Characterization of Semiconductor Heterostructures and Nanostructures is structured so that each chapter is devoted to a specific characterization technique used in the understanding of the properties (structural, physical, chemical, electrical etc..) of semiconductor quantum wells and superlattices. An additionalchapter is devoted toab initio modeling.

The book has two basic aims. The first is educational, providing the basic concepts of each of the selected techniques with an approach understandable by advanced students in Physics, Chemistry, Material Science, Engineering, Nanotechnology. The second aim is to provide a selected set of examples from the recent literature of the TOP results obtained with the specific technique in understanding the properties of semiconductor heterostructures and nanostructures. Each chapter has this double structure: the first part devoted to explain the basic concepts, and the second to the discussion of the most peculiar and innovative examples.

The topic of quantum wells, wires and dots should be seen as a pretext of applying top level characterization techniques in understanding the structural, electronic etc properties of matter at the nanometer (and even sub-nanometer) scale. In this respect it is an essentialreferencein the much broader, and extremely hot, field of Nanotechnology.
- Comprehensive collection of the most powerful characterization techniques for semiconductors heterostructures and nanostructures.
- Most of the chapters are authored by scientists that are world wide among the top-ten in publication ranking of the specific field.
- Each chapter starts with a didactic introduction on the technique.
- The second part of each chapters deals with a selection of top examples highlighting the power of the specific technique to analyse the properties of semiconductors heterostructures and nanostructures."

Receivers systems are considered the core of electronic warfare (EW) intercept systems. Without them, the fundamental purpose of such systems is null and void. This book considers the major elements that make up receiver systems and the receivers that go in them. This resource provides system design engineers with techniques for design and development of EW receivers for modern modulations (spread spectrum) in addition to receivers for older, common modulation formats. Each major module in these receivers is considered in detail. Design information is included as well as performance tradeoffs of various components. Major factors that influence the functioning of the modules are identified and discussed. Key performance parameters are identified as well, and approaches to achieving design goals are considered.

This book presents the proceedings of the 2nd Karl Schwarzschild Meeting on Gravitational Physics, focused on the general theme of black holes, gravity and information.Specialists in the field of black hole physics and rising young researchers present the latest findings on the broad topic of black holes, gravity, and information, highlighting its applications to astrophysics, cosmology, particle physics, and strongly correlated systems.

This book covers the history of lasers with nuclear pumping (Nuclear Pumped Lasers, NPLs). This book showcases the most important results and stages of NPL development in The Russian Federal Nuclear Center (VNIIEF) as well as other Russian and international laboratories, including laboratories in the United States. The basic science and technology behind NPLs along with potential applications are covered throughout the book. As the first comprehensive discussion of NPLs, students, researchers, and application engineers interested in high energy lasers will find this book to be an extremely valuable source of information about these unique lasers.

Thermal Management for LED Applications provides state-of-the-art information on recent developments in thermal management as it relates to LEDs and LED-based systems and their applications. Coverage begins with an overview of the basics of thermal management including thermal design for LEDs, thermal characterization and testing of LEDs, and issues related to failure mechanisms and reliability and performance in harsh environments. Advances and recent developments in thermal management round out the book with discussions on advances in TIMs (thermal interface materials) for LED applications, advances in forced convection cooling of LEDs, and advances in heat sinks for LED assemblies.

Ge and III-V compounds, semiconductors with high carrier mobilities, are candidates to replace Si as the channel in MOS devices. 2D materials - like graphene and MoS_2 - are also envisioned to replace Si in the future. This thesis is devoted to the first-principles modeling of the vibrational properties of these novel channel materials. The first part of the thesis focuses on the vibrational properties of various oxides on Ge, making it possible to identify the vibrational signature of specific defects which could hamper the proper functioning of MOSFETs. The second part of the thesis reports on the electronic and vibrational properties of novel 2D materials like silicene and germanene, the Si and Ge 2D counterparts of graphene. The interaction of these 2D materials with metallic and non-metallic substrates is investigated. It was predicted, for the first time, and later experimentally confirmed, that silicene could be grown on a non-metallic template like MoS_2, a breakthrough that could open the door to the possible use of silicene in future nanoelectronic devices.

