This book presents the current level of understanding of the structural, electronic and optical properties of amorphous semiconductors. As amorphous materials depart significantly from the crystalline counterparts, some of the basic problems associated with the validity of the effective mass approximation, whether K is a good quantum number, and concepts of phonons and excitons will be addressed in detail. A significant part of the book is devoted to present recent progress made in the understanding of light-induced degradations in amorphous semiconductors, which is regarded as the most limiting problem in device applications. The monograph presents a comprehensive review of both experimental and theoretical studies on amorphous semiconductors.

This concise primer on photovoltaic solar energy conversion invites readers to reflect on the conversion of solar light into energy at the most fundamental level and encourages newcomers to the field to help find meaningful answers on how photovoltaic solar energy conversion can work (better), eventually contributing to its ongoing advancement. The book is based on lectures given to graduate students in the Physics Department at the University of Oldenburg over the last two decades, yet also provides an easy-to-follow introduction for doctoral and postdoctoral students from related disciplines such as the materials sciences and electrical engineering. Inspired by classic textbooks in the field, it reflects the author's own ideas on how to understand, visualize and eventually teach the microscopic physical mechanisms and effects, while keeping the text as concise as possible so as to introduce interested readers to the field and balancing essential knowledge with open questions.

For many decades, the semiconductor industry has miniaturized transistors, delivering increased computing power to consumers at decreased cost. However, mere transistor downsizing does no longer provide the same improvements. One interesting option to further improve transistor characteristics is to use high mobility materials such as germanium and III-V materials. However, transistors have to be redesigned in order to fully benefit from these alternative materials. High Mobility and Quantum Well Transistors: Design and TCAD Simulation investigates planar bulk Germanium pFET technology in chapters 2-4, focusing on both the fabrication of such a technology and on the process and electrical TCAD simulation. Furthermore, this book shows that Quantum Well based transistors can leverage the benefits of these alternative materials, since they confine the charge carriers to the high-mobility material using a heterostructure. The design and fabrication of one particular transistor structure - the SiGe Implant-Free Quantum Well pFET - is discussed. Electrical testing shows remarkable short-channel performance and prototypes are found to be competitive with a state-of-the-art planar strained-silicon technology. High mobility channels, providing high drive current, and heterostructure confinement, providing good short-channel control, make a promising combination for future technology nodes.

This book mainly focuses on the study of the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 by vacuum, ultra-violet, laser-based, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). A new form of electron coupling has been identified in Bi2212, which occurs in the superconducting state. For the first time, the Bogoliubov quasiparticle dispersion with a clear band back-bending has been observed with two peaks in the momentum distribution curve in the superconducting state at a low temperature. Readers will find useful information about the technique of angle-resolved photoemission and the study of high-temperature superconductors using this technique. Dr. Wentao Zhang received his PhD from the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Density functional theory (DFT) has become the standard workhorse for quantum mechanical simulations as it offers a good compromise between accuracy and computational cost.
However, there are many important systems for which DFT performs very poorly, most notably strongly-correlated materials, resulting in a significant recent growth in interest in 'beyond DFT' methods. The widely used DFT+U technique, in particular, involves the addition of explicit Coulomb repulsion terms to reproduce the physics of spatially-localised electronic subspaces.
The magnitude of these corrective terms, measured by the famous Hubbard U parameter, has received much attention but less so for the projections used to delineate these subspaces.
The dependence on the choice of these projections is studied in detail here and a method to overcome this ambiguity in DFT+U, by self-consistently determining the projections, is introduced.
The author shows how nonorthogonal representations for electronic states may be used to construct these projections and, furthermore, how DFT+U may be implemented with a linearly increasing cost with respect to system size.
The use of nonorthogonal functions in the context of electronic structure calculations is extensively discussed and clarified, with new interpretations and results, and, on this topic, this work may serve as a reference for future workers in the field."

At extremely low temperatures, clouds of bosonic atoms form what is known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. Recently, it has become clear that many different types of condensates -- so called fragmented condensates -- exist. In order to tell whether fragmentation occurs or not, it is necessary to solve the full many-body Schrodinger equation, a task that remained elusive for experimentally relevant conditions for many years. In this thesis the first numerically exact solutions of the time-dependent many-body Schrodinger equation for a bosonic Josephson junction are provided and compared to the approximate Gross-Pitaevskii and Bose-Hubbard theories. It is thereby shown that the dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates is far more intricate than one would anticipate based on these approximations. A special conceptual innovation in this thesis are optimal lattice models. It is shown how all quantum lattice models of condensed matter physics that are based on Wannier functions, e.g. the Bose/Fermi Hubbard model, can be optimized variationally. This leads to exciting new physics."

