Nano-Scaled Semiconductor Devices: Physics, Modelling, Characterisation, and Societal Impact
The subject of nano-scaled semiconductor devices and technology is a strategic and emerging area of relevant societal importance in our ubiquitous electronics era. This book is intended for scientists, engineers, and graduate students involved in the research, technology development, education activities, and societal-related applications where nano-scaled semiconductor devices are involved. With the rapid evolution of the integrated circuit technology many new materials and fabrication processing steps have been incorporated. These new materials and processing steps enhance the electrical performance of nano-scaled semiconductor devices, resulting in faster, more functional and complex electronics. However, this boosted capacity comes with second-order effects that degrade device performance, impact its longterm reliability, energy-efficiency and ultimately contribute to worldwide energy waste and subsequent pollution. The characterization, modeling, and simulation prediction of these second-order effects is strongly correlated to each other. Therefore, this book, in a novel approach, attempts to blend the technology fabrication, with the characterization, physics, and modeling in a synergistic manner. For instance, the shrinkage of the device dimensions down to 14 nm and below pose a big challenge for the development of appropriate transport modeling mechanisms, which in turn require advanced characterization and modeling techniques. The characterization techniques, developed for studying transport in nano-scaled devices, is also a novel contribution of this book. Blending the characterization, modeling, physics, and technology is quite relevant for achieving energy-efficient electronics. Moreover, there is a benefit that device developers can get out from the complex nano-scaled semiconductor device technologies. This is also a topic that this book covers. The potential use of these new materials and structures for the development of new and alternative devices or functions, such as water decontamination, energy renewal, physiology research, energy-efficient milk and meat production, or optimal and energy-efficient crop irrigation. This book also correlates the fundamental physics and device electrical performance with energy efficiency, energy savings, and thus contributes to the development of a greener and more sustainable world.
