Low dielectric constant materials are an important component of microelectronic devices. This comprehensive book covers the latest low-dielectric-constant (low-k) materials technology, thin film materials characterization, integration and reliability for back-end interconnects and packaging applications in microelectronics. Highly informative contributions from leading academic and industrial laboratories provide comprehensive information about materials technologies for < 0.18 um process technology. Topics include: Organic dielectric materials, Inorganic dielectric materials, Composite dielectric materials, Metrology and characterization techniques, Integration, Reliability. This volume will be an invaluable resource for professionals, scientists, researchers and graduate students involved in dielectric technology development, materials science, polymer science, and semiconductor devices and processing.

Electroactive polymers have been the object of increasing academic and industrial interest and in the past ten to fifteen years substantial progress has been achieved in the development and the characterization of this important new class of conducting materials. These materials are usually classified in two large groups, according to the mode of their electric transport. One group includes polymers having transport almost exclusively of the ionic type and they are often called 'polymer electrolytes' or, in a broader way, 'polymer ionics'. The other group includes polymeric materials where the transport mechanism is mainly electronic in nature and which are commonly termed 'conducting polymers'. Ionically conducting polymers or polymer ionics may be typically described as polar macromolecular solids in which one or more of a wide range of salts has been dissolved. The most classic example is the combina tion of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, and lithium salts, LiX. These PEO-LiX polymer ionics were first described and proposed for applications just over ten years ago. The practical relevance of these new materials was im mediately recognized and in the course of a few years the field expanded tremendously with the involvement of many academic and industrial lab oratories. Following this diversified research activity, the ionic transport mechanism in polymer ionics was soon established and this has led to the development of new host polymers of various types, new salts and advanced polymer architectures which have enabled room temperature conductivity to be raised by several orders of magnitude."

ThIS volume contaInS a selectIOn of InvIted revIew papers presented at a Royal SocIety DIscussIOn meetIng on ThIn FIlm DIamond held In London on 15 and 16 July 1992 The topIC of low pressure synthesIs has attracted world wIde Interest and become IncreasIngly active In recent years due to the pOSSIble use of dIamond films In commerCIal apphcatlOns Until recently commercIal dIamond synthesIs was almost entIrely by the hIgh pressure hIgh temperature technIque In whIch dIamond IS precIpItated as an eqUlhbnum phase from a carbon-contaInIng hqUld metal catalyst In thIS way crystals may be formed up to 10mm or so In sIze The metastable low pressure techmques cannot compete In cost but can be used to fabrIcate large area wafers or predetermIned shapes not pOSSIble by other means Most of the low pressure techmques stem from the work of Eversole whICh was first reported In 1962 He exposed a hot dIamond substrate alternately to a hydrocarbon gas, whIch deposIted a mIxture of dIamond and graphIte, and then to hydrogen, whICh preferen tIally etched away the graphite In later developments th se two stages have been combIned to form a contInUOUS process and dIffer only In the way the etchant IS generated In thIS volume an hIstorIcal overvIew of these low pressure growth techmques and a deSCrIptIOn of dIamond and crystal morphology IS gIVen by John Angus and hIS co-authors In theIr paper on the chemICal vapour depOSItIon of dIamond James Butler and RIchard WoodIn"

Fluorescence reporter is the key element of any sensing or imaging technology. Its optimal choice and implementation is very important for increasing the sensitivity, precision, multiplexing power, and also the spectral, temporal, and spatial reso- tion in different methods of research and practical analysis. Therefore, design of ?uorescence reporters with advanced properties is one of the most important problems. In this volume, top experts in this ?eld provide advanced knowledge on the design and properties of ?uorescent dyes. Organic dyes were the ?rst ?uorescent materials used for analytical purposes, and we observe that they retain their leading positions against strong competition of new materials - conjugated polymers, semiconductor nanocrystals, and metal chelating complexes. Recently, molecular and cellular biology got a valuable tool of organic ?uorophores synt- sized by cell machinery and incorporated into green ?uorescent protein and its analogs. Demands of various ?uorescence techniques operating in spectral, anisotropy, and time domains require focused design of ?uorescence reporters well adapted to these techniques. Near-IR spectral range becomes more and more attractive for various applications, and new dyes emitting in this range are strongly requested. Two-photonic ?uorescence has become one of the major tools in bioimaging, and ?uorescence reporters well adapted to this technique are in urgent need. These problems cannot be solved without the knowledge of fundamental principles of dye design and of physical phenomena behind their ?uorescence response.