The book covers all aspects from the expansion of the Boltzmann transport equation with harmonic functions to application to devices, where transport in the bulk and in inversion layers is considered. The important aspects of stabilization and band structure mapping are discussed in detail. This is done not only for the full band structure of the 3D k-space, but also for the warped band structure of the quasi 2D hole gas. Efficient methods for building the Schrodinger equation for arbitrary surface or strain directions, gridding of the 2D k-space and solving it together with the other two equations are presented."

Kalia and Fu's novel monograph covers cryogenic treatment, properties and applications of cryo-treated polymer materials. Written by numerous international experts, the twelve chapters in this book offer the reader a comprehensive picture of the latest findings and developments, as well as an outlook on the field. Cryogenic technology has seen remarkable progress in the past few years and especially cryogenic properties of polymers are attracting attention through new breakthroughs in space, superconducting, magnetic and electronic techniques. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, educators, engineers and graduate students in the field and at technical institutions.

A modern and concise treatment of the solid state electronic devices that are fundamental to electronic systems and information technology is provided in this book. The main devices that comprise semiconductor integrated circuits are covered in a clear manner accessible to the wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines that are impacted by this technology. Catering to a wider audience is becoming increasingly important as the field of electronic materials and devices becomes more interdisciplinary, with applications in biology, chemistry and electro-mechanical devices (to name a few) becoming more prevalent. Updated and state-of-the-art advancements are included along with emerging trends in electronic devices and their applications. In addition, an appendix containing the relevant physical background will be included to assist readers from different disciplines and provide a review for those more familiar with the area. Readers of this book can expect to derive a solid foundation for understanding modern electronic devices and also be prepared for future developments and advancements in this far-reaching area of science and technology.

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 focuses on the study of synthesized ZnO powder using Zn(CH3COO)2 2H2O precursor, methanol (as solvent), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to vary the pH. The successfully synthesized ZnO powder from the sol-gel centrifugation and sol-gel storage methods were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence test to compare the properties of the nanoparticles. The best characteristic of the ZnO powder from both methods was observed when the powders were coated on an ITO glass to fabricate a PEC. The current density voltage performances of both PECs were investigated under luminescent and dark conditions.
"

Silicon photonics is currently a very active and progressive area of research, as silicon optical circuits have emerged as the replacement technology for copper-based circuits in communication and broadband networks. The demand for ever improving communications and computing performance continues, and this in turn means that photonic circuits are finding ever increasing application areas. This text provides an important and timely overview of the 'hot topics' in the field, covering the various aspects of the technology that form the research area of silicon photonics.

With contributions from some of the world's leading researchers in silicon photonics, this book collates the latest advances in the technology. "Silicon Photonics: the State of the Art" opens with a highly informative foreword, and continues to feature: the integrated photonic circuit;silicon photonic waveguides; photonic bandgap waveguides;mechanisms for optical modulation in silicon;silicon based light sources;optical detection technologies for silicon photonics;passive silicon photonic devices;photonic and electronic integration approaches;applications in communications and sensors.

"Silicon Photonics: the State of the Art" covers the essential elements of the entire field that is silicon photonics and is therefore an invaluable text for photonics engineers and professionals working in the fields of optical networks, optical communications, and semiconductor electronics. It is also an informative reference for graduate students studying for PhD in fibre optics, integrated optics, optical networking, microelectronics, or telecommunications.

Phase separation has become a fascinating subject in the discussion of cuprate superconductors. All these materials have layered structures containing CU02 planes as the most important building blocks. They are coupled only weakly so that the electronic properties show a nearly two-dimensional behaviour. Due to correlations the undoped compounds are insulators of the Mott Hubbard type exhibiting long-range antiferromagnetic order. Upon doping a rich scenario of physical phenomena appears: Even at low hole concentra tions the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature is reduced drastically and spin-glass behaviour as well as a hopping type conductivity can be observed. Further doping leads to metallic-like conductivity and below Tc to super conductivity. In this doping regime antiferromagnetic fluctuations are still observed. At very high charge carrier densities superconductivity is lost and the systems show pure metallic conduction without ,magnetic correlations. One of the most interesting phenomena in high-T c research is the interplay between magnetism and conductivity or superconductivity. Especially the behaviour of charge carriers in the antiferromagnetic background raises a number of open questions. Two scenarios become possible: the carriers tend to delocalize over the whole crystal forming a homogeneous state with band-like structure or they separate into hole-rich (conducting, superconducting) and hole-poor (insulating, antiferromagnetic) phases leading to an inhomogeneous structure.