In this book the author presents two important findings revealed by high-precision magnetic penetration depth measurements in iron-based superconductors which exhibit high-transition temperature superconductivity up to 55 K: one is the fact that the superconducting gap structure in iron-based superconductors depends on a detailed electronic structure of individual materials, and the other is the first strong evidence for the presence of a quantum critical point (QCP) beneath the superconducting dome of iron-based superconductors. The magnetic penetration depth is a powerful probe to elucidate the superconducting gap structure which is intimately related to the pairing mechanism of superconductivity. The author discusses the possible gap structure of individual iron-based superconductors by comparing the gap structure obtained from the penetration depth measurements with theoretical predictions, indicating that the non-universal superconducting gap structure in iron-pnictides can be interpreted in the framework of A1g symmetry. This result imposes a strong constraint on the pairing mechanism of iron-based superconductors. The author also shows clear evidence for the quantum criticality inside the superconducting dome from the absolute zero-temperature penetration depth measurements as a function of chemical composition. A sharp peak of the penetration depth at a certain composition demonstrates pronounced quantum fluctuations associated with the QCP, which separates two distinct superconducting phases. This gives the first convincing signature of a second-order quantum phase transition deep inside the superconducting dome, which may address a key question on the general phase diagram of unconventional superconductivity in the vicinity of a QCP.

This thesis focuses on the study of the optical response of new atomically thin two-dimensional crystals, principally the family of transition metal dichalcogenides like MoS2. One central theme of the thesis is the precise treatment of the linear and second-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides. In addition to their significant scientific interest as fundamental material responses, these studies provide essential knowledge and convenient characterization tools for the application of these 2D materials in opto-electronic devices. Another important theme of the thesis is the valley physics of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides. It is shown that the degeneracy in the valley degree of freedom can be lifted and a valley polarization can be created using a magnetic field, which breaks time reversal symmetry in these materials. These findings enhance our basic understanding of the valley electronic states and open up new opportunities for valleytronic applications using two-dimensional materials.

This thesis deals with the dynamics of state-of-the-art nanophotonic semiconductor structures, providing essential information on fundamental aspects of nonlinear dynamical systems on the one hand, and technological applications in modern telecommunication on the other. Three different complex laser structures are considered in detail: (i) a quantum-dot-based semiconductor laser under optical injection from a master laser, (ii) a quantum-dot laser with optical feedback from an external resonator, and (iii) a passively mode-locked quantum-well semiconductor laser with saturable absorber under optical feedback from an external resonator. Using a broad spectrum of methods, both numerical and analytical, this work achieves new fundamental insights into the interplay of microscopically based nonlinear laser dynamics and optical perturbations by delayed feedback and injection.

The influence of size effects on the properties of nanostructures is subject of this book. Size and interfacial effects in oxides, semiconductors, magnetic and superconducting nanostructures, from very simple to very complex, are considered. The most general meaning is assumed for size effects, including not only the influence of a reduced dimension/dimensionality, but also specific interfacial effects. Preparation and characterization tools are explained for various nanostructures. The specific applications are discussed with respect to size-related properties. A logic implication of type phenomenon-property-material-application is envisaged throughout this work.

Novel Optical Technologies for Nanofabrication describes recent advances made in micro/nanofabrication with super-resolution laser technologies, which are based on the latest research findings in the authors' groups. It focuses on new techniques and methods as well as applications and development trends in laser nanofabrication, including super-resolution laser direct writing, surface structures composed of laser path-guided wrinkle, three-dimensional laser nanofabrication based on two-photon absorption, and nanofabrication by laser interference and surface plasmon polaritons. This book serves as a reference for academic researchers, engineers, technical professionals and graduate students in the fields of micro/nanotechnology, thin film materials, super-resolution optics and laser techniques. Qian Liu is a Professor at Laboratory for Nanodevice, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China. Xuanming Duan is a Professor at the Key Laboratory of Functional Crystals and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Changsi Peng is a Professor at the Institute of Information Optical Engineering, Soochow University, China.

As part of the effort to increase the contribution of solar cells (photovoltaics) to our energy mix, this book addresses three main areas: making existing technology cheaper, promoting advanced technologies based on new architectural designs, and developing new materials to serve as light absorbers. Leading scientists throughout the world create a fundamental platform for knowledge sharing that combines the physics, materials, and device architectures of high-efficiency solar cells. While providing a comprehensive introduction to the field, the book highlights directions for further research, and is intended to stimulate readers' interest in the development of novel materials and technologies for solar energy applications.

