Since the first bipolar transistor was investigated in 1947, enormous efforts have been devoted to semiconductor devices. The strong world wide competition in fabricating metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect of develop transistor (MOSFET) memories has accelerated the pace ments in semiconductor technology. Bipolar transistors play a major role due to their high-speed performance. Delay times of about 20 ps per gate have already been achieved. Because of this rapid technologi cal progress, it is difficult to predict the future with any certainty. In 1987 a special session on ultrafast bipolar transistors was held at the European Solid-State Device Research Conference. Its aim was to sum marize the most recent developments and to discuss the future of bip olar transistors. This book is based on that session but also includes contributions by other participants, such that a broad range of up-to is presented. Several conclusions can be drawn from date information this information: the first and most important is the very large poten tial for future progress still existing in this field. This progress is char acterized by the drive towards higher speed and lower power con sumption required for complex single-chip systems, as well as by sev eral concrete technological implementations for fulfilling these dem is that a large part of this potential can be ands. The second conclusion realized by rather unsophisticated techniques and configurations well suited to uncomplicated transfer to fabrication."

The summer school on "Silicon: Materials Science and Technology" was held at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily. It was the 16th course of a series in the International School of Materials Science and Technology. The course attracted participants from all over the world. 30 lectures were presented by internationally reputed experts in the field. The proceedings include all the lecture topics of the course. Short notes on the scientific work of the attendees are integrated with the main papers. The semiconductor material silicon is of paramount importance in micro electronics. The various aspects of the silicon materials science and its technol ogy were critically reviewed and the forseeable future developments of devices and integrated circuits were discussed during the two weeks of the course. The topics ranged from the fundamental physics to the applied science of processing technology and device fabrication covering crystal growth, processing technol ogy, defects, measurement methods, thin films, and device problems. The course brought together theoretical and experimental physicists and engineers from universities, research institutes and industry. The unique setting of the Ettore Majorana Centre in the ancient town of Erice created a friendly atmosphere for fruitful scientific exchange. Long dis cussions continued over lunch and only ended late at night in the wine cellar of the school."

It was about 1985 when both of the authors started their work using multigrid methods for process simulation problems. This happened in dependent from each other, with a completely different background and different intentions in mind. At this time, some important monographs appeared or have been in preparation. There are the three "classical" ones, from our point of view: the so-called "1984 Guide" [12J by Brandt, the "Multi-Grid Methods and Applications" [49J by Hackbusch and the so-called "Fundamentals" [132J by Stiiben and Trottenberg. Stiiben and Trottenberg in [132J state a "delayed acceptance, resent ments" with respect to multigrid algorithms. They complain: "Nevertheless, even today's situation is still unsatisfactory in several respects. If this is true for the development of standard methods, it applies all the more to the area of really difficult, complex applications." In spite of all the above mentioned publications and without ignoring important theoretical and practical improvements of multigrid, this situa tion has not yet changed dramatically. This statement is made under the condition that a numerical principle like multigrid is "accepted", if there exist "professional" programs for research and production purposes. "Professional" in this context stands for "solving complex technical prob lems in an industrial environment by a large community of users". Such a use demands not only for fast solution methods but also requires a high robustness with respect to the physical parameters of the problem.

Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) transistors are the basic building block ofMOS integrated circuits (I C). Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits using MOS technology have emerged as the dominant technology in the semiconductor industry. Over the past decade, the complexity of MOS IC's has increased at an astonishing rate. This is realized mainly through the reduction of MOS transistor dimensions in addition to the improvements in processing. Today VLSI circuits with over 3 million transistors on a chip, with effective or electrical channel lengths of 0. 5 microns, are in volume production. Designing such complex chips is virtually impossible without simulation tools which help to predict circuit behavior before actual circuits are fabricated. However, the utility of simulators as a tool for the design and analysis of circuits depends on the adequacy of the device models used in the simulator. This problem is further aggravated by the technology trend towards smaller and smaller device dimensions which increases the complexity of the models. There is extensive literature available on modeling these short channel devices. However, there is a lot of confusion too. Often it is not clear what model to use and which model parameter values are important and how to determine them. After working over 15 years in the field of semiconductor device modeling, I have felt the need for a book which can fill the gap between the theory and the practice of MOS transistor modeling. This book is an attempt in that direction.

This book contains the first comprehensive review of intrinsic point defects, impurities and their complexes in silicon. Besides compiling the structures, energetic properties, identified electrical levels and spectroscopic signatures, and the diffusion behaviour from investigations, it gives a comprehensive introduction into the relevant fundamental concepts.

