India's Rise in Nanoelectronics Research (2011.11251v3)

Abstract: Modern semiconductors innovation has a strong relation to scale and skill. While India has a significant demand for semiconductors, it has a daunting challenge to create a semiconductor ecosystem. Yet, India has quietly come a long way. Starting with Centers of Excellence in Nanoelectronics (CENs) initiated in 2006 and broad science and technology funding, India has transformed its nanoelectronics research ecosystem. From negligible contributions as late as 2011, India has risen to be a top contributor to IEEE Electron Devices journals today. Our study presents important observations in terms of ecosystem development. First, there is a 6 year incubation time from infrastructure initiation to first papers. Then, 4 more years to become globally competitive. Second, growth in experimental research is essential along with modeling & simulations. Finally, the aspirational goals of translational research to contribute to the global technology roadmap requires cutting-edge manufacturing infrastructure & ecosystem access, which still needs development. The learning informs a call to action for the research ecosystem i.e. academia, industry, and policy-makers. First, sustain and amplify successful strategies of national research infrastructure & funding growth. Second, enhance international collaborations to add further scale & infrastructure to R&D. Finally, strengthen the industry-academia-policy consortium approach to transform to an innovation-based economy. Ultimately, the electron devices community is entering an exciting phase where Beyond Moore offers open opportunities in materials, devices to systems, and algorithms. India must build on its success to play a significant role in this new world of disruptive innovation.