Molecular Electronic Junction Transport: Some Pathways and Some Ideas, by Gemma C. Solomon, Carmen Herrmann and Mark A. Ratner Unimolecular Electronic Devices, by Robert M. Metzger and Daniell L. Mattern Active and Non-Active Large-Area Metal Molecules Metal Junctions, by Barbara Branchi, Felice C. Simeone and Maria A. Rampi Charge Transport in Single Molecular Junctions at the Solid/Liquid Interface, by Chen Li, Artem Mishchenko and Thomas Wandlowski Tunneling Spectroscopy of Organic Monolayers and Single Molecules, by K. W. Hipps Single Molecule Logical Devices, by Nicolas Renaud, Mohamed Hliwa and Christian Joachim"

This book deals with the latest achievements in the field of ferroelectric domain engineering and characterization at micro- and nano-scale dimensions and periods. The book collects the results obtained in the last years by world scientific leaders in the field, thus providing a valid and unique overview of the state-of-the-art and also a view to future applications of those engineered and used materials in the field of photonics. The second edition covers the major aspects of ferroelectric domain engineering and combines basic research and latest updated applications such as challenging results by introducing either new as well as extended chapters on Photonics Crystals based on Lithium Niobate and Lithium Tantalate crystals; generation, visualization and controlling of THz radiation; latest achievements on Optical Parametric Oscillators for application in precise spectroscopy. Further more recent advancements in characterization by probe scanning microscopy and optical methods with device and technological orientation. A state-of-the-art report on periodically poled processes and their characterization methods are provided on different materials (LiNbO3, KTP) furnishing update research on ferroelectric crystal by extending materials research and applications.

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 resource provides engineers with a comprehensive treatment of silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBT), a semi-conductor technology that is expected to revolutionise the communications industry by offering low-cost, high-speed solutions for emerging communications needs. It offers practitioners and students a from-the-ground-up understanding of SiGe HBT devices and technology from a very broad perspective. The text covers motivation, history, materials, fabrication, device physics, operational principles, and circuit-level properties associated with SiGe. This reference explains how to design, simulate, fabricate and measure a SiGe HBT, and offers an understanding of the optimization issues and design tradeoffs of SiGe HBTs and RF/microwave circuits built with this new technology.

This book mainly focuses on the study of steering electromagnetic fields in near-field and far-field contexts involving plasmonic structures. It also offers a new approach to achieving full control of optical polarizations and potentially boosting the development in photonic information processing. A new in-plane phase modulation method is proposed and described, by means of which a series of optical beams were realized with nanostructures in metal surfaces, such as a plasmonic Airy beam, broad band focusing beam, and demultiplexing, collimated beam, as well as an optical orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam. Further, the book presents a plasmonic polarization generator, which can reconfigure an input polarization to all kinds of states simultaneously.

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 book addresses a wide range of topics relating to the properties and behavior of condensed matter under extreme conditions such as intense magnetic and electric fields, high pressures, heat and cold, and mechanical stresses. It is divided into four sections devoted to condensed matter theory, molecular chemistry, theoretical physics, and the philosophy and history of science. The main themes include electronic correlations in material systems under extreme pressure and temperature conditions, surface physics, the transport properties of low-dimensional electronic systems, applications of the density functional theory in molecular systems, and graphene. The book is the outcome of a workshop held at the University of Catania, Italy, in honor of Professor Renato Pucci on the occasion of his 70th birthday. It includes selected invited contributions from collaborators and co-authors of Professor Pucci during his long and successful career, as well as from other distinguished guest authors.

This monograph solely presents the Fowler-Nordheim field emission (FNFE) from semiconductors and their nanostructures. The materials considered are quantum confined non-linear optical, III-V, II-VI, Ge, Te, carbon nanotubes, PtSb2, stressed materials, Bismuth, GaP, Gallium Antimonide, II-V, Bi2Te3, III-V, II-VI, IV-VI and HgTe/CdTe superlattices with graded interfaces and effective mass superlattices under magnetic quantization and quantum wires of the aforementioned superlattices. The FNFE in opto-electronic materials and their quantum confined counterparts is studied in the presence of light waves and intense electric fields on the basis of newly formulated electron dispersion laws that control the studies of such quantum effect devices. The importance of band gap measurements in opto-electronic materials in the presence of external fields is discussed from this perspective. This monograph contains 200 open research problems which form the very core and are useful for Ph. D students and researchers. The book can also serve as a basis for a graduate course on field emission from solids.

Terahertz science and technology is attracting great interest due to its application in a wide array of fields made possible by the development of new and improved terahertz radiation sources and detectors. This book focuses on the development and characterization of one such source - namely the semi-large aperture photoconducting (PC) antenna fabricated on Fe-doped bulk Ga0.69In0.31As substrate. The high ultrafast carrier mobility, high resistivity, and subpicosecond carrier lifetime along with low bandgap make Ga0.69In0.31As an excellent candidate for PC antenna based THz emitter that can be photoexcited by compact Yb-based multiwatt laser systems for high power THz emission. The research is aimed at evaluating the impact of physical properties of a semi-large aperture Ga0.69In0.31As PC antenna upon its THz generation efficiency, and is motivated by the ultimate goal of developing a high-power terahertz radiation source for time-domain terahertz spectroscopy and imaging systems.

This thesis presents an in-depth theoretical analysis of charge and spin transport properties in complex forms of disordered graphene. It relies on innovative real space computational methods of the time-dependent spreading of electronic wave packets. First a universal scaling law of the elastic mean free path versus the average grain size is predicted for polycrystalline morphologies, and charge mobilities of up to 300.000 cm2/V.s are determined for 1 micron grain size, while amorphous graphene membranes are shown to behave as Anderson insulators. An unprecedented spin relaxation mechanism, unique to graphene and driven by spin/pseudospin entanglement is then reported in the presence of weak spin-orbit interaction (gold ad-atom impurities) together with the prediction of a crossover from a quantum spin Hall Effect to spin Hall effect (for thallium ad-atoms), depending on the degree of surface ad-atom segregation and the resulting island diameter.

This thesis introduces a series of novel, non-conjugated polyarylether hosts that are not subject to the triplet-energy limitations of traditional conjugated polymer hosts. As a result of this major breakthrough, the long-standing problem of triplet energy back transfer has now been overcome, making it possible to design high-efficiency electrophosphorescent polymers (PhPs), especially the blue and all-phosphorescent white ones. In addition, the author proposes a spiro-linked hyperbranched architecture for PhPs to inhibit the undesired triplet energy back transfer process in low triplet-energy hosts. The work in this thesis provides vital new insights into the design of PhPs and has led to several publications in high-profile journals.

The subject of this book is to introduce a model-based quantitative performance indicator methodology applicable for performance, cost and reliability optimization of non-volatile memories. The complex example of flash memories is used to introduce and apply the methodology. It has been developed by the author based on an industrial 2-bit to 4-bit per cell flash development project. For the first time, design and cost aspects of 3D integration of flash memory are treated in this book.

Cell, array, performance and reliability effects of flash memories are introduced and analyzed. Key performance parameters are derived to handle the flash complexity. A performance and array memory model is developed and a set of performance indicators characterizing architecture, cost and durability is defined.

Flash memories are selected to apply the Performance Indicator Methodology to quantify design and technology innovation. A graphical representation based on trend lines is introduced to support a requirement based product development process.

The Performance Indicator methodology is applied to demonstrate the importance of hidden memory parameters for a successful product and system development roadmap.

"Flash Memories "offers an opportunity to enhance your understanding of product development key topics such as:

. Reliability optimization of flash memories is all about threshold voltage margin understanding and definition;
. Product performance parameter are analyzed in-depth in all aspects in relation to the threshold voltage operation window;
. Technical characteristics are translated into quantitative performance indicators;
. Performance indicators are applied to identify and quantify product and technology innovation within adjacent areas to fulfill the application requirements with an overall cost optimized solution; . Cost, density, performance and durability values are combined into a common factor - performance indicator - which fulfills the application requirements"

Electric control of magnetic properties, or inversely, magnetic control of dielectric properties in solids, is called a magnetoelectric effect and has long been investigated from the point of view of both fundamental physics and potential application. Magnetic and dielectric properties usually show minimal coupling, but it recently has been discovered that magnetically induced ferroelectricity in some spiral magnets enables remarkably large and versatile magnetoelectric responses. To stabilize such helimagnetism, magnetic frustration (competition between different magnetic interactions) is considered the key. In the present work, two of the most typical frustrated spin systems-triangular lattice antiferromagnets and edge-shared chain magnets-have systematically been investigated. Despite the crystallographic simplicity of target systems, rich magnetoelectric responses are ubiquitously observed. The current results published here offer a useful guideline in the search for new materials with unique magnetoelectric functions, and also provide an important basis for a deeper understanding of magnetoelectric phenomena in more complex systems.