System-on-a-chip (SoC) designs result in a wide range of high-complexity, high-value semiconductor products. As the technology scales towards smaller feature sizes and chips grow larger, a speed limitation arises due to an in creased RC delay associated with interconnection wires. Innovative circuit techniques are required to achieve the speed needed for high-performance signal processing. Current sensing is considered as a promising circuit class since it is inherently faster than conventional voltage sense amplifiers. How ever, especially in SRAM, current sensing has rarely been used so far. Practi cal implementations are challenging because they require sophisticated analog circuit techniques in a digital environment. The objective of this book is to provide a systematic and comprehen sive insight into current sensing techniques. Both theoretical and practical aspects are covered. Design guidelines are derived by systematic analysis of different circuit principles. Innovative concepts like compensation of the bit line multiplexer and auto-power-down will be explained based on theory and experimental results. The material will be interesting for design engineers in industry as well as researchers who want to learn about and apply current sensing techniques. The focus is on embedded SRAM but the material presented can be adapted to single-chip SRAM and to any other current-providing memory type as well. This includes emerging memory technologies like magnetic RAM (MRAM) and Ovonic Unified Memory (OUM). Moreover, it is also applicable to array like structures such as CMOS camera chips and to circuits for signal trans mission along highly capacitive busses."

During the last 20 years interest in high-resolution x-ray diffractometry and reflectivity has grown as a result of the development of the semiconductor industry and the increasing interest in material research of thin layers of magnetic, organic, and other materials. For example, optoelectronics requires a subsequent epitaxy of thin layers of different semiconductor materials. Here, the individuallayer thicknesses are scaled down to a few atomic layers in order to exploit quantum effects. For reasons of electronic and optical confinement, these thin layers are embedded within much thicker cladding layers or stacks of multilayers of slightly different chemical composition. It is evident that the interface quality of those quantum weHs is quite important for the function of devices. Thin metallic layers often show magnetic properties which do not ap pear for thick layers or in bulk material. The investigation of the mutual interaction of magnetic and non-magnetic layers leads to the discovery of colossal magnetoresistance, for example. This property is strongly related to the thickness and interface roughness of covered layers."

In this chapter, first the parametric principle is illustrated by two simple examples, one mechanical and one electrical. Then the realization of time varying reactances is explained, followed by a short history of "parametric electronics." This survey demonstrates the importance of parametric circuits in the field of low-noise microwave electronics as well as explains the organization of this book. 1.1 The Parametric Principle An oscillating system comprising a single or several time-varying energy storing elements is called a parametric system; usually the variations are harmonic functions of time. Everybody knows one example of a mechanical parametric system from his childhood, namely, a swing. Therefore, we will start with this example though as it turns out, a swing is a rather compli cated parametric system. Fortunately, the electrical parametric systems, which form the object of this book, are simpler. Figure 1.1 shows such a swing. If it is removed from its equilibrium position and the child stands on it in a fixed attitude, the swing oscillates with a certain amplitude, the magnitude of which decreases with time due to the mechanical friction of the system. To increase the amplitude of oscil lation, the child changes positions during swinging: it crouches and straightens in a certain way twice during one cycle of the swing."

This book presents theory, fundamentals and applications of ferroelectricy. 24 chapters gather reviews and research reports covering the spectrum of ferroelectricity. It describes the current levels of understanding of various aspects of ferroelectricity as presented by authorities in the field. Topics include relaxors, piezoelectrics, microscale and nanoscale studies, polymers and composites, unusual properties, and techniques and devices. The book is intended for physicists, engineers and materials scientists working with ferroelectric materials.

In November 2001 the Mathematical Research Center at Oberwolfach, Germany, hosted the third Conference on Mathematical Models and Numerical Simulation in Electronic Industry. It brought together researchers in mathematics, electrical engineering and scientists working in industry.

The contributions to this volume try to bridge the gap between basic and applied mathematics, research in electrical engineering and the needs of industry.

Integrated circuits are finding ever wider applications through a range of industries. Introduction to VLSI Process Engineering presents the design principles for devices, describes the overall VLSI process, and deals with the essential manufacturing technologies and inspection procedures.

Silicon-Based Millimeter-Wave Devices describes field-theoretical methods for the design and analysis of planar waveguide structures and antennas. The principles and limitations of transit-time devices with different injection mechanisms are discussed, as are aspects of fabrication and characterization. The physical properties of silicon Schottky contacts and diodes are treated in a separate chapter. Two chapters cover the silicon/germanium devices: physics and RF properties of the heterobipolar transistor and quantum effect devices such as the resonant tunneling element are described. The integration of devices in monolithic circuits is explained and advanced technologies are presented along with the self-mixing oscillator operation. Finally sensor and system applications are considered.

"Phase Change Materials: Science and Applications" provides a unique introduction of this rapidly developing field. Clearly written and well-structured, this volume describes the material science of these fascinating materials from a theoretical and experimental perspective. Readers will find an in-depth description of their existing and potential applications in optical and solid state storage devices as well as reconfigurable logic applications.

