This volume provides valuable summaries on many aspects of advanced semiconductor heterostructures and highlights the great variety of semiconductor heterostructures that has emerged since their original conception. As exemplified by the chapters in this book, recent progress on advanced semiconductor heterostructures spans a truly remarkable range of scientific fields with an associated diversity of applications. Some of these applications will undoubtedly revolutionize critically important facets of modern technology. At the heart of these advances is the ability to design and control the properties of semiconductor devices on the nanoscale. As an example, the intersubband lasers discussed in this book have a broad range of previously unobtainable characteristics and associated applications as a result of the nanoscale dimensional control of the underlying semiconductor heterostructures. As this book illustrates, an astounding variety of heterostructures can be fabricated with current technology; the potentially widespread use of layered quantum dots fabricated with nanoscale precision in biological applications opens up exciting advances in medicine. In addition, many more excellent examples of the remarkable impact being made through the use of semiconductor heterostructures are given. The summaries in this volume provide timely insights into what we know now about selected areas of advanced semiconductor heterostructures and also provide foundations for further developments.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics lies in the so-called terahertz (or submillimeter wave) regime, between the traditional microwave and the infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book provides a detailed review of the new THz frequency technological developments that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas.Volume II presents cutting edge results in two primary areas: (1) research that is attempting to establish THz-frequency sensing as a new characterization tool for chemical, biological and semiconductor materials, and (2) theoretical and experimental efforts to define new device concepts within the ?THz gap?.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics lies in the so-called terahertz (or submillimeter wave) regime, between the traditional microwave and the infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book provides a detailed review of the new THz frequency technological developments that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas.Volume II presents cutting edge results in two primary areas: (1) research that is attempting to establish THz-frequency sensing as a new characterization tool for chemical, biological and semiconductor materials, and (2) theoretical and experimental efforts to define new device concepts within the “THz gap”.

Impact ionization, avalanche and breakdown phenomena form the basis of many very interesting and important semiconductor devices, such as avalanche photodiodes, avalanche transistors, suppressors, sharpening diodes (diodes with delayed breakdown), as well as IMPATT and TRAPATT diodes. In order to provide maximal speed and power, many semiconductor devices must operate under or very close to breakdown conditions. Consequently, an acquaintance with breakdown phenomena is essential for scientists or engineers dealing with semiconductor devices. The aim of this book is to summarize the main experimental results on avalanche and breakdown phenomena in semiconductors and semiconductor devices and to analyze their features from a unified point of view. Attention is focused on the phenomenology of avalanche multiplication and the various kinds of breakdown phenomena and their qualitative analysis.

Microelectronics is one of the most rapidly changing scientific fields today. The tendency to shrink devices as far as possible results in extremely small devices which can no longer be described using simple analytical models. This book covers various aspects of advanced device modeling and simulation. As such it presents extensive reviews and original research by outstanding scientists. The bulk of the book is concerned with the theory of classical and quantum-mechanical transport modeling, based on macroscopic, spherical harmonics and Monte Carlo methods.

The unique materials properties of GaN-based semiconductors havestimulated a great deal of interest in research and developmentregarding nitride materials growth and optoelectronic andnitride-based electronic devices. High electron mobility andsaturation velocity, high sheet carrier concentration atheterojunction interfaces, high breakdown field, and low thermalimpedance of GaN-based films grown over SiC or bulk AlN substratesmake nitride-based electronic devices very promising.

This book explores the unique advantages and large inherent transmission capacity of optical fiber communication systems. The long-term and high-risk research challenges of optical transceivers are analyzed with a view to sustaining the seemingly insatiable demand for bandwidth. A broad coverage of topics relating to the design of high-speed optical devices and integrated circuits, oriented to low power, low cost, and small area, is discussed.Written by specialists with many years of research and engineering experience in the field of optical fiber communication, this book is essential for an audience dedicated to the development of integrated electronic systems for optical communication applications. It can also be used as a supplementary text for graduate courses on optical transceiver IC design.