This volume contains the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices, SISPAD 2007, held September 2007 in Vienna, Austria. It provides a global forum for the presentation and discussion of recent advances and developments in the theoretical description, physical modeling and numerical simulation and analysis of semiconductor fabrication processes, device operation and system performance.

Reconfigurable computing techniques and adaptive systems are some of the most promising architectures for microprocessors. Reconfigurable and Adaptive Computing: Theory and Applications explores the latest research activities on hardware architecture for reconfigurable and adaptive computing systems. The first section of the book covers reconfigurable systems. The book presents a software and hardware codesign flow for coarse-grained systems-on-chip, a video watermarking algorithm for the H.264 standard, a solution for regular expressions matching systems, and a novel field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based acceleration solution with MapReduce framework on multiple hardware accelerators. The second section discusses network-on-chip, including an implementation of a multiprocessor system-on-chip platform with shared memory access, end-to-end quality-of-service metrics modeling based on a multi-application environment in network-on-chip, and a 3D ant colony routing (3D-ACR) for network-on-chip with three different 3D topologies. The final section addresses the methodology of system codesign. The book introduces a new software-hardware codesign flow for embedded systems that models both processors and intellectual property cores as services. It also proposes an efficient algorithm for dependent task software-hardware codesign with the greedy partitioning and insert scheduling method (GPISM) by task graph.

This thesis presents and discusses recent optical low-temperature experiments on disordered NbN, granular Al thin-films, and the heavy-fermion compound CeCoIn5, offering a unified picture of quantum-critical superconductivity. It provides a concise introduction to the respective theoretical models employed to interpret the experimental results, and guides readers through in-depth calculations supplemented with supportive figures in order to both retrace the interpretations and span the bridge between experiment and state-of-the art theory.

This book offers an overview of power electronic applications in the study of power integrated circuit (IC) design, collecting novel research ideas and insights into fast transient response to prevent the output voltage from dropping significantly at the undershoot. It also discusses techniques and training to save energy and increase load efficiency, as well as fast transient response and high efficiency, which are the most important factors for consumer products that implement power IC. Lastly, the book focuses on power electronics for system loop analysis and optimal compensation design to help users and engineers implement their applications. The book is a valuable resource for university researchers, power IC R&D engineers, application engineers and graduate students in power electronics who wish to learn about the power IC design principles, methods, system behavior, and applications in consumer products.

This unique book contains all topics of importance to the analog designer which are essential to obtain sufficient insights to do a thorough job. The book starts with elementary stages in building up operational amplifiers. The synthesis of opamps is covered in great detail. Many examples are included, operating at low supply voltages. Chapters on noise, distortion, filters, ADC/DACs and oscillators follow. These are all based on the extensive amount of teaching that the author has carried out world-wide.

This thesis presents results crucial to the emerging field of indirect excitons. These specially designed quasiparticles give the unique opportunity to study fundamental properties of quantum degenerate Bose gases in semiconductors. Furthermore, indirect excitons allow for the creation of novel optoelectronic devices where excitons are used in place of electrons. Excitonic devices are explored for the development of advanced signal processing seamlessly coupled with optical communication. The thesis presents and describes the author's imaging experiments that led to the discovery of spin transport of excitons. The many firsts presented herein include the first studies of an excitonic conveyer, leading to the discovery of the dynamical localization-delocalization transition for excitons, and the first excitonic ramp and excitonic diode with no energy-dissipating voltage gradient.

The aim of this book is to present highly accurate and extensive theoretical Atomic data and to give a survey of selected calculational methods for atomic physics, used to obtain these data. The book presents the results of calculations of cross sections and probabilities of a broad variety of atomic processes with participation of photons and electrons, namely on photoabsorption, electron scattering and accompanying effects. Included are data for photoabsorption and electron scattering cross-sections and probabilities of vacancy decay formed for a large number of atoms and ions. Attention is also given to photoionization and vacancy decay in endohedrals and to positron-atom scattering. The book is richly illustrated. The methods used are one-electron Hartree-Fock and the technique of Feynman diagrams that permits to include many-electron correlations. This is done in the frames of the Random Phase approximation with exchange and the many-body perturbation theory. Newly obtained and previously collected atomic data are presented. The atomic data are useful for investigating the electronic structure and physical processes in solids and liquids, molecules and clusters, astronomical objects, solar and planet atmospheres and atomic nucleus. Deep understanding of chemical reactions and processes is reached by deep and accurate knowledge of atomic structure and processes with participation of atoms. This book is useful for theorists performing research in different domains of contemporary physics, chemistry and biology, technologists working on production of new materials and for experimentalists performing research in the field of photon and electron interaction with atoms, molecules, solid bodies and liquids.

This thesis demonstrates that layered heterostructures of two-dimensional crystals graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides provide new and interesting interlayer transport phenomena. Low-energy electron microscopy is employed to study the surface of atomically thin WSe2 prepared by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on epitaxial graphene substrates, and a method for unambiguously measuring the number of atomic layers is presented. Using very low-energy electrons to probe the surface of similar heterostructures, a relationship between extracted work function differences from the layers and the nature of the electrical contact between them is revealed. An extension of this analysis is applied to surface studies of MoSe2 prepared by molecular beam epitaxy on epitaxial graphene. A large work function difference is measured between the MoSe2 and graphene, and a model is provided which suggests that this observation results from an exceptional defect density in the MoSe2 film. The thesis expounds a theory for computing tunneling currents between two-dimensional crystals separated by a thin insulating barrier; a few situations resulting in resonant tunneling and negative differential resistance are illustrated by computed examples, as well as observed characteristics, for monolayer and bilayer graphene tunneling junctions and transistors.

This unique volume assembles the author's scientific and engineering achievements of the past three decades in the areas of (1) semiconductor physics and materials, including topics in deep level defects and band structures, (2) CMOS devices, including the topics in device technology, CMOS device reliability, and nano CMOS device quantum modeling, and (3) Analog Integrated circuit design. It reflects the scientific career of a semiconductor researcher educated in China during the 20th century. The book can be referenced by research scientists, engineers, and graduate students working in the areas of solid state and semiconductor physics and materials, electrical engineering and semiconductor devices, and chemical engineering.

It includes both chemical and physical approaches to the properties of solids, and clearly separates those aspects of materials properties that can be tackled with classical physics from those that require quantum mechanics.
* Quantum mechanics are introduced later to allow readers to be familiar with some of the mathematics necessary for quantum mechanics before being exposed to its bewildering fundamental concepts.
* Discusses the electronic properties of solids from the viewpoint of elementary band theory, and end with a brief treatment of semiconductors and some semiconducting devices.

This book describes the physics of phase change memory devices, starting from basic operation to reliability issues. The book gives a comprehensive overlook of PCM with particular attention to the electrical transport and the phase transition physics between the two states. The book also contains design engineering details on PCM cell architecture, PCM cell arrays (including electrical circuit management), as well as the full spectrum of possible future applications.

Power Semiconductor Devices Theory and Applications VA-t???zslav Benda Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic John Gowar Duncan A. Grant University of Bristol, UK Recent advances in robotics, automatic control and power conditioning systems have prompted research into increasingly sophisticated power semiconductor devices. This cutting-edge text explores the design, physical processes and applications performance of current power semiconductor devices. The extensive scope covers the complete range of discrete and integrated devices now available. Features include:
* Use of physical models to explain the device structures and functions without complicated mathematical techniques
* Explanation of the structure, function, characteristics and features of the most important discrete and integrated power devices
* Demonstration of the influence of construction and technological parameters on important device characteristics
* Sections on power modules and conditions for reliable operation plus a look at future materials and devices
This valuable reference encompassing the structure, operation and application of power semiconductor devices will benefit both practising electronics engineers and students of power electronics.

This book provides technological perspective and comprehensive overview on the research efforts related to II-VI group cadmium based semiconducting nanomaterials. It describes state-of-the-art information on different synthesis methods for preparation of these materials using a variety of experimental strategies. The effects of synthesis roots on structural, thermal, mechanical, lattice vibronic, electronic, optical and carrier transport characteristics of these nano-structures are systematically analyzed. A wide target readership comprising of students, researchers, scholars, scientists, technicians, academicians, industrialists can benefit from this book, as cadmium based semiconductors possess significant research and industrial interest thanks to their innovative properties.

The electromechanical coupling effect introduced by piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (PVEH) presents serious modeling challenges. This book provides close-form accurate mathematical modeling and experimental techniques to design and validate dual function PVEH vibration absorbing devices as a solution to mitigate vibration and maximize operational efficiency. It includes in-depth experimental validation of a PVEH beam model based on the analytical modal analysis method (AMAM), precisely identifying electrical loads that harvest maximum power and induce maximum electrical damping. The author's detailed analysis will be useful for researchers working in the rapidly emerging field of vibration based energy harvesting, as well as for students investigating electromechanical devices, piezoelectric sensors and actuators, and vibration control engineering.

This thesis presents optical methods to split the energy levels of electronic valleys in transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) by means of coherent light-matter interactions. The electronic valleys found in monolayer TMDs such as MoS2, WS2, and WSe2 are among the many novel properties exhibited by semiconductors when thinned down to a few atomic layers, and have have been proposed as a new way to carry information in next generation devices (so-called valleytronics). These valleys are, however, normally locked in the same energy level, which limits their potential use for applications. The author describes experiments performed with a pump-probe technique using transient absorption spectroscopy on MoS2 and WS2. It is demonstrated that hybridizing the electronic valleys with light allows one to optically tune their energy levels in a controllable valley-selective manner. In particular, by using off-resonance circularly polarized light at small detuning, one can tune the energy level of one valley through the optical Stark effect. Also presented within are observations, at larger detuning, of a separate contribution from the so-called Bloch--Siegert effect, a delicate phenomenon that has eluded direct observation in solids. The two effects obey opposite selection rules, enabling one to separate the two effects at two different valleys.

This book introduces the principles and techniques of crystal growth by the flux method, which is arguably the most useful way to obtain millimeter- to centimeter-sized single crystals for physical research. As it is possible to find an appropriate solvent ("flux") for nearly all inorganic materials, the flux method can be applied to the growth of many crystals ranging from transition metal oxides to intermetallic compounds. Both important principles and experimental procedures are described in a clear and accessible manner. Practical advice on various aspects of the experiment, which is not readily available in the literature, will assist the beginning graduate students in setting up the lab and conducting successful crystal growth. The mechanisms of crystal growth at an elementary level are also provided to better understand the techniques and to help in assessing the quality of the crystals. The book also contains many photographs of beautiful crystals with important physical properties of current interest, such as high-temperature superconductors, strongly correlated electronic systems, topological insulators, relaxor ferroelectrics, low-dimensional quantum magnets, non-linear optical materials, and multiferroics.

This book brings together the recent cutting-edge work on computational methods in photonics and their applications. The latest advances in techniques such as the Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain method, Finite Element Time Domain method, Finite Difference Time Domain method as well as their applications are presented. Key aspects such as modelling of non-linear effects (Second Harmonic Generation, lasing in fibers, including gain nonlinearity in metamaterials), the acousto-optic effect, and the hydrodynamic model to explain electron response in nanoplasmonic structures are included. The application areas covered include plasmonics, metamaterials, photonic crystals, dielectric waveguides, fiber lasers. The chapters give a representative survey of the corresponding area.

This monograph provides an introductory discussion of evanescent waves and plasmons, describes their properties and uses, and shows how they are fundamental when operating with nanoscale optics. Far field optics is not suitable for the design, description, and operation of devices at this nanometre scale. Instead one must work with models based on near-field optics and surface evanescent waves. The new discipline of plasmonics has grown to encompass the generation and application of plasmons both as a travelling excitation in a nanostructure and as a stationary enhancement of the electrical field near metal nanosurfaces. The book begins with a brief review of the basic concepts of electromagnetism, then introduces evanescent waves through reflection and refraction, and shows how they appear in diffraction problems, before discussing the role that they play in optical waveguides and sensors. The application of evanescent waves in super-resolution devices is briefly presented, before plasmons are introduced. The surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are then treated, highlighting their potential applications also in ultra-compact circuitry. The book concludes with a discussion of the quantization of evanescent waves and quantum information processing. The book is intended for students and researchers who wish to enter the field or to have some insight into the matter. It is not a textbook but simply an introduction to more complete and in-depth discussions. The field of plasmonics has exploded in the last ten years, and most of the material treated in this book is scattered in original or review papers. A short comprehensive treatment is missing; this book is intended to provide just that.