Advances in the semiconductor technology have enabled steady, exponential im- provement in the performance of integrated circuits. Miniaturization allows the integration of a larger number of transistors with enhanced switching speed. Novel transistor structures and passivation materials diminish circuit delay by minimizing parasitic electrical capacitance. These advances, however, pose several challenges for the thermal engineering of integrated circuits. The low thermal conductivities of passivation layers result in large temperature rises and temperature gradient magni- tudes, which degrade electrical characteristics of transistors and reduce lifetimes of interconnects. As dimensions of transistors and interconnects decrease, the result- ing changes in current density and thermal capacitance make these elements more susceptible to failure during brief electrical overstress. This work develops a set of high-resolution measurement techniques which de- termine temperature fields in transistors and interconnects, as well as the thermal properties of their constituent films. At the heart of these techniques is the thermore- flectance thermometry method, which is based on the temperature dependence of the reflectance of metals. Spatial resolution near 300 nm and temporal resolution near IOns are demonstrated by capturing transient temperature distributions in intercon- nects and silicon-on-insulator (SOl) high-voltage transistors. Analyses of transient temperature data obtained from interconnect structures yield thermal conductivities and volumetric heat capacities of thin films.

Good old Gutenberg could not have imagined that his revolutionary printing concept which so greatly contributed to dissemination of knowledge and thus today 's wealth, would have been a source of inspiration five hundred years later. Now, it seems intuitive that a simple way to produce a large number of replicates is using a mold to emboss pattern you need, but at the nanoscale nothing is simple: the devil is in the detail. And this book is about the "devil." In the following 17 chapters, the authors-all of them well recognized and active actors in this emerging field-describe the state-of-the-art, today 's technological bottlenecks and the prospects for micro-contact printing and nanoimprint lithography. Many results of this book originate from projects funded by the European Com mission through its "Nanotechnology Information Devices" (NID) initiative. NID was launched with the objective to develop nanoscale devices for the time when the red brick scenario of the ITRS roadmap would be reached. It became soon clear however, that there was no point to investigate only alternative devices to CMOS, but what was really needed was an integrated approach that took into account more facets of this difficult undertaking. Technologically speaking, this meant to have a coherent strategy to develop novel devices, nanofabrication tools and circuit & system architectures at the same time."

Semimagnetic semiconductors (SMSC) and diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) have in the past decade attracted considerable attention because they confer many new physical properties on both bulk materials and heterostructures. These new effects are due either to exchange interactions between magnetic moments on magnetic ions, or to exchange interactions between magnetic moments and the spin of the charge carrier. These effects vary with the transition metal (Mn, Fe, Co) or rare earth (Eu, Gd, etc) used and thus provide a range of different situations. The field is very large (zero gap, small gap, wide gap), and the magnetic properties also are very rich (paramagnetic spin glass, antiferromagnetism). These materials are very convenient for studying the magnetism (the magnetism is diluted) or the superlattices (SL) with a continuous change from type II SL to type III SL. This Course attempted to provide a complete overview of the topic. The participants of this summer school held in Erice came from ten countries and were from various backgrounds and included theoreticians, experimentalists, physicists, and chemists. Consequently, an attempt was made to make the Course as thorough as possible, but at the same time attention was devoted to basic principles. The lecturers, drawn from all the groups in the world involved in the field, were asked to be very didactic in their presentation. After two introductory lectures, Dr.

This book provides an overview of recent advances in memory interface design at both the architecture and circuit levels. Coverage includes signal integrity and testing, TSV interface, high-speed serial interface including equalization, ODT, pre-emphasis, wide I/O interface including crosstalk, skew cancellation, and clock generation and distribution. Trends for further bandwidth enhancement are also covered.

The operation of semiconductor devices depends upon the use of electrical potential barriers (such as gate depletion) in controlling the carrier densities (electrons and holes) and their transport. Although a successful device design is quite complicated and involves many aspects, the device engineering is mostly to devise a "best" device design by defIning optimal device structures and manipulating impurity profIles to obtain optimal control of the carrier flow through the device. This becomes increasingly diffIcult as the device scale becomes smaller and smaller. Since the introduction of integrated circuits, the number of individual transistors on a single chip has doubled approximately every three years. As the number of devices has grown, the critical dimension of the smallest feature, such as a gate length (which is related to the transport length defIning the channel), has consequently declined. The reduction of this design rule proceeds approximately by a factor of 1. 4 each generation, which means we will be using 0. 1-0. 15 ). lm rules for the 4 Gb chips a decade from now. If we continue this extrapolation, current technology will require 30 nm design rules, and a cell 3 2 size < 10 nm , for a 1Tb memory chip by the year 2020. New problems keep hindering the high-performance requirement. Well-known, but older, problems include hot carrier effects, short-channel effects, etc. A potential problem, which illustrates the need for quantum transport, is caused by impurity fluctuations.

