A researcher at the University of Windsor is leading a $1-million project to ensure timing chips in electronic devices tick.
Engineering professor Dr Jalal Ahamed partnered with Stathera Inc., a Montreal-based company that makes micro-electro-mechanical systems. Together, they're working on an ultra-precise resonating oscillator, a key component for communications and computation. The chips could be embedded in microchips and mass-produced for installation in cars, cell phones, computers, and other smart devices.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada provided $750,000 for the project, and Stathera added another $250,000.
Ahamed explains the project this way: "At the heart of all smart devices is a small time-keeping chip that wiggles at a fixed rate of frequency." What is needed is a way to make sure the wiggling is stable and consistent.
While time-keeping chips are typically made of quartz, Ahamed plans to use silicon. It's less expensive and easier to manufacture.
"We aim to increase Canada's competitiveness," said Ahamed. "This would be manufactured in Canada and create new economic opportunities."
The five-year partnership will employ a post-doctoral fellow and two PhD students.