according to findings reported in today's issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
The research field of 'spintronics' is concerned with using the 'spin' of an electron for storing, processing and communicating information.
The research team of electrical and computer engineers from the Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Engineering and the University of Cincinnati examined the ‘spin’ of electrons in organic nanowires, which are ultra-small structures made from organic materials. These structures have a diameter of 50 nanometers. The spin of an electron is a property that makes the electron act like a tiny magnet. This property can be used to encode information in electronic circuits, computers, and virtually every other electronic gadget.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Fashioning themselves "latter-day Edisons," researchers at the University of Nebraska contend that their architecture for quantum-dot development is 500 percent better than its nearest competition. Quantum-dot devices, which use the quantum nature of electrons to switch between binary states, could be a solution to problems encountered by ever-shrinking conventional transistors.
"We set a world record by demonstrating the largest nonlinear coefficient for a semiconductor quantum dot," said Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, the lead researcher. "Previous architectures have been highly praised for achieving a tiny percent increase, but we got a 500 percent increase with our design.
Self-assembly route to quantum dots said to be simpler, cheaper than others
Laboratory Network online
2000-11-16
Quantum dots are nanoscale structures that have the potential for use as superdense computer data storage media, highly tunable lasers and nonlinear optical devices. But making them has always been difficult and expensive. At the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), however, researchers are working on a self-assembling dot production method they say is far simpler and potentially cheaper than standard methods.
The conventional process for making quantum dot structures involves film growth (such as by atomic layer epitaxy or chemical vapor deposition), some type of lithographic patterning, and finally etching, such as by reactive ions. This is a complex series of steps. Now, UNL electrical engineering professor Supriyo Bandyopadhyay believes he's got a better way to make quantum dot structures.
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who online
2020-10-10
RICHMOND, VA, October 20, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Bandyopadhyay celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Announcement of the 2020-2021 Jefferson Science Fellows
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine online
2020-09-10
The 2020-2021 class of Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF) is the 16th class of Fellows selected since the program was established in 2003 as an initiative of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State. The Jefferson Science Fellows Program is designed to further build capacity for science, technology, and engineering expertise within the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D. receives 2020 IEEE Nanotechnology Pioneer Award
Virginia Commonwealth University online
2020-08-25
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay is the sixteenth recipient of the IEEE Pioneer in Nanotechnology Award which was established in 2007. This is the highest award given by the Nanotechnology Council of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Citation: For pioneering contributions to spintronics and sttaintronics employing nanostructures.
Quantum Mechanics May Contribute to Military Surveillance
The Daily Nebraskan online
2000-11-21
Quantum dots promise to pave the way for a new world in technology.As minuscule entities that are 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, quantum dots have properties which make them the ideal building blocks for a new quantum computing system.Unlike traditional computers that rely on classical physics, the new generation of computers would operate under the strange and fascinating laws of quantum mechanics."With quantum mechanics it is possible for an entity to coexist in two different states at the same time," said electrical engineering professor Supriyo Bandyopadhyay.The ability to be in two different places simultaneously is known as quantum parallelism."The concept of a parallel existence is difficult to explain," Bandyopadhyay. "It appears very strange and mystical."
Antennas based on tripartite phonon-magnon-photon coupling, spin Hall effect, topological insulators. Beam steering without a phased array using directed surface acoustic waves or using spin-momentum locking in topological insulators.
Infrared photodetection
Nanowires
2017-01-03
Infrared photodetectors have applications in night vision, collision avoidance systems, healthcare, mine detection, monitoring of global warming, forensics, etc. Room temperature detection of infrared light is enabled via quantum engineering in nanowires and by exploiting spin properties of electrons.
Straintronics is the technology of rotating the magnetization direction of nanomagnets with electrically generated mechanical stress. It has applications in extremely energy-efficient Boolean and non-Boolean computing.
Spintronics is the science and technology of storing, sensing, processing and communicating information with the quantum mechanical spin properties of electrons.
Embodiments generally relate to subwavelength antennas and, more particularly, extreme subwavelength antennas with high radiation efficiency.
Electrochemical synthesis of quasi-periodic quantum dot and nanostructure arrays
5747180
A method of fabricating two-dimensional regimented and quasi periodic arrays of metallic and semiconductor nanostructures (quantum dots) with diameters of about 100 angstroms (10 nm) includes the steps of polishing and anodizing a substrate to form a regimented quasi-periodic array of nanopits. The array forms a template for metallic or semiconductor material. The desired material is deposited in the nanopits by immersing the substrate in an appropriate solution and using the substrate as one cathode and inserting a second cathode in the solution.
