Professor Deborah O’Connell from the School of Physical Sciences and Professor Liam Barry from the School of Electronic Engineering have received a combined award of €4.7 million through the Research Ireland Infrastructure Programme.

The funding is part of a €17 million national investment to support state-of-the-art equipment. This programme ensures researchers can access specialised tools to compete globally in areas such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum technologies.

Professor Deborah O’Connell from the School of Physical Sciences who has received €3million in funding for platform for Atomic Layer Etching. Image by Kyran O’Brien.

Precision engineering for next-generation electronics 

Prof O’Connell’s funding award of €3million will establish a platform for Atomic Layer Etching. As computer chips become microscopically small, traditional manufacturing is no longer precise enough. This technology allows researchers to ‘sculpt’ electronic components by removing material one single layer of atoms at a time. This level of precision is needed to create the ultra-powerful sensors used in augmented reality glasses and next-generation medical devices.

Prof O’Connell said: “This award takes plasma processing at the atomic scale to a new level, enabling us to create the capability needed for the next generation of nano-manufacturing in modern electronics and computer chips. It establishes a world-leading capability, strengthening our engagement with international partners and industry, and unlocking new technological possibilities.”

Professor Liam Barry from the School of Electronic Engineering who has received €1.7million for the development of a Full Spectrum Communications Test Bed. Image by Kyran O’Brien

Future-proofing the internet 

With funding of €1.7million, Prof Liam Barry will lead the development of a Full Spectrum Communications Test Bed. It’s internet relies on a mix of radio waves and fiber optics, but as our data demands soar, these networks are hitting a ‘speed limit’ and consuming massive amounts of energy. This new facility will allow researchers to test how light and ultra-high-frequency waves can work together to enable our communication networks to carry more data, more reliably, while significantly cutting the carbon footprint across all network segments including the world’s data centres.

Prof Barry said: “Communication systems support the global Digital Economy and are central to economic/social progress. We are thrilled to receive this award which will substantially enhance the infrastructural capacity in Ireland to develop new energy efficient communication technologies. These developments will support growing bandwidth demands across key application domains including data centre, access, 6G and satellite networks, through an optimum mix of Radio Frequency (RF), Terahertz (THz) and Optical technologies.”

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