This up-to-date monograph provides a thorough review of the relevant data and properties of the transition-metal impurities generated during silicon-sample and device fabrication. The different mechanisms responsible for contamination are discussed, and a survey is given of their impact on device performance. The specific properties of the main and rare impurities in silicon are examined, as well as the detection methods and requirements in modern technology. This new edition includes important recent data and many new tables.

Rapid thermal processing has contributed to the development of single wafer cluster processing tools and other innovations in integrated circuit manufacturing environments. Borisenko and Hesketh review theoretical and experimental progress in the field, discussing a wide range of materials, processes, and conditions. They thoroughly cover the work of international investigators in the field.

The workshop entitled Magnetic Susceptibility of Superconductors and other Spin Systems (S4) was held at Coolfont Resort and Health Spa. located near Berkley Springs West Virginia on May 20-23. 1991. There were over sixty attendees. approximately half from the United States. the remainder representing over twelve different countries. The international character of the workshop may be gleaned form the attendee list, included in this volume. The intent of the workshop was to bring together those experimentalists and theoreticians whose efforts have resulted in significant recent contributions to the development and use of the ac susceptibility technique as well as to the interpretation of data obtained from these measurements. Many spirited discussions occurred during and after the presentations. These are reflected in the manuscripts contained in these proceedings. Although camera ready manuscripts were required from all participants at registration, all manuscripts were revised and reflect the lively exchanges that followed each presentation. The small size of the workshop allowed the participants a high degree of flexibility. Consequently when a controversial topic such as "the irreversibility line" emerged, a special session was organized on the spot. At the suggestion of Ron Goldfarb, participants were invited to contribute a one page summary containing their thoughts on the topic. These stand alone contributions were retyped and included as submitted, with only minor editorial changes. These proceedings are intended for those experienced scientists new to the field and graduate students just beginning their research.

Nanoscale Science and Technology summarizes six years of active research sponsored by NATO with the participation of the leading experts. The book provides an interdisciplinary view of several aspects of physics at the atomic scale. It contains an overview of the latest findings on the transport of electrons in nanowires and nanoconstrictions, the role of forces in probe microscopy, the control of structures and properties in the nanometer range, aspects of magnetization in nanometric structures, and local probes for nondestructive measurement as provided by light and metal clusters near atomic scales.

The precedent book with the title "Structural Analysis of Point Defects in Solids: An introduction to multiple magnetic resonance spectroscopy" ap peared about 10 years ago. Since then a very active development has oc curred both with respect to the experimental methods and the theoretical interpretation of the experimental results. It would therefore not have been sufficient to simply publish a second edition of the precedent book with cor rections and a few additions. Furthermore the application of the multiple magnetic resonance methods has more and more shifted towards materials science and represents one of the important methods of materials analysis. Multiple magnetic resonances are used less now for "fundamental" studies in solid state physics. Therefore a more "pedestrian" access to the meth ods is called for to help the materials scientist to use them or to appreciate results obtained by using these methods. We have kept the two introduc tory chapters on conventional electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of the precedent book which are the base for the multiple resonance methods. The chapter on optical detection of EPR (ODEPR) was supplemented by sections on the structural information one can get from "forbidden" transitions as well as on spatial correlations between defects in the so-called "cross relaxation spectroscopy." High-field ODEPR/ENDOR was also added. The chapter on stationary electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) was supplemented by the method of stochastic END OR developed a few years ago in Paderborn which is now also commercially available."

Computer-aided-design (CAD) of semiconductor microtransducers is relatively new in contrast to their counterparts in the integrated circuit world. Integrated silicon microtransducers are realized using microfabrication techniques similar to those for standard integrated circuits (ICs). Unlike IC devices, however, microtransducers must interact with their environment, so their numerical simulation is considerably more complex. While the design of ICs aims at suppressing "parasitic effects, microtransducers thrive on optimizing the one or the other such effect. The challenging quest for physical models and simulation tools enabling microtransducer CAD is the topic of this book. It is intended as a text for graduate students in Electrical Engineering and Physics and as a reference for CAD engineers in the microsystems industry. This text evolved from a series of courses offered to graduate students from Electrical Engineering and Physics. Much of the material in the book can be presented in about 40 hours of lecture time. The book starts with an illustrative example which highlights the goals and benefits of microtransducer CAD. This follows with a summary of model equations describing electrical transport in semiconductor devices and microtransducers in the absence of external fields. Models treating the effects of the external radiant, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical fields on electrical transport are then systematically introduced. To enable a smooth transition into modeling of mechanical systems, an abridged version of solid structural and fluid mechanics is presented, whereby the focus is on pertinent model equations and boundary conditions. This follows with model equations and boundary conditions relevant to various types of mechanical microactuators including electrostatic, thermal, magnetic, piezoelectric, and electroacoustic. The book concludes with a glimpse into SPICE simulation of the mixed-signal microsystem, i.e., microtransducer plus circuitry. Where possible, the model equations are supplemented with tables and/or graphs of process-dependent material data to enable the CAD engineer to carry out simulations even when reliable material models are not available. IVZ LANG: Introduction: Modeling and Simulation of Microtransducers; Illustrative Example; Progress in Microtransducer Modeling; References.- Basic Electronic Transport: Poisson s Equation; Continuity Equations; Carrier Transport in Crystalline Materials and Isothermal Behavior; Electrical Conductivity and Isothermal Behavior in Polycrystalline Materials; Electrical Conductivity and Isothermal Behavior in Metals; Boundary and Interface Conditions; The External Fields What Do They Influence?; References.- Radiation Effects on Carrier Transport: Reflection and Transmission of Optical Signals; Modeling Optical Absorption in Intrinsic Semiconductors; Absorption in Heavily-Doped Semiconductors; Optical Generation Rate and Quantum Efficiency; Low Energy Interactions with Insulators and Metals; High Energy Interactions and Monte Carlo Simulations; Model Equations for Radiant Sensor Simulation; Illustrative Simulation Example Color Sensor; References.- Magnetic-Field Effects on Carrier Transport: Galvanomagnetic Transport Equation; Galvanomagnetic Transport Coefficients; Equations and Boundary Conditions for Magnetic Sensor Simulation; Illustrative Simulation Example Micromachined Magnetic Vector Probe; References.- Thermal Non-Uniformity Effects on Carrier Transport: Non-Isothermal Effects; Electrothermal Transport Model; Electrical and Thermal Transport Coefficients; Electro-Thermo-Magnetic Interactions; Heat Transfer in Thermal Microstructures; Summary of Equations and Computational Procedure; Illustrative Simulation Example Micro Pirani Gauge; References.- Mechanical Effects on Carrier Transport: Piezoresistive Effect; Strain and Electron Transport; Strain and Hole Transport; Piezojunction Effect; Effects of Stress Gradients; Galvano-Piezo-Magnetic Effects; The Piezo Drift-Diffusion Transport Model; Illustrative Simulation Example Stress Effects on Hall Sensors; References.- Mechanical and Fluidic Signals: Definitions; Model Equations for Mechanical Analysis; Model Equations for Analysis of Fluid Transport; Illustrative Simulation Example Analysis of Flow Channels; References.- Micro-Actuation: Transduction Principles; State-of-the-Art and Preview; Electrostatic Actuation; Thermal Actuation; Magnetic Actuation; Piezoelectric Actuation; Electroacoustic Transducers; Computational Procedure and Coupling; Illustrative Example CMOS Micromirror.- Microsystem Simulation: Electrical Analogues for Mixed-Signals and Historical Developments; Circuit Modeling and Implementation Considerations; Lumped Analysis: Illustrative Example Electrostatic Micromirror; Distributed Analysis: Illustrative Example Flow Microsensor; References.- Subject Index."

In recent years, III-V devices, integrated circuits, and superconducting integrated circuits have emerged as leading contenders for high-frequency and ultrahigh speed applications. GaAs MESFETs have been applied in microwave systems as low-noise and high-power amplifiers since the early 1970s, replacing silicon devices. The heterojunction high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT), invented in 1980, has become a key component for satellite broadcasting receiver systems, serving as the ultra-low-noise device at 12 GHz. Furthermore, the heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) has been considered as having the highest switching speed and cutoff frequency in the semiconductor device field. Initially most of these devices were used for analog high-frequency applications, but there is also a strong need to develop high-speed III-V digital devices for computer, telecom munication, and instrumentation systems, to replace silicon high-speed devices, because of the switching-speed and power-dissipation limitations of silicon. The potential high speed and low power dissipation of digital integrated circuits using GaAs MESFET, HEMT, HBT, and superconducting Josephson junction devices has evoked tremendous competition in the race to develop such technology. A technology review shows that Japanese research institutes and companies have taken the lead in the development of these devices, and some integrated circuits have already been applied to supercomputers in Japan. The activities of Japanese research institutes and companies in the III-V and superconducting device fields have been superior for three reasons. First, bulk crystal growth, epitaxial growth, process, and design technology were developed at the same time.

