Semiconductor & VLSI is one of ESE’s strongest and most consequential research pillars. The department already has visible capability across advanced silicon nodes, wide-bandgap semiconductors such as GaN, beyond-silicon and 2D material platforms, reliability-aware device engineering, power semiconductor systems, VLSI design, hardware security, post-quantum cryptography hardware, AI accelerators, neuromorphic chips, compute-in-memory, and future computing architectures. This breadth gives ESE a uniquely integrated position in India’s evolving semiconductor landscape.
A major distinguishing feature of this pillar is vertical integration. The department is not only strong in circuits or architecture; it is simultaneously active in materials, devices, interfaces, process-facing innovation, reliability, packaging-relevant directions, secure hardware, and system-facing adoption challenges. This makes the semiconductor effort a department-level mission rather than a collection of unrelated faculty projects. It also explains why ESE is now linked to larger initiatives such as the 2D Innovation Hub, GaN ecosystem and adoption efforts, semiconductor workforce development, and advanced equipment initiatives such as ASTRA.
Within this pillar, the VLSI side is equally important. ESE is building capability in efficient and secure chips, cryptographic accelerators, quantum-safe hardware, AI and ML accelerators, probabilistic computing, neuromorphic hardware, chiplets, memory-centric architectures, and future integrated systems. Together, these areas make Semiconductor & VLSI not only a research theme, but one of the most visible pathways through which ESE can contribute to India’s future in electronics manufacturing, secure digital infrastructure, and deep-technology translation.
Representative faculty in this pillar include those working across advanced semiconductors, 2D materials, wide-bandgap devices, nanoelectronics, VLSI architecture, secure chips, hardware accelerators, neuromorphic systems, and next-generation compute platforms.