Accessing of two-terminal electronic quantum dot comprising static memory
6501676
2002-12-31
A method of storing and accessing data utiliaing two-terminal static memory cells made from semiconductor quantum dots. Each quantum dot is approximately 10 nm in dimension so as to comprise approximately 1000-10,000 atoms, and each memory cell has in a volume of approximately 6.4×107 cubic Angstroms, thereby corresponding to about 300,000 atoms. In use one of at least two possible stable states is set in the static memory cell by application of a D.C. voltage across the two terminals. The stable state is then monitored by application of A.C. voltage across the two terminals while monitoring the resulting A.C. current flow.
Planar multiferroic/magnetostrictive nanostructures as memory elements, two-stage logic gates and four-state logic elements for information processing
8921962
2014-12-30
A magnetostrictive-piezoelectric multiferroic single- or multi-domain nanomagnet whose magnetization can be rotated through application of an electric field across the piezoelectric layer has a structure that can include either a shape-anisotropic mangnetostrictive nanomagnet with no magnetocrystalline anisotropy or a circular nanomagnet with biaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy with dimensions of nominal diameter and thickness. This structure can be used to write and store binary bits encoded in the magnetization orientation, thereby functioning as a memory element, or perform both Boolean and non-Boolean computation, or be integrated with existing magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) technology to perform a read operation by adding a barrier layer for the MTJ having a high coercivity to serve as the hard magnetic layer of the MTJ, and electrical contact layers of a soft material with small Young's modulus.
Room temperature nanowire IR, visible and UV photodetectors
8946678
2015-02-03
Room temperature IR and UV photodetectors are provided by electrochemical self-assembly of nanowires. The detectivity of such IR detectors is up to ten times better than the state of the art. Broad peaks are observed in the room temperature absorption spectra of 10-nm diameter nanowires of CdSe and ZnS at photon energies close to the bandgap energy, indicating that the detectors are frequency selective and preferably detect light of specific frequencies. Provided is a photodetector comprising: an aluminum substrate; a layer of insulator disposed on the aluminum substrate and comprising an array of columnar pores; a plurality of semiconductor nanowires disposed within the pores and standing vertically relative to the aluminum substrate; a layer of nickel disposed in operable communication with one or more of the semiconductor nanowires; and wire leads in operable communication with the aluminum substrate and the layer of nickel for connection with an electrical circuit.
Magneto-elastic non-volatile multiferroic logic and memory with ultralow energy dissipation
9379162
2016-06-28
Memory cells, non-volatile logic gates, and combinations thereof have magneto-tunneling junctions (MTJs) which are switched using potential differences across a piezoelectric layer in elastic contact with a magnetostrictive nanomagnet of an MTJ. One or more pairs of electrodes are arranged about the MTJ for supplying voltage across the piezoelectric layer for switching. A permanent magnetic field may be employed to change the positions of the stable magnetic orientations of the magnetostrictive nanomagnet. Exemplary memory cells and universal non-volatile logic gates show dramatically improved performance characteristics, particularly with respect to energy dissipation and error-resilience, over existing methods and architectures for switching MTJs such as spin transfer torque (STT) techniques.
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Research Grants
A nanomagnetic non-binary matrix multiplier based on straintronic magnetic tunnel junctions: A hardware accelerator for deep neural networks
Air Force Office of Scientific Research/Convergence Lab Initiative $300000
2024-03-01
To develop a hardware platform for matrix multiplication for deep learning networks built with magnetic tunnel junctions.
Collaborative Research:FET:Medium:Processor-in- Memory Architecture Based on Topological Electronics (PRIMATE)
National Science Foundation $307000
2025-09-01
To develop and demonstrate a processor-in-memory device and architecture using a combination of ferromagnets, piezoelectrics and topological insulators.
Topological Antennas for Covert Communication
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative $17000
2025-05-01
To develop a polarization encoded communication scheme for secure point-to-point communication via microwaves.
Polarization Switch for Secure Communication
Commonwealth Cyber Initiative CATAPULT Program $37500
2025-05-01
To learn various aspects of customer discovery and business formation through weekly seminars. The product to be commercialized is a stealthy antenna.
Quantum enabled antennas for secure communication
Virginia Tech $5000
2025-07-01
To develop an antenna employing topological insulators for beam steering
Nano-antenna for embedded applications
Virginia Commonwealth University Commercialization Fund $50000
2025-02-13
Ultra-sub-wavelngth antennas based on spin injection and the spin Hall effect.