This book is about how to avoid the accidents and injuries that may occur when batteries are abused or mishandled. It is the first book to deal specifically with this subject in a reasonably comprehensive manner accessible to readers ranging from regular consumers to technical specialists. Batteries and battery processes are described in sufficient detail to enable readers to understand why and how batteries cause accidents and what can be done to prevent them. Each year in the United States alone, thousands of individuals are injured by battery accidents, some of which are severely disabling. The tragedy is that such accidents need not occur. The book is intended to satisfy the needs of a varied group of readers: battery users in general, battery engineers, and designers of battery-operated equipment and consumer electronics. Since the book is a reference source of information on batteries and battery chemicals, we believe it may also be useful to those studying the environment as well as to medical personnel called upon to treat battery injuries. There are no prerequisites for an under standing of the text other than an interest in batteries and their safe usage.

The conference ESSDERC '89 held in September 1989 in Berlin was concerned with the physics, electrical characteristics, reliability and processing of solid state devices and electronic materials. The proceedings contain all invited and contributed papers of the conference and thus becomes a state-of-the-art-report of solid state device research in Europe 1989.

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Coherent Optical Processes in Semiconductors was held in Cambridge, England on August 11-14,1993. The idea of holding this Workshop grew from the recent upsurge in activity on coherent transient effects in semiconductors. The development of this field reflects advances in both light sources and the quality of semiconductor structures, such that tunable optical pulses are now routinely available whose duration is shorter than the dephasing time for excitonic states in quantum wells. It was therefore no surprise to the organisers that as the programme developed, there emerged a heavy emphasis on time-resolved four-wave mixing, particularly in quantum wells. Nevertheless, other issues concerned with coherent effects ensured that several papers on related problems contributed some variety. The topics discussed at the workshop centred on what is a rather new field of study, and benefited enormously by having participants representing many of the principal groups working in this area. Several themes emerged through the invited contributions at the Workshop. One important development has been the careful examination of the two-level model of excitonic effects; a model which has been remarkably successful despite the expected complexities arising from the semiconductor band structure. Indeed, modest extensions to the two level model have been able to offer a useful account for some of the complicated polarisation dependence of four-wave mixing signals from GaAs quantum wells. This work clearly is leading to an improved understanding of excitons in confined systems.

We present an overview of the theoretical background and experimental re sults in the rapidly developing field of semiconductor quantum dots - systems 8 6 of dimensions as small as 10- -10- m (quasi-zero-dimensional) that contain a small and controllable number (1-1000) of electrons. The electronic structure of quantum dots, including the energy quan tization of the single-particle states (due to spatial confinement) and the evolution of these (Fock-Darwin) states in an increasing external magnetic field, is described. The properties of many-electron systems confined in a dot are also studied. This includes the separation of the center-of-mass mo tion for the parabolic confining potential (and hence the insensitivity of the transitions under far infrared radiation to the Coulomb interactions and the number of particles - the generalized Kohn theorem) and the effects due to Coulomb interactions (formation of the incompressible magic states at high magnetic fields and their relation to composite jermions), and finally the spin-orbit interactions. In addition, the excitonic properties of quantum dots are discussed, including the energy levels and the spectral function of a single exciton, the relaxation of confined carriers, the metastable states and their effect on the photoluminescence spectrum, the interaction of an exciton with carriers, and exciton condensation. The theoretical part of this work, which is based largely on original re sults obtained by the authors, has been supplemented with descriptions of various methods of creating quantum-dot structures."

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Band Structure Engineering in Semiconductor Microstructures held at Il Ciocco, Castelvecchio Pascali in Tuscany between 10th and 15th April 1988. Research on semiconductor microstructures has expanded rapidly in recent years as a result of developments in the semiconductor growth and device fabrication technologies. The emergence of new semiconductor structures has facilitated a number of approaches to producing systems with certain features in their electronic structure which can lead to useful or interesting properties. The interest in band structure engineering has stimd ated a variety of physical investigations and nove 1 device concepts and the field now exhibits a fascinating interplay betwepn pure physics and device technology. Devices based on microstruc tures are useful vehicles for fundamental studies but also new device ideas require a thorough understanding of the basic physics. Around forty researchers gathered at I1 Ciocco in the Spring of 1988 to discuss band structure engineering in semiconductor microstructures.

