Note:

An extensive set of references is listed on the course web page (books, journal papers, online lectures). See: https://nanohub.org/groups/u/self_paced_nanoscale_transistors

Counts as:

Normally Offered:

Each Fall, Spring

Requisites:

Graduate Standing

Requisites by Topic:

This course is intended to be broadly accessible to those with a BS degree in the physical sciences or engineering. No familiarity with electronics or transistors is assumed, but those with such a background will gain an understanding of how nanoscale transistors operate and how they differ from their micrometer scale cousins. An introductory level understanding of basic semiconductor physics will be helpful. (ECE 305 or 606 of equivalent understanding of basic semiconductor physics.) This topic will be briefly reviewed at the beginning of the course, and pointers to web-based lectures that cover background topics will be provided.

Catalog Description:

The transistor, specifically the MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) is the key enabler of modern electronics. Progress in transistor scaling has pushed channel lengths to the nanometer regime where traditional approaches to device physics lose validity. This course describes a way of understanding MOSFETs that is much more suitable than traditional approaches when the channel lengths are of nanoscale dimensions. Surprisingly, the final result looks much like the traditional, textbook, MOSFET model, but the parameters in the equations have simple, clear interpretations at the nanoscale. My objective for this course is to provide students with an understanding of the essential physics of nanoscale transistors as well as some of the practical technological considerations and fundamental limits. The goal is to do this in a way that is broadly accessible to students with only a basic knowledge of semiconductor physics and electronic circuits.

Lecture Outline:

Assessment Method:

none