Topological Nano-antennas for Secure and Compact Wireless Communication
Virginia Microelectronics Consortium $15000
2024-12-15
Beam steering in antennas consisting of ultra-sub-wavelength arrays of nanomagnets deposited on a topolgical insulator thin film.
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Courses
EGRE 306: Introduction to Microelectronics
Introduces undergraduate students to active circuits built with bipolar junction transistors and field effect transistors.
EGRE 303: Solid State Devices
Introduces undergraduates to the physics and operating principles of electronic and optical devices.
EGRE 610: Research Practices in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Introduces graduate students to grant writing, paper writing and perfects their skills in oral presentations.
EGRE 621: Introduction to Spintronics
Introduces advanced graduate students to various facets of spintronics, spin physics, spin devices and elements of spin based quantum computing.
EGRE 620: Electron Theory of Solids
Introduces graduate students to quantum theory of solids with emphasis on applications in solid state devices.
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Selected Articles
Adaptive synaptogenesis implemented on a nanomagnetic platform
Physical Review Applied, 24, 064047 (2025)
Faiyaz Elahi Mullick, Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Rob Baxter, Tony J. Ragucci and Avik W. Ghosh
2025-12-17
The human brain functions very differently from artificial neural networks (ANNs) and possesses unique features that are absent in ANNs. An important one among them is “adaptive synaptogenesis,” which modifies synaptic weights when needed to avoid catastrophic forgetting and to promote lifelong learning. In the model described here, a supervised form of adaptive synaptogenesis uses local error signals to modify synaptic weights and reduce errors. In the brain, supervisory signals may come from a variety of brain regions; in the model, supervisory signals are provided as class labels corresponding to each feature vector. In this work, we discuss various algorithmic aspects of adaptive synaptogenesis tailored to edge computing, demonstrate its function using simulations, and design nanomagnetic hardware accelerators for specific functions such as mean-firing-rate estimation. Our approach attempts to combine two disparate fields—neuroscience and spintronics—on a common hardware platform.
Spintronics as a Classical Electron Device Paradigm for Information Processing
IEEE Electron Devices Reviews
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay
2025-09-30
Electron devices, whether it is a transistor, traveling wave tube or an antenna, usually exploit the charge degree of freedom of electrons to elicit device functionality. An electron, however, has other degrees of freedom, such as its quantum mechanical “spin” that can be harnessed to implement either analog or digital devices. Sometimes the spintronic versions can be more energy-efficient than their counterparts based on charge. At other times, spin may be able to augment the role of charge to improve device performance or enable new and unusual functionalities. However, spin-based devices are not a panacea and there are vexing issues of reliability, difficulty with reading and writing of data, and occasionally the need for cryogenic operation. Spintronic logic gates, fashioned out of either single devices or many interacting devices, have also been frequently proposed over the last two decades, but never adopted in mainstream information processors because of their shortcomings and/or flaws. This review presents a brief survey of spin based classical electron devices and circuits for information processing. To keep it tractable, we avoid any reference to the fields where an electron’s spin (or an assembly of spin) is used to: (1) store (as opposed to process) information, i.e. memory; (2) encode a qubit for quantum information, (3) encode a p-bit for probabilistic computing and (4) communicate information over long distances (e.g. spintronic antennas). These fields deserve their own reviews.
Spin-orbit torque (SOT) has many applications in magnetism. Here, a new application is reported – the tunable amplification and spectral filtering of selected spin-wave (SW) modes in a 2D periodic array of nanomagnets (a “magnonic crystal”) using alternating current SOT (ac-SOT). Ultrashort laser pulses are used to excite the natural or intrinsic SW modes of the magnonic crystal which is placed in contact with a heavy metal nanostrip into which an alternating charge current is injected to produce an alternating spin current (ASC) in the nanomagnets via the spin Hall effect. The charge current frequency is tuned to the frequency of a specific intrinsic SW mode of the magnonic crystal to amplify the latter by resonant transfer of energy from the ASC to the SW. The amplification can be varied by varying the ac charge current amplitude, resulting in more than ten-fold increment in the amplitude of some mode(s). Simultaneously, the linewidth of the spectrum for the amplified mode is narrowed. All these features can be explained by coupled mode theory. They improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and benefit GHz-frequency information transmission and analog signal processing with SWs.
