Abstract

The modern smartphone is made possible by a billion-plus nanotransistors, each having an active region that is barely a few hundred atoms long. What is not as well-known is that the same amazing technology has also led to a deeper understanding of the flow of electrons and the meaning of resistance on an atomic scale.

I will argue that this new understanding leads naturally to a new viewpoint, one that changes even some basic concepts we learn in freshman physics. This unique viewpoint not only clarifies many old questions but also provides a powerful approach to new questions at the frontier of modern nanoelectronics, such as how devices can be built to control the spin of electrons.

Biography

Supriyo Datta received his B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur, India in 1975, his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1979 and joined Purdue in 1981. At Purdue he has received the McCoy award for his contributions to science and has been inducted into the Book of Great Teachers. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to quantum transport modeling in nanoscale electronic devices. He is also known for his contributions to molecular electronics and spin electronics and received the Procter Prize from Sigma Xi.