Proud Gubbi Gubbi man Dr Francis McCallum from The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to advance microchip research in Japan.
The highly competitive Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship supports outstanding early-career researchers from around the world to collaborate with leading Japanese scientists on high-impact global challenges.
For Dr McCallum, that challenge lies in the future of microchip manufacturing – how to build faster, more powerful chips without the escalating environmental and financial burden of traditional methods.
“Currently, microchip production depends on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines which can cost up to 350 million US dollars,” Dr McCallum said.
"These machines are critical for printing nanoscale features onto microchips but are extremely complex and costly to build.
“That’s why my research is focused on developing a more accessible and scalable alternative – because we know that miniaturising components at the nanoscale is essential for increasing computing power while improving the energy efficiency of modern electronics.”
As part of the fellowship, Dr McCallum will join the lab of world-renowned radiation chemist and Project Chief Dr Hiroki Yamamoto at the Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, with a goal to develop a cheaper and more efficient alternative to current chipmaking methods.
“Our research will explore how carefully designed polymers can self-assemble into the nanoscale array structures needed for microchips, which are used in everything from smartphones to laptops and data centres,” he said.
“If we can develop a chemical alternative that achieves the same level of precision without relying on massive machines, it could significantly reduce the cost and accessibility of manufacturing powerful, energy-efficient electronics.”
Dr McCallum’s path to science has been as unique as his research. Before returning to study, he spent 17 years backstage at Brisbane’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre, working in lighting, staging, IT, and technical operations. “In between shifts, I’d be reading biology and chemistry magazines,” he said.
“Eventually, I decided to follow that curiosity and head back to university to study biotechnology and nanotechnology.”
While completing his Honours with AIBN’s Professor Andrew Whittaker, Dr McCallum contributed to a sustainable polymer chemistry project with global materials company DuPont – an experience he said, along with his background at QPAC, helped shape his current career path.
“I never imagined I’d move from an industry where spotlights illuminate the big stage to one where ultraviolet light is used to pattern the tiniest features on a microchip,” he said.
“But in a way, they both require working hard behind the scenes to prepare the theatre stage or the lithography stage to be lit for that key moment.”
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