This issue of ECS Transactions will cover the following topics in (a) Graphene Material Properties, Preparation, Synthesis and Growth; (b) Metrology and Characterization of Graphene; (c) Graphene Devices and Integration; (d) Graphene Transport and mobility enhancement; (e) Thermal Behavior of Graphene and Graphene Based Devices; (f) Ge & III-V devices for CMOS mobility enhancement; (g) III.V Heterostructures on Si substrates; (h) Nano-wires devices and modeling; (i) Simulation of devices based on Ge, III-V, nano-wires and Graphene; (j) Nanotechnology applications in information technology, biotechnology and renewable energy (k) Beyond CMOS device structures and properties of semiconductor nano-devices such as nanowires; (l) Nanosystem fabrication and processing; (m) nanostructures in chemical and biological sensing system for healthcare and security; and (n) Characterization of nanosystems; (f) Nanosystem modeling.

For many decades, the semiconductor industry has miniaturized transistors, delivering increased computing power to consumers at decreased cost. However, mere transistor downsizing does no longer provide the same improvements. One interesting option to further improve transistor characteristics is to use high mobility materials such as germanium and III-V materials. However, transistors have to be redesigned in order to fully benefit from these alternative materials. High Mobility and Quantum Well Transistors: Design and TCAD Simulation investigates planar bulk Germanium pFET technology in chapters 2-4, focusing on both the fabrication of such a technology and on the process and electrical TCAD simulation. Furthermore, this book shows that Quantum Well based transistors can leverage the benefits of these alternative materials, since they confine the charge carriers to the high-mobility material using a heterostructure. The design and fabrication of one particular transistor structure - the SiGe Implant-Free Quantum Well pFET – is discussed. Electrical testing shows remarkable short-channel performance and prototypes are found to be competitive with a state-of-the-art planar strained-silicon technology. High mobility channels, providing high drive current, and heterostructure confinement, providing good short-channel control, make a promising combination for future technology nodes.

The drive toward smaller and smaller electronic componentry has huge implications for the materials currently being used. As quantum mechanical effects begin to dominate, conventional materials will be unable to function at scales much smaller than those in current use. For this reason, new materials with higher electrical permittivity will be requ

The fundamental principle of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics were introduced by Wang in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Due to the polarization of ions in a crystal that has non-central symmetry in materials, such as the wurtzite structured ZnO, GaN and InN, a piezoelectric potential (piezopotential) is created in the crystal by applying a stress. Owing to the simultaneous possession of piezoelectricity and semiconductor properties, the piezopotential created in the crystal has a strong effect on the carrier transport at the interface/junction. Piezotronics is for devices fabricated using the piezopotential as a “gate” voltage to control charge carrier transport at a contact or junction. The piezo-phototronic effect uses the piezopotential to control the carrier generation, transport, separation and/or recombination for improving the performance of optoelectronic devices, such as photon detector, solar cell and LED. The functionality offered by piezotroics and piezo-phototronics are complimentary to CMOS technology. There is an effective integration of piezotronic and piezo-phototronic devices with silicon based CMOS technology. Unique applications can be found in areas such as human-computer interfacing, sensing and actuating in nanorobotics, smart and personalized electronic signatures, smart MEMS/NEMS, nanorobotics and energy sciences. This book introduces the fundamentals of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics and advanced applications. It gives guidance to researchers, engineers and graduate students.

“Nanowire Field Effect Transistor: Basic Principles and Applications” places an emphasis on the application aspects of nanowire field effect transistors (NWFET). Device physics and electronics are discussed in a compact manner, together with the p-n junction diode and MOSFET, the former as an essential element in NWFET and the latter as a general background of the FET. During this discussion, the photo-diode, solar cell, LED, LD, DRAM, flash EEPROM and sensors are highlighted to pave the way for similar applications of NWFET. Modeling is discussed in close analogy and comparison with MOSFETs. Contributors focus on processing, electrostatic discharge (ESD) and application of NWFET. This includes coverage of solar and memory cells, biological and chemical sensors, displays and atomic scale light emitting diodes. Appropriate for scientists and engineers interested in acquiring a working knowledge of NWFET as well as graduate students specializing in this subject.

This volume explores and addresses the challenges of high-k gate dielectric materials, one of the major concerns in the evolving semiconductor industry and the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). The application of high-k gate dielectric materials is a promising strategy that allows further miniaturization of microelectronic components. This book presents a broad review of SiO2 materials, including a brief historical note of Moore’s law, followed by reliability issues of the SiO2 based MOS transistor. It goes on to discuss the transition of gate dielectrics with an EOT ~ 1 nm and a selection of high-k materials. A review of the various deposition techniques of different high-k films is also discussed. High-k dielectrics theories (quantum tunneling effects and interface engineering theory) and applications of different novel MOSFET structures, like tunneling FET, are also covered in this book. The volume also looks at the important issues in the future of CMOS technology and presents an analysis of interface charge densities with the high-k material tantalum pentoxide. The issue of CMOS VLSI technology with the high-k gate dielectric materials is covered as is the advanced MOSFET structure, with its working structure and modeling. This timely volume will prove to be a valuable resource on both the fundamentals and the successful integration of high-k dielectric materials in future IC technology.