This thesis presents first observations of superconductivity in one- or two-atomic-scale thin layer materials. The thesis begins with a historical overview of superconductivity and the electronic structure of two-dimensional materials, and mentions that these key ingredients lead to the possibility of the two-dimensional superconductor with high phase-transition temperature and critical magnetic field. Thereafter, the thesis moves its focus onto the implemented experiments, in which mainly two different materials thallium-deposited silicon surfaces and metal-intercalated bilayer graphenes, are used. The study of the first material is the first experimental demonstration of both a gigantic Rashba effect and superconductivity in the materials supposed to be superconductors without spatial inversion symmetry. The study of the latter material is relevant to superconductivity in a bilayer graphene, which was a big experimental challenge for a decade, and has been first achieved by the author. The description of the generic and innovative measurement technique, highly effective in probing electric resistivity of ultra-thin materials unstable in an ambient environment, makes this thesis a valuable source for researchers not only in surface physics but also in nano-materials science and other condensed-matter physics.

This book describes the fabrication of a frequency-based electronic tongue using a modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), opening a new field of applying organic precursors to achieve nanostructure growth. It also presents a new approach to optimizing nanostructures by means of statistical analysis. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was utilized to grow vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various aspect ratios. To increase the graphitic ratio of synthesized CNTs, sequential experimental strategies based on response surface methodology were employed to investigate the crystallinity of CNTs. In the next step, glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on the optimized multiwall carbon nanotubes/gelatin (MWCNTs/Gl) composite using the entrapment technique to achieve enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of glucose at anodic potentials, which was drop-casted onto the GCE. The modified GCE's performance indicates that a GOx/MWCNTs/Gl/GC electrode can be utilized as a glucose biosensor with a high direct electron transfer rate between GOx and MWCNTs/Gl. It was possible to use the fabricated biosensor as an electronic tongue thanks to a frequency-based circuit attached to the electrochemical cell. The results indicate that the modified GCE (with GOx/MWCNTs/Gl) holds promising potential for application in voltammetric electronic tongues.

This book focuses on the microscopic understanding of the function of organic semiconductors. By tracing the link between their morphological structure and electronic properties across multiple scales, it represents an important advance in this direction. Organic semiconductors are materials at the interface between hard and soft matter: they combine structural variability, processibility and mechanical flexibility with the ability to efficiently transport charge and energy. This unique set of properties makes them a promising class of materials for electronic devices, including organic solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Understanding their function at the microscopic scale - the goal of this work - is a prerequisite for the rational design and optimization of the underlying materials. Based on new multiscale simulation protocols, the book studies the complex interplay between molecular architecture, supramolecular organization and electronic structure in order to reveal why some materials perform well - and why others do not. In particular, by examining the long-range effects that interrelate microscopic states and mesoscopic structure in these materials, the book provides qualitative and quantitative insights into e.g. the charge-generation process, which also serve as a basis for new optimization strategies.

This book primarily focuses on the radiation effects and compact model of silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). It introduces the small-signal equivalent circuit of SiGe HBTs including the distributed effects, and proposes a novel direct analytical extraction technique based on non-linear rational function fitting. It also presents the total dose effects irradiated by gamma rays and heavy ions, as well as the single-event transient induced by pulse laser microbeams. It offers readers essential information on the irradiation effects technique and the SiGe HBTs model using that technique.

This book presents a comprehensive treatise on the advances in the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for sustainable crop production and describes the latest photomorphogenesis research findings. It introduces readers to the fundamentals and design features of LEDs applicable for plant growth and development and illustrates their advantages over the traditional lighting systems, including cost analyses. Further, it discusses a wide range of applications covering diverse areas of plant sciences relevant to controlled environment agriculture and in vitro plant morphogenesis. The chapters have been written by a team of pioneering international experts, who have made significant contributions to this emerging interdisciplinary field. The book will serve a valuable resource for graduate students, instructors, and researchers in the fields of horticulture, agricultural biotechnology, cell and developmental biology, and precision agriculture. It will also serve well professionals engaged in greenhouse and vertical farming.

This fascinating book is a treatise on real space-age materials. It is a mathematical treatment of a novel concept in material science that characterizes the properties of dynamic materials-that is, material substances whose properties are variable in space and time. Unlike conventional composites that are often found in nature, dynamic materials are mostly the products of modern technology developed to maintain the most effective control over dynamic processes.

This book offers an extensive introduction to the extremely rich and intriguing field of spin-related phenomena in semiconductors. In this second edition, all chapters have been updated to include the latest experimental and theoretical research. Furthermore, it covers the entire field: bulk semiconductors, two-dimensional semiconductor structures, quantum dots, optical and electric effects, spin-related effects, electron-nuclei spin interactions, Spin Hall effect, spin torques, etc. Thanks to its self-contained style, the book is ideally suited for graduate students and researchers new to the field.