Straintronic magnetic tunnel junctions for analog computation: a perspective
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 58, 152001 (2025)
Supriyo Bandyopadhyay
2025-03-06
The “straintronic magnetic tunnel junction” (s-MTJ) is a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) whose resistance state can be changed continuously or gradually from high to low, or vice versa, with a gate voltage that generates strain in the magnetostrictive soft layer. This unusual feature, not usually available in MTJs that are switched abruptly with spin transfer torque, spin–orbit torque or voltage-controlled-magnetic-anisotropy, enables many analog applications where the typically low tunneling magneto-resistance ratio of MTJs (i.e., the on/off ratio of the switch) and the relatively large switching error rate are not serious impediments unlike in digital logic or memory. More importantly, the transfer characteristic of a s-MTJ (conductance versus gate voltage) always sports a linear region that can be exploited to implement analog arithmetic, vector matrix multiplication and linear synapses in deep learning networks very effectively. In these applications, the s-MTJ is actually superior to the better known memristors and domain wall synapses which do not exhibit the linearity and/or the analog behavior.
An Ultra-Sub-Wavelength Microwave Polarization Switching Antenna for Covert Communication Implemented With Directed Surface Acoustic Waves in an Artificial Multiferroic Magnonic Crystal
The ability to switch at will the polarization of a transmitted electromagnetic wave from vertical to horizontal, or vice versa, is of great technological interest because of its many applications in long distance communication (e.g., polarization division multiplexing). Binary bits can be encoded in the two orthogonal polarizations and transmitted from point to point. Polarization switches, however, are usually much larger than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave that they transmit. Consequently, most research in this area has focused on the optical regime where the wavelength is relatively short (≈1 µm), so that the switch being much larger than the wavelength is not too inconvenient. However, this changes in the microwave regime where the wavelength is much larger (typically > 1 cm). That makes a microwave ultra-sub-wavelength polarization switch very attractive. Here, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, such a switch made of an array of magnetostrictive nanomagnets (≈100 nm lateral dimension, ≈5 nm thickness) deposited on a piezoelectric substrate to make an “artificial multiferroic magnonic crystal (AMMC)” is reported. A surface acoustic wave (SAW) launched in the substrate with suitable electrodes excites confined spin waves in the nanomagnets via phonon-magnon coupling, which then radiate electromagnetic waves in space via magnon-photon coupling. In some particular direction(s), determined by the AMMC parameters, the polarization of the beam at a given frequency can be rotated through ≈90° by switching the direction of SAW propagation in the piezoelectric substrate between two mutually orthogonal directions via activation of two different pairs of SAW launching electrodes. By aligning the transmitter and the receiver along such a direction (known only to authorized users), one can communicate covertly from point to point, without the need for encryption or cryptography. Furthermore, this attribute also makes the antenna “stealthy” since the message can be concealed from any eavesdropper whose receiver is not precisely aligned in the correct direction.
Sensitivity of the Threshold Current for Switching of a Magnetic Tunnel Junction to Fabrication Defects and Its Application in Physical Unclonable Functions
Applied Sciences, 15, 9548 (2025)
Jacob Huber, Rahnuma Rahman and Supriyo Bandyopadhyay
2025-08-30
A physical unclonable function (PUF) leverages the unclonable random variations in device behavior due to defects incurred during manufacturing to produce a unique “biometric” that can be used for authentication. Here, we show that the threshold current for the switching of a magnetic tunnel junction via spin transfer torque is sensitive to the nature of structural defects introduced during manufacturing and hence can be the basis of a PUF. We use micromagnetic simulations to study the threshold currents for six different defect morphologies at two different temperatures to establish the viability of a PUF. We also derive the challenge–response set at the two different temperatures to calculate the inter- and intra-Hamming distances for a given challenge.
Ternary stochastic neuron-implemented with a single strained magnetostrictive nanomagnet
Nanotechnology, 36, 125201 (2025)
Rahnuma Rahman and Supriyo Bandyopadhyay
2025-03-01
Stochastic neurons are extremely efficient hardware for solving a large class of problems and usually come in two varieties – 'binary' where the neuronal state varies randomly between two values of ±1 and 'analog' where the neuronal state can randomly assume any value between −1 and +1. Both have their uses in neuromorphic computing and both can be implemented with low- or zero-energy-barrier nanomagnets whose random magnetization orientations in the presence of thermal noise encode the binary or analog state variables. In between these two classes is n-ary stochastic neurons, mainly ternary stochastic neurons (TSNs) whose state randomly assumes one of three values (-1, 0, +1), which have proved to be efficient in pattern classification tasks such as recognizing handwritten digits from the MNIST data set or patterns from the CIFAR-10 data set. Here, we show how to implement a TSN with a zero-energy-barrier (shape isotropic) magnetostrictive nanomagnet subjected to uniaxial strain.