Researchers, graduate students and scientists with an interest in this field will find "Phase Change Materials" to be a valuable reference.

In Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation in Semiconductors and Devices the contributions of the International Conference on Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation in the Natural Environment (ICPF '94) in Noordwijkerhout, held by many internationally reknown experts, are compiled. To connect the field of semiconductor physics with the theory of nonequilibrium dissipative systems, the emphasis lies on the study of localized structures, their stability and bifurcation behaviour. A point of special interest is the evolution of dynamic structures and the investigation of more complex structures arising from interactions between these structures. Possible applications of nonlinear effects and self-organization phenomena with respect to signal processing are discussed.

In the past, a number of Satellite Conferences have been held in con nection with the International Conference on Physics of Semiconductors, covering selected fields of interest. In 1986, when the main conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden, new. phenomena had to be discussed: super lattices, hot 'electron phenomena and new device structures for high-speed applications. The aim was to select topics which would be of interest to physicists as well as to electronics engineers. Therefore a Satellite Con ference on H gh-Speed Electronics, Basic Physical Phenomena and Device Principles, was arranged at Saltjobaden, a coastal resort near Stockholm. An organizing committee was established after the first suggestion made by Professor Grimmeiss from the University of Lund, Sweden, and some preliminary discussions on the Conference format. A Program Committee was established to be responsible for the further selection of the invited talks, the regular papers and poster presentation. The aim was to have a broad spectrum of contributions to attract physicists as well as device oriented engineers and to stimulate discussions among the participants. These Proceedings contain all oral and poster presentations, with em phasis on the invited talks, which give a competent overview of the field. The fast publication by Springer-Verlag has permitted the presentation of an up-to-date survey of the principles of high-speed electronics. Incorpo ration in the Springer Series in Electronics and Photonics will enable the book to be distributed worldwide and to reach all interested scientists."

This 1993 book shows how formal logic can be used to specify the behaviour of hardware designs and reason about their correctness. A primary theme of the book is the use of abstraction in hardware specification and verification. The author describes how certain fundamental abstraction mechanisms for hardware verification can be formalised in logic and used to express assertions about design correctness and the relative accuracy of models of hardware behaviour. His approach is pragmatic and driven by examples. He also includes an introduction to higher-order logic, which is a widely used formalism in this subject, and describes how that formalism is actually used for hardware verification. The book is based in part on the author's own research as well as on graduate teaching. Thus it can be used to accompany courses on hardware verification and as a resource for research workers.

This volume presents a discussion of the latest results in the physics of low-dimensional structures. At the winter school major breakthroughs were reported, and some of the excitement of the participants is reflected in the contributions. The topics treated range from the fabrication of microstructures and the physical background of future semiconductor devices to vertical transport in nanostructures, universal conductance fluctuations, and the transition from two-dimensional to one-dimensional conduction in semiconductor structures.

There are many exciting trends and developments in the communications industry, several of which are related to advances in fast packet switching, multi media services, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and high-speed protocols. It seems fair to say that the face of networking has been rapidly changing and the distinction between LANs, MANs, and WANs is becoming more and more blurred. It is commonly believed in the industry that ATM represents the next generation in networking. The adoption of ATM standards by the research and development community as a unifying technology for communications that scales from local to wide area has been met with great enthusiasm from the business community and end users. Reflecting these trends, the technical program of the First International Conference on LAN Interconnection consists of papers addressing a wide range of technical challenges and state of the art reviews. We are fortunate to have assembled a strong program committee, expert speakers, and panelists. We would like to thank Professor Schwartz for his keynote speech. We would like to thank Professor Yannis Viniotis and his students for the preparation of the index. We gratefully acknowledge the generous financial support of Dr. Jon Fjeld, Mr. Rick McGee, and Mr. David Witt, all of IBM-Research Triangle Park. We also would like to thank Ms. Mary Safford, our editor, and Mr. John Matzka, both at Plenum Press, for the publication of the proceedings.

Intersubband transitions in quantum wells have attracted tremendous attention in recent years, mainly due to the promise of applications in the mid and far-infrared regions (2--20 mum). Many of the papers presented in Quantum Well Intersubband Transition Physics and Devices are on the basic linear intersubband transition processes, detector physics and detector application, reflecting the current state of understanding and detector applications, where highly uniform, large focal plane arrays have been demonstrated. Other areas are still in their early stages, including infrared modulation, harmonic generation and emission.

Fatigue Life Prediction of Solder Joints in Electronic Packages with ANSYS (R) describes the method in great detail starting from the theoretical basis. The reader is supplied with an add-on software package to ANSYS (R) that is designed for solder joint fatigue reliability analysis of electronic packages. Specific steps of the analysis method are discussed through examples without leaving any room for confusion. The add-on package along with the examples make it possible for an engineer with a working knowledge of ANSYS (R) to perform solder joint reliability analysis. Fatigue Life Prediction of Solder Joints in Electronic Packages with ANSYS (R) allows the engineers to conduct fatigue reliability analysis of solder joints in electronic packages.

The synthesis of multicomponent/multilayered superconducting, conducting, semiconducting and insulating thin films has become the subject of an intensive, worldwide, interdisciplinary research effort. The development of deposition-characterization techniques and the science and technology related to the synthesis of these films are critical for the successful evolution of this interdisciplinary field of research and the implementation of the new materials in a whole new generation of advanced microdevices. This book contains the lectures and contributed papers on various scientific and technological aspects of multicomponent and multilayered thin films presented at a NATO/ASI. Compared to other recent books on thin films, the distinctive character of this book is the interdisciplinary treatment of the various fields of research related to the different thin film materials mentioned above. The wide range of topics discussed in this book include vacuum-deposition techniques, synthesis-processing, characterization, and devices of multicomponent/multilayered oxide high temperature superconducting, ferroelectric, electro-optic, optical, metallic, silicide, and compound semiconductor thin films. The book presents an unusual intedisciplinary exchange of ideas between researchers with cross-disciplinary backgrounds and it will be useful to established investigators as well as postdoctoral and graduate students.

The ability to engineer the bandstructure and the wavefunction over length scales previously inaccessible to technology using artificially structured materials and nanolithography has led to a new class of electron semiconductor devices whose operation is controlled by quantum effects. These structures not only represent exciting tools for investigating new quantum phenomena in semiconductors, but also offer exciting opportunities for applications. This book gives the first comprehensive treatment of the physics of quantum electron devices. This interdisciplinary field, at the junction between material science, physics and technology, has witnessed an explosive growth in recent years. This volume presents a detailed coverage of the physics of the underlying phenomena, and their device and circuit applications, together with fabrication and growth technology.

Lectures on Non-linear Plasma Kinetics is an introduction to modern non-linear plasma physics showing how many of the techniques of modern non-linear physics find applications in plasma physics and how, in turn, the results of this research find applications in astrophysics. Emphasis is given to explaining the physics of nonlinear processes and the radical change of cross-sections by collective effects. The author discusses new nonlinear phenomena involving the excitation of coherent nonlinear structures and the dynamics of their random motions in relation to new self-organization processes. He also gives a detailed description of applications of the general theory to various research fields, including the interaction of powerful radiation with matter, controlled thermonuclear research, etc.

Technological advances in semiconductor growth has opened a broad horizon for semiconductor physics and applications during the past 20 years. High quality two-. dimensional systems are achieved with nearly atomic precision by direct epitaxial growth. Such structures led to novel applications like low noise high frequency modulation doped field effect transistors and quantum well lasers. Semiconductor heterostructures of lower dimensionality like quantum wires and quantum dots are not yet as mature, partly due to the lack in precision oflateral structuring technology. In recent years, however, there was an enormous progress in novel epitaxial growth methods. This opens a wide new area of basic and applied semiconductor physics with the hope of novel applications in near future making use of the advantageous properties of one- and zero-dimensional systems. Ideas for future device applications mainly stem from the altered density of states being discrete or atomic-like for quantum dots. Optical spectroscopy has played and is playing a crucial role in the advancement of this fascinating field of semiconductor physics. The NATO school organized at Bilkent University in Ankara and in Antalya brought together experts in this field and newcomers, especially young Ph. D. students and postdocs, to learn about recent developments and to discuss open questions in the area of optical spectroscopy of low dimensional semiconductors. The school turned out to be extremely fruitful and there was a great enthusiasm among the lecturers and students during the whole two weeks.

For several years, the two parallel worlds of Molecular Conductors in one hand and Molecular Magnetism in the other have grown side by side, the former essentially based on radical organic molecules, the latter essentially based on the high spin properties of metal complexes. Over the last few years however, organometallic derivatives have started to play an increasingly important role in both worlds, and have in many ways contributed to open several passages between these two worlds. This volume recognizes this important emerging evolution of both research areas. It is not intended to give a comprehensive view of all possible organometallic materials, and polymers for example were not considered here. Rather we present a selection of the most recent research topics where organometallic derivatives were shown to play a crucial role in the setting of conducting and/or magnetic properties in crystalline materials. First, the role of organometallic anions in tet- thiafulvalenium-based molecular conductors is highlighted by Schlueter, while Kubo and Kato describe very recent ortho-metalated chelating ligands appended to the TTF core and their conducting salts. The combination of conducting and magnetic properties and the search for p-d interactions are analyzed in two comp- mentary contributions by Myazaki and Ouahab, while Valade focuses on the only class of metal bis(dithiolene) complexes to give rise to superconductive molecular materials, in association with organic as well as organometallic cations.