Copper (Cu) has been used as an interconnection material in the semiconductor industry for years owing to its best balance of conductivity and performance. However, it is running out of steam as it is approaching its limits with respect to electrical performance and reliability. Graphene is a non-metal material, but it can help to improve electromigration (EM) performance of Cu because of its excellent properties. Combining graphene with Cu for very large-scale integration (VLSI) interconn...

After spending over 12 years developing new microsystems for biotechnology – especially concerned with the microfluidic aspects of these devices – Jean Berthier is considered a leading authority in the field. Now, following the success of his book, Microfluidics for Biotechnology, Dr. Berthier returns to explain how new miniaturization techniques have dramatically expanded the area of microfluidic applications and microsystems into microdrops and digital microfluidics.Engineers interested ...

Lithography is an extremely complex tool – based on the concept of “imprinting” an original template version onto mass output – originally using relatively simple optical exposure, masking, and etching techniques, and now extended to include exposure to X-rays, high energy UV light, and electron beams – in processes developed to manufacture everyday products including those in the realms of consumer electronics, telecommunications, entertainment, and transportation, to name but a few. In t...

Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a relatively new simulation technique for the modeling of complex fluid systems and has attracted interest from researchers in computational physics. Unlike the traditional CFD methods, which solve the conservation equations of macroscopic properties (i.e., mass, momentum, and energy) numerically, LBM models the fluid consisting of fictive particles, