Silicon Nanoelectronics: The Road Less Travelled

Summary

The study of nanometer-scale devices has attracted a great deal of attention in the past few years. A number of discoveries have heightened scientific interest in this area. There is also a great deal of interest from the technological point of view. This interest arises on both the primary (new device concepts) and the secondary (impact on existing devices) levels. Except in isolated instances, the unique potential of silicon-based materials has not been exploited to study mesoscopic phenomena. We will examine the key breakthroughs in mesoscopic physics and exploratory silicon technology that may provide extraordinary opportunities to investigate nanometer-scale electronic devices.