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.

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.

This book provides a modern introduction to the growth, characterization, and physics of iron-based superconducting thin films. Iron pnictide and iron chalcogenide compounds have become intensively studied key materials in condensed matter physics due to their potential for high temperature superconductivity. With maximum critical temperatures of around 60 K, the new superconductors rank first after the celebrated cuprates, and the latest announcements on ultrathin films promise even more. Thin film synthesis of these superconductors began in 2008 immediately after their discovery, and this growing research area has seen remarkable progress up to the present day, especially with regard to the iron chalcogenides FeSe and FeSe1-xTex, the iron pnictide BaFe2-xCoxAs2 and iron-oxyarsenides. This essential volume provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art coverage of iron-based superconducting thin films in topical chapters with detailed information on thin film synthesis and growth, analytical film characterization, interfaces, and various aspects on physics and materials properties. Current efforts towards technological applications and functional films are outlined and discussed. The development and latest results for monolayer FeSe films are also presented. This book serves as a key reference for students, lecturers, industry engineers, and academic researchers who would like to gain an overview of this complex and growing research area.

Superconductors with high critical temperatures are extremely complex and it remains difficult to synthesize high quality samples. In this regard, the materials and crystallographic aspects, drawing together the fields of structural chemistry and physics, solid state chemistry and physics, and applications and properties, both for cuprate and organic superconductors, play a vital role in our understanding of the phenomenon. Among other things, the contributions to local structural elucidation contained in the present work should affect the reader's prejudices concerning the idealized average structure.

Semiconductor quantum optics is on the verge of moving from the lab to real world applications. When stepping from basic research to new technologies, device engineers will need new simulation tools for the design and optimization of quantum light sources, which combine classical device physics with cavity quantum electrodynamics. This thesis aims to provide a holistic description of single-photon emitting diodes by bridging the gap between microscopic and macroscopic modeling approaches. The central result is a novel hybrid quantum-classical model system that self-consistently couples semi-classical carrier transport theory with open quantum many-body systems. This allows for a comprehensive description of quantum light emitting diodes on multiple scales: It enables the calculation of the quantum optical figures of merit together with the simulation of the spatially resolved current flow in complex, multi-dimensional semiconductor device geometries out of one box. The hybrid system is shown to be consistent with fundamental laws of (non-)equilibrium thermodynamics and is demonstrated by numerical simulations of realistic devices.

The science and technology related to semiconductors have received significant attention for applications in various fields including microelectronics, nanophotonics, and biotechnologies. Understanding of semiconductors has advanced to such a level that we are now able to design novel system complexes before we go for the proof-of-principle experimental demonstration. This book explains the experimental setups for optical spectral analysis of semiconductors and describes the experimental methods and the basic quantum mechanical principles underlying the fast-developing nanotechnology for semiconductors. Further, it uses numerous case studies with detailed theoretical discussions and calculations to demonstrate the data analysis. Covering structures ranging from bulk to the nanoscale, it examines applications in the semiconductor industry and biomedicine. Starting from the most basic physics of geometric optics, wave optics, quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, it provides a self-contained resource on the subject for university undergraduates. The book can be further used as a toolbox for researching and developing semiconductor nanotechnology based on spectroscopy.

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 work describes theoretical and experimental advances towards the realization of a hybrid quantum processor in which the collective degrees of freedom of an ensemble of spins in a crystal are used as a multi-qubit register for superconducting qubits. A memory protocol made of write, read and reset operations is first presented, followed by the demonstration of building blocks of its implementation with NV center spins in diamond. Qubit states are written by resonant absorption of a microwave photon in the spin ensemble and read out of the memory on-demand by applying Hahn echo refocusing techniques to the spins. The reset step is implemented in between two successive write-read sequences using optical repumping of the spins.

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.

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"

Electronic devices based on oxide semiconductors are the focus of much attention, with crystalline materials generating huge commercial success. Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) transistors have a higher mobility than amorphous silicon transistors, and an extremely low off-state current. C-axis aligned crystalline (CAAC) IGZO enables aggressive down-scaling, high reliability, and process simplification of transistors in displays and LSI devices. This original book introduces the CAAC-IGZO structure, and describes the physics and technology of this new class of oxide materials. It explains the crystallographic classification and characteristics of crystalline oxide semiconductors, their crystallographic characteristics and physical properties, and how this unique material has made a major contribution to the field of oxide semiconductor thin films. Two further books in this series describe applications of CAAC-IGZO in flat-panel displays and LSI devices. Key features: * Introduces the unique and revolutionary, yet relatively unknown crystalline oxide semiconductor CAAC-IGZO * Presents crystallographic overviews of IGZO and related compounds. * Offers an in-depth understanding of CAAC-IGZO. * Explains the fabrication method of CAAC-IGZO thin films. * Presents the physical properties and latest data to support high-reliability crystalline IGZO based on hands-on experience. * Describes the manufacturing process the CAAC-IGZO transistors and introduces the device application using CAAC-IGZO.

This book systematically introduces the single frequency semiconductor laser, which is widely used in many vital advanced technologies, such as the laser cooling of atoms and atomic clock, high-precision measurements and spectroscopy, coherent optical communications, and advanced optical sensors. It presents both the fundamentals and characteristics of semiconductor lasers, including basic F-P structure and monolithic integrated structures; interprets laser noises and their measurements; and explains mechanisms and technologies relating to the main aspects of single frequency lasers, including external cavity lasers, frequency stabilization technologies, frequency sweeping, optical phase locked loops, and so on. It paints a clear, physical picture of related technologies and reviews new developments in the field as well. It will be a useful reference to graduate students, researchers, and engineers in the field.

Epitaxial integration of III-V semiconductors on silicon substrates has been desired over decades for high application potential in microelectronics, photovoltaics, and beyond. The performance of optoelectronic devices is still severely impaired by critical defect mechanisms driven by the crucial polar-on-nonpolar heterointerface. This thesis reports almost lattice-matched growth of thin gallium phosphide films as a viable model system for III-V/Si(100) interface investigations. The impact of antiphase disorder on the heteroepitaxial growth surface provides quantitative optical in situ access to one of the most notorious defect mechanisms, even in the vapor phase ambient common for compound semiconductor technology. Precise control over the surface structure of the Si(100) substrates prior to III-V nucleation prevents the formation of antiphase domains. The hydrogen-based process ambient enables the preparation of anomalous double-layer step structures on Si(100), highly beneficial for subsequent III-V integration.

This book equips readers with tools for computer architecture of high performance, low power, and high reliability memory hierarchy in computer systems based on emerging memory technologies, such as STTRAM, PCM, FBDRAM, etc. The techniques described offer advantages of high density, near-zero static power, and immunity to soft errors, which have the potential of overcoming the "memory wall." The authors discuss memory design from various perspectives: emerging memory technologies are employed in the memory hierarchy with novel architecture modification; hybrid memory structure is introduced to leverage advantages from multiple memory technologies; an analytical model named "Moguls" is introduced to explore quantitatively the optimization design of a memory hierarchy; finally, the vulnerability of the CMPs to radiation-based soft errors is improved by replacing different levels of on-chip memory with STT-RAMs.

The advent of microelectromechanic system (MEMS) technologies and nanotechnologies has resulted in a multitude of structures and devices with ultra compact dimensions and with vastly enhanced or even completely novel properties. In the field of photonics it resulted in the appearance of new paradigms, including photonic crystals that exhibit photonic bandgap and represent an optical analog of semiconductors and metamaterials that have subwavelength features and may have almost arbitrary values of effective refractive index, including those below zero. In addition to that, a whole new field of plasmonics appeared, dedicated to the manipulation with evanescent, surface-bound electromagnetic waves and offering an opportunity to merge nanoelectronics with all-optical circuitry. In the field of infrared technologies MEMS and nanotechnologies ensured the appearance of a new generation of silicon-based thermal detectors with properties vastly surpassing the conventional thermal devices. However, another family of infrared detectors, photonic devices based on narrow-bandgap semiconductors, has traditionally been superior to thermal detectors. Literature about their micro and nanophotonic enhancement has been scarce and scattered through journals. This book offers the first systematic approach to numerous different MEMS and nanotechnology-based methods available for the improvement of photonic infrared detectors and points out to a path towards uncooled operation with the performance of cryogenically cooled devices. It is shown that a vast area for enhancement does exists and that photonic devices can readily keep their leading position in infrared detection. The various methods and approaches described in the book are also directly applicable to different other types of photodetectors like solar cells, often with little or no modification.

This book examines in detail the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau functional, the model most commonly used in the study of superconductivity. Specifically covered are cases in the presence of a strong magnetic field and with a sufficiently large Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappa. Spectral Methods in Surface Superconductivity is intended for students and researchers with a graduate-level understanding of functional analysis, spectral theory, and the analysis of partial differential equations. The book also includes an overview of all nonstandard material as well as important semi-classical techniques in spectral theory that are involved in the nonlinear study of superconductivity.

This book provides a systematic presentation of the principles and practices behind the synthesis and functionalization of graphene and grapheme oxide (GO), as well as the fabrication techniques for transparent conductors from these materials. Transparent conductors are used in a wide variety of photoelectronic and photovoltaic devices, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), solar cells, optical communication devices, and solid-state lighting. Thin films made from indium tin oxide (ITO) have thus far been the dominant source of transparent conductors, and now account for 50% of indium consumption. However, the price of Indium has increased 1000% in the last 10 years. Graphene, a two-dimensional monolayer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms, has attracted significant interest because of its unique transport properties. Because of their high optical transmittance and electrical conductivity, thin film electrodes made from graphene nanosheets have been considered an ideal candidate to replace expensive ITO films. Graphene for Transparent Conductors offers a systematic presentation of the principles, theories and technical practices behind the structure-property relationship of the thin films, which are the key to the successful development of high-performance transparent conductors. At the same time, the unique perspectives provided in the applications of graphene and GO as transparent conductors will serve as a general guide to the design and fabrication of thin film materials for specific applications.

This book describes the history of and recent developments in cobaltite and the spin-crossover (SC) phenomena. It offers readers an overview of essential research conducted on cobaltite and introduces them to the fundamentals of condensed matter physics research. The book consists of two parts. The first part reviews SC phenomena, covering the fundamental physics of SC phenomena and basic material properties of cobaltite. The second part focuses on recent topics in SC cobaltite, including the optical and dynamical features of cobaltite, thin material fabrication, and thermoelectric properties. The comprehensive coverage and clearly structured topics will especially appeal to newcomers to the field of state-of-the-art research on cobaltite and SC physics.

Thermoelectric devices could play an important role in making efficient use of our energy resources but their efficiency would need to be increased for their wide scale application. There is a multidisciplinary search for materials with an enhanced thermoelectric responses for use in such devices. This volume covers the latest ideas and developments in this research field, covering topics ranging from the fabrication and characterization of new materials, particularly those with strong electron correlation, use of nanostructured, layered materials and composites, through to theoretical work to gain a deeper understanding of thermoelectric behavior. It should be a useful guide and stimulus to all working in this very topical field.

Since its inception in 1966, the series of numbered volumes known as "Semiconductors and Semimetals" has distinguished itself through the careful selection of well-known authors, editors, and contributors. The "Willardson and Beer" Series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in publishing numerous landmark volumes and chapters. Not only did many of these volumes make an impact at the time of their publication, but they continue to be well-cited years after their original release. Recently, Professor Eicke R. Weber of the University of California at Berkeley joined as a co-editor of the series. Professor Weber, a well-known expert in the field of semiconductor materials, will further contribute to continuing the series' tradition of publishing timely, highly relevant, and long-impacting volumes. Some of the recent volumes, such as "Hydrogen in Semiconductors, Imperfections in III/V Materials, Epitaxial Microstructures, High-Speed Heterostructure Devices, Oxygen in Silicon, " and others promise that this tradition will be maintained and even expanded. Reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of the field that the series covers, the volumes in "Semiconductors and Semimetals" have been and will continue to be of great interest to physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and device engineers in modern industry.

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.

Life-Cycle Assessment of Semiconductors presents the first and thus far only available transparent and complete life cycle assessment of semiconductor devices. A lack of reliable semiconductor LCA data has been a major challenge to evaluation of the potential environmental benefits of information technologies (IT). The analysis and results presented in this book will allow a higher degree of confidence and certainty in decisions concerning the use of IT in efforts to reduce climate change and other environmental effects. Coverage includes but is not limited to semiconductor manufacturing trends by product type and geography, unique coverage of life-cycle assessment, with a focus on uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of energy and global warming missions for CMOS logic devices, life cycle assessment of flash memory and life cycle assessment of DRAM. The information and conclusions discussed here will be highly relevant and useful to individuals and institutions.

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.

This book provides expert coverage of modern and novel aspects of the study of vortex matter, dynamics, and pinning in nanostructured and multi-component superconductors. Vortex matter in superconducting materials is a field of enormous beauty and intellectual challenge, which began with the theoretical prediction of vortices by A. Abrikosov (Nobel Laureate). Vortices, vortex dynamics, and pinning are key features in many of today's human endeavors: from the huge superconducting accelerating magnets and detectors at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which opened new windows of knowledge on the universe, to the tiny superconducting transceivers using Rapid Single Flux Quanta, which have opened a revolutionary means of communication. In recent years, two new features have added to the intrinsic beauty and complexity of the subject: nanostructured/nanoengineered superconductors, and the discovery of a range of new materials showing multi-component (multi-gap) superconductivity. In this book, leading researchers survey the most exciting and important recent developments in the field. Topics covered include: the use of scanning Hall probe microscopy to visualize interactions of a single vortex with pinning centers; Magneto-Optical Imaging for investigating what vortex avalanches are, why they appear, and how they can be controlled; and the vortex interactions responsible for the second magnetization peak. Other chapters discuss nanoengineered pinning centers of vortices for improved current-carrying capabilities, current anisotropy in cryomagnetic devices in relation to the pinning landscape, and the new physics associated with the discovery of new superconducting materials with multi-component superconductivity. The book offers something for almost everybody interested in the field: from experimental techniques to visualize vortices and study their dynamics, to a state-of-the-art theoretical microscopic approach to multicomponent superconductivity.