The book contains a summary of our knowledge of power semiconductor structures. It presents first a short historic introduction (Chap. I) as well as a brief selection of facts from solid state physics, in particular those related to power semiconductors (Chap. 2). The book deals with diode structures in Chap. 3. In addition to fundamental facts in pn-junction theory, the book covers mainly the important processes of power structures. It describes the emitter efficiency and function of microleaks (shunts). the p +p and n + n junctions, and in particular the recent theory of the pin, pvn and p1tn junctions, whose role appears to be decisive for the forward mode not only of diode structures but also of more complex ones. For power diode structures the reverse mode is the decisive factor in pn-junction breakdown theory. The presentation given here uses engineering features (the multiplication factor M and the experimentally detected laws for the volume and surface of crystals), which condenses the presentation and makes the mathematical apparatus simpler. The discussion of diode structures is complemented by data on the tunnel phenomenon as well as on the properties of the semiconductor metal contact which forms the outer layers of the diode or more complex structure. A separate chapter (Chap. 4) is devoted to the two-transistor equivalent of the four layer structure and the solution of the four-layer structure in various modes. This presentation is also directed mainly towards the power aspect and the new components."

The Aharonov-Bohm effect is associated with cyclic motion. It is one of a number of anholonomic effects, and this means that the dynamical description depends on the current position of the system and on the path by which it reached that position.
An example of an anholonomic effect is Foucault's famous pendulum, which simply demonstrates the Earth's rotation. The Sagnac effect - a light beam passing around a rotated system of mirrors - is another example. Modern dynamical developments such as Hannay's angle and Berry's phase are further useful examples.

Starting from the early experiments, this detailed presentation, containing more than 500 references, provides a comprehensive review on current-induced nonequilibrium phenomena in quasi-one-dimensional superconductors, leading the reader from the fundamentals to the most recent research results. Experiments on monocrystalline filaments (whiskers) - including those obtained by the author - are compared with results on long thin film microbridges and related species and interpreted within the theoretical framework. Instructions on experimental techniques are given and yet unresolved problems are discussed. The book is well suited as an introduction for the novice and as a handbook for the active researcher.

On the current status of research activity, providing new information on the applications of SQUIDs, including magnetocardiography, immunoassays, and laser-SQUID microscopes, all of which are close to being commercially available.

This Volume 44 of Advances in Solid State Physics contains the written versions of most of the invited lectures of the Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter Physics section of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft held from March 8 to 12, 2004 in Regensburg, Germany. Many of the topical talks given at the numerous and very lively symposia are also included. They have covered extremely interesting and timely subjects. Thus the book truly reflects the status of the field of solid state physics in 2004, and indicates its importance, not only in Germany but also internationally.

In the past decade, there has been a burst of new and fascinating physics associated to the unique properties of two-dimensional exciton polaritons, their recent demonstration of condensation under non-equilibrium conditions and all the related quantum phenomena, which have stimulated extensive research work. This monograph summarizes the current state of the art of research on exciton polaritons in microcavities: their interactions, fast dynamics, spin-dependent phenomena, temporal and spatial coherence, condensation under non-equilibrium conditions, related collective quantum phenomena and most advanced applications. The monograph is written by the most active authors who have strongly contributed to the advances in this area. It is of great interests to both physicists approaching this subject for the first time, as well as a wide audience of experts in other disciplines who want to be updated on this fast moving field.

C axis Current I ~ . The (11 0) thick homoepitaxial film of 320 nm -------~ ~-=-=--==---==--==--==--- shows a very good surface flatness, which --------** sJ;1 0] suggests the unique (110) atomic plane helps 2- A [1 1 OJ dimensional epitaxial growth of YBCO films, and shows excellent high Tc. The resultant 1. 0 surface morphology of YBCO is quite different Q ,. -- R(270)=1. 60 m 0 from the (110) heteroepitaxial films of similar 0 0. 0 " thickness [11). In the case of heteroepitaxy ~ . ,,_. 1. 0 irrespective of c-axis [ 12] or a-axis oriented ~ ~. . ,. R(270)=3. 71 m 0 films [5), only thin films show flat surfaces, g 0. 0 . . Tc=92. 3K "' which, however, give usually a degraded Tc due -~ 1. 0 v v I - to lattice mismatching. In conclusion, we have ::1. ,. . . . . R(270)=31. 9 mO succeeded to grow high-quality (11 0) YBCO ~ YBCO film . . Tc=90. 7 K 0. 0 *;:: YBCO(IIO) 1 0 *d*--~ YBCO thinfilms on (11 0) YBCO single crystal substrate ~Xtt=u 1. 0 substra substrates with very flat surfaces and high Tc's. :GBP R(270)=40. 1 m 0 0. 0 LLLLL. J. . . . LL~. t-J' L-Tc=9LWO. L-! L-K LLLLL. . . . L. . I. . . . l. . . . L. L. L. J. . . . . L. L. l. . . J 50 100 150 200 250 300 0 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Temperature (K) One of the authors (T. U. ) would like to thank Fig.

In the past two years conferences on superconductivity have been characterized by the attendance of hundreds of scientists. Consequently, the organizers were forced to schedule numerous parallel sessions and poster presentations with an almost unsurveyable amount of information. It was, therefore, felt that a more informal get-together, providing ample time for a thourough discussion of some topics of current interest in high-temperature superconductivity, was timely and benefitial for leading scientists as well as for newcomers in the field. The present volume contains the majority of papers presented at the International Discussion Meeting on High-Tc Superconductors held at the Mauterndorf Castle in the Austrian Alps from February 7 to 11, 1988. Each subject was introduced in review form by a few invited speakers and then discussed together with the contributed poster presentations. These discussion sessions chaired by selected scientists turned out to be the highlights of the meeting, not only because all the participants truly appreciated the possibility of an information exchange, but mainly because of the magnificent job done by the discussion chairmen, John A. Mydosh (Leiden), Martin Peter (Geneva) and Ken E. Gray (Argonne). First results on the just discovered Bi-superconductors and the clarification of electron resonance experiments on (123)-compounds should be mentioned in particular. The relaxed atomosphere favoring free discussions was certainly promoted by the surroundings offered in the Mauterndorf Castle, which dates back to 1253. Poster presentations and a conference banquet in historic knight's halls are certainly not found everyday in conference routines.

Femtosecond laser micromachining of transparent material is a powerful and versatile technology. In fact, it can be applied to several materials. It is a maskless technology that allows rapid device prototyping, has intrinsic three-dimensional capabilities and can produce both photonic and microfluidic devices. For these reasons it is ideally suited for the fabrication of complex microsystems with unprecedented functionalities. The book is mainly focused on micromachining of transparent materials which, due to the nonlinear absorption mechanism of ultrashort pulses, allows unique three-dimensional capabilities and can be exploited for the fabrication of complex microsystems with unprecedented functionalities.This book presents an overview of the state of the art of this rapidly emerging topic with contributions from leading experts in the field, ranging from principles of nonlinear material modification to fabrication techniques and applications to photonics and optofluidics.

"Amorphous Chalcogenide Semiconductors and Glasses" describes developments in the science and technology of this class of materials. This book offers an up-to-date treatment of chalcogenide glasses and amorphous semiconductors from basic principles to applications while providing the reader with the necessary theoretical background to understanding the material properties technology of this class of materials. This book offers an up-to-date treatment of chalcogenide glasses and amorphous semiconductors from basic principles to applications while providing the reader with the necessary theoretical background to understanding the material properties. Chalcogenides form a special class of materials, which have one or more of the elements from the chalcogen group, Group VI in the Periodic Table (S, Se. or Te) as a constituent; the chalcogen is mixed with other elements to form various "new" compounds and alloys. Chalcogenides are noncrystalline solids because their structure is "amorphous" or "glassy". Such structures have totally different properties than crystalline solids. Chalcogenide glasses have a number of very interesting and useful properties, which have been already exploited in the commercialization of new devices.

What are the relations between the shape of a system of cities and that of fish school? Which events should happen in a cell in order that it participates to one of the finger of our hands? How to interpret the shape of a sand dune? This collective book written for the non-specialist addresses these questions and more generally, the fundamental issue of the emergence of forms and patterns in physical and living systems. It is a single book gathering the different aspects of morphogenesis and approaches developed in different disciplines on shape and pattern formation. Relying on the seminal works of D'Arcy Thompson, Alan Turing and Rene Thom, it confronts major examples like plant growth and shape, intra-cellular organization, evolution of living forms or motifs generated by crystals. A book essential to understand universal principles at work in the shapes and patterns surrounding us but also to avoid spurious analogies.

Focusing on the purely theoretical aspects of strongly correlated electrons, this volume brings together a variety of approaches to models of the Hubbard type - i.e., problems where both localized and delocalized elements are present in low dimensions. The chapters are arranged in three parts. The first part deals with two of the most widely used numerical methods in strongly correlated electrons, the density matrix renormalization group and the quantum Monte Carlo method. The second part covers Lagrangian, Functional Integral, Renormalization Group, Conformal, and Bosonization methods that can be applied to one-dimensional or weakly coupled chains. The third part considers functional derivatives, mean-field, self-consistent methods, slave-bosons, and extensions.