A major global issue that the world is facing today is the upcoming depletion of fossil fuels and the energy crisis. In 1998, the global annual energy consumption was 12. 7 TW; of which 80% was generated from fossil fuels. This also translates into huge annual emissions of CO that leads to massive environmental problems, 2 particularly the global warming, which could be disastrous. Future global annual energy needs are also estimated to rise dramatically. A major challenge confronting the world is to ?nd an additional 14-20 TW by 2050 when our energy reserves based on fossil fuels are vanishing. The massive demand for energy would require materials and/or processes that would help to provide new sources of clean ren- able energy or to develop processes that would harvest energy or to better utilize energy in an ef?cient manner. The present monograph, WOLEDs and Organic Photovoltaics - Recent Advances and Applications, focuses on a very important and timely subject of topical interest that deals with the more ef?cient use of energy through white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) for solid-state lighting and the development of clean sources of renewable energy through the harvesting of light energy for conversion into electrical energy in organic photovoltaics. While LED solid-state lighting and photovoltaics have been dominated by inorganic semiconductor materials and silicon-based solar cells, there have been growing interests in the development of WOLEDs and organic photovoltaics.

The theoretical basis and the relevant experimental knowledge underlying our present understanding of the electrical and optical properties of semiconductor heterostructures. Although such structures have been known since the 1940s, it was only in the 1980s that they moved to the forefront of research. The resulting structures have remarkable properties not shared by bulk materials. The text begins with a description of the electronic properties of various types of heterostructures, including discussions of complex band-structure effects, localised states, tunnelling phenomena, and excitonic states. The focus of the remainder of the book is on optical properties, including intraband absorption, luminescence and recombination, Raman scattering, subband optical transitions, nonlinear effects, and ultrafast optical phenomena. The concluding chapter presents an overview of some of the applications that make use of the physics discussed. Appendices provide background information on band structure theory, kinetic theory, electromagnetic modes, and Coulomb effects.

This monograph of Electro-Optical E?ects to Visualize Field- and Current- Distributions in Semiconductors consists of ?ve parts, four of which are based ontheresearchofcadmiumsul?de, wherealargenumberofcontributionswere made between 1958 and the late 1960s to directly observe ?eld and current distributionsandinterprettheirresults.Thevisualizationof?elddistributions was accomplished by using the Franz Keldysh e?ect, and the visualization of currentinhomogeneitiesusestheshiftoftheopticalabsorptionedgebyJoule's heating. The ?fth part deals with a review of the explosively developing ?eld of N- and S-shaped current voltage characteristics causing inhomogeneities and instabilities in ?eld and current distributions. This part of the book was composed by Eckehard Sch] oll of the Technical University in Berlin. A major emphasis is given to the ?rst part of the book in which s- tionary high-?eld domains are described. These domains can be used as an essential tool to determine unambiguously certain semiconductor properties, such as the electron density and its mobility as the function of the actual electric ?eld. It is also helpful to determine changes of the work function and electron a?nities between di?erent materials, such as for electrodes and h- erojunctions. Finally, it gives direct information about certain doping and their spacial pro?le."

Phthalocyanines exhibit intriguing physic-chemical properties that render them important as a class of molecular functional materials. In addition to their tra- tional industrial applications as dyes and pigments, more recently their use as the organic semiconductors,photodynamictherapy medicines, non-linear optical ma- rials, catalysts for the photo oxidation, optical recording materials, and gas sensors attracts great research interests in these tetrapyrrole species. As manifested by the rapidly increasing number of related scienti?c publications in recent years, great progress has been made in the ?eld of advanced phthalocyaninematerials. Tremendous efforts have been paid toward the development of new phtha- cyanine molecular materials as well as toward their applications. Recent emphasis in both academic researches and technical ?eld has been put on the design and synthesis of novel phthalocyanine species, the structure-propertyrelationship, se- assembly properties, molecular electronics and opto-electronics, and dye-sensitized solarcells.Althoughexcellentreviewsandmonographsaboutphthalocyanineswere publishedseveralyearsago,it is time to providea surveyof a numberof newimp- tant developments in this fascinating area of phthalocyanine chemistry. The aim of this book is to bring both the academic and industrial researchers an easy way to the new progress of phthalocyanines made lately in related ?eld.