This book provides a comprehensive monograph on gate stacks in semiconductor technology. It covers the major latest developments and basics and will be useful as a reference work for researchers, engineers and graduate students alike. The reader will get a clear view of what has been done so far, what is the state-of-the-art and which are the main challenges ahead before we come any closer to a viable Ge and III-V MOS technology.

A NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) entitled "Advanced Materials and Technologies for Micro/Nano Devices, Sensors and Actuators" was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from June 29 to July 2, 2009. The main goal of the Workshop was to examine (at a fundamental level) the very complex scientific issues that pertain to the use of micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), devices and technologies in next generation commercial and defen- related applications. Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems represent rather broad and diverse technological areas, such as optical systems (micromirrors, waveguides, optical sensors, integrated subsystems), life sciences and lab equipment (micropumps, membranes, lab-on-chip, membranes, microfluidics), sensors (bio-sensors, chemical sensors, gas-phase sensors, sensors integrated with electronics) and RF applications for signal transmission (variable capacitors, tunable filters and antennas, switches, resonators). From a scientific viewpoint, this is a very multi-disciplinary field, including micro- and nano-mechanics (such as stresses in structural materials), electronic effects (e. g. charge transfer), general electrostatics, materials science, surface chemistry, interface science, (nano)tribology, and optics. It is obvious that in order to overcome the problems surrounding next-generation MEMS/NEMS devices and applications it is necessary to tackle them from different angles: theoreticians need to speak with mechanical engineers, and device engineers and modelers to listen to surface physicists. It was therefore one of the main objectives of the workshop to bring together a multidisciplinary team of distinguished researchers.

An extrapolation of ULSI scaling trends indicates that minimum feature sizes below 0.1 mu and gate thicknesses of <3 nm will be required in the near future. Given the importance of ultrathin gate dielectrics, well-focused basic scientific research and aggressive development programs must continue on the silicon oxide, oxynitride, and high K materials on silicon systems, especially in the critical, ultrathin 1-3 nm regime. The main thrust of the present book is a review, at the nano and atomic scale, the complex scientific issues related to the use of ultrathin dielectrics in next-generation Si-based devices. The contributing authors are leading scientists, drawn from academic, industrial and government laboratories throughout the world, and representing such backgrounds as basic and applied physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, surface science, and materials science. Audience: Both expert scientists and engineers who wish to keep up with cutting edge research, and new students who wish to learn more about the exciting basic research issues relevant to next-generation device technology.

Quickly becoming the hottest topic of the new millennium (2.4 billion dollars funding in US alone)

Current status and future trends of micro and nanoelectronics research

Written by leading experts in the corresponding research areas

Excellent tutorial for graduate students and reference for "gurus"

Provides a broad overlook and fundamentals of nanoscience and nanotechnology from chemistry to electronic devices

Symposium S, Microelectromechanical Systems Materials and Devices IV, held November 29 December 3 at the 2010 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, focused on micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), technologies which were spawned from the fabrication and integration of small-scale mechanical, electrical, thermal, magnetic, fluidic, and optical sensors and actuators with micro-electronic components. MEMS and NEMS have enabled performance enhancements and manufacturing cost reductions in a number of applications, including optical displays, acceleration sensing, radio-frequency switching, drug delivery, chemical detection, and power generation and storage. Although originally based on silicon microelectronics, the reach of MEMS and NEMS has extended well beyond traditional engineering materials, and now includes nanomaterials (nanotubes, nanowires, nanoparticles), smart materials (piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, shape memory alloys, pH-sensitive polymers), metamaterials, and biomaterials (ceramic, metallic, polymeric, composite based implant materials). While these new materials provide more freedom with regards to the design space of MEMS and NEMS, they also introduce a number of new fabrication and characterization challenges not previously encountered with silicon-based technology."

Quickly becoming the hottest topic of the new millennium (2.4 billion dollars funding in US alone)

Current status and future trends of micro and nanoelectronics research

Written by leading experts in the corresponding research areas

Excellent tutorial for graduate students and reference for "gurus"

Provides a broad overlook and fundamentals of nanoscience and nanotechnology from chemistry to electronic devices

This book provides a comprehensive monograph on gate stacks in semiconductor technology. It covers the major latest developments and basics and will be useful as a reference work for researchers, engineers and graduate students alike. The reader will get a clear view of what has been done so far, what is the state-of-the-art and which are the main challenges ahead before we come any closer to a viable Ge and III-V MOS technology.

A NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) entitled "Advanced Materials and Technologies for Micro/Nano Devices, Sensors and Actuators" was held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from June 29 to July 2, 2009. The main goal of the Workshop was to examine (at a fundamental level) the very complex scientific issues that pertain to the use of micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS), devices and technologies in next generation commercial and defen- related applications. Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems represent rather broad and diverse technological areas, such as optical systems (micromirrors, waveguides, optical sensors, integrated subsystems), life sciences and lab equipment (micropumps, membranes, lab-on-chip, membranes, microfluidics), sensors (bio-sensors, chemical sensors, gas-phase sensors, sensors integrated with electronics) and RF applications for signal transmission (variable capacitors, tunable filters and antennas, switches, resonators). From a scientific viewpoint, this is a very multi-disciplinary field, including micro- and nano-mechanics (such as stresses in structural materials), electronic effects (e. g. charge transfer), general electrostatics, materials science, surface chemistry, interface science, (nano)tribology, and optics. It is obvious that in order to overcome the problems surrounding next-generation MEMS/NEMS devices and applications it is necessary to tackle them from different angles: theoreticians need to speak with mechanical engineers, and device engineers and modelers to listen to surface physicists. It was therefore one of the main objectives of the workshop to bring together a multidisciplinary team of distinguished researchers.

The main goal of this book is to review at the nano and atomic scale the very complex scientific issues that pertain to the use of advanced high dielectric constant (high-k) materials in next generation semiconductor devices. One of the key obstacles to integrate this novel class of materials into Si nano-technology are the electronic defects in high-k dielectrics. It has been established that defects do exist in high-k dielectrics and they play an important role in device operation. The unique feature of this book is a special focus on the important issue of defects. The subject is covered from various angles, including silicon technology, processing aspects, materials properties, electrical defects, microstructural studies, and theory. The authors who have contributed to the book represents a diverse group of leading scientists from academic, industrial and governmental labs worldwide who bring a broad array of backgrounds (basic and applied physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, surface science, and materials science). The contributions to this book are accessible to both expert scientists and engineers who need to keep up with leading edge research, and newcomers to the field who wish to learn more about the exciting basic and applied research issues relevant to next generation device technology.

An extrapolation of ULSI scaling trends indicates that minimum feature sizes below 0.1 mu and gate thicknesses of <3 nm will be required in the near future. Given the importance of ultrathin gate dielectrics, well-focused basic scientific research and aggressive development programs must continue on the silicon oxide, oxynitride, and high K materials on silicon systems, especially in the critical, ultrathin 1-3 nm regime. The main thrust of the present book is a review, at the nano and atomic scale, the complex scientific issues related to the use of ultrathin dielectrics in next-generation Si-based devices. The contributing authors are leading scientists, drawn from academic, industrial and government laboratories throughout the world, and representing such backgrounds as basic and applied physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, surface science, and materials science. Audience: Both expert scientists and engineers who wish to keep up with cutting edge research, and new students who wish to learn more about the exciting basic research issues relevant to next-generation device technology.

Symposium S, 'Microelectromechanical Systems - Materials and Devices IV', held November 29-December 3 at the 2010 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, focused on micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), technologies which were spawned from the fabrication and integration of small-scale mechanical, electrical, thermal, magnetic, fluidic and optical sensors and actuators with micro-electronic components. MEMS and NEMS have enabled performance enhancements and manufacturing cost reductions in a number of applications, including optical displays, acceleration sensing, radio-frequency switching, drug delivery, chemical detection and power generation and storage. Although originally based on silicon microelectronics, the reach of MEMS and NEMS has extended well beyond traditional engineering materials and now includes nanomaterials (nanotubes, nanowires, nanoparticles), smart materials (piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials, shape memory alloys, pH-sensitive polymers), metamaterials and biomaterials (ceramic, metallic, polymeric, composite-based implant materials). While these new materials provide more freedom with regards to the design space of MEMS and NEMS, they also introduce a number of new fabrication and characterization challenges not previously encountered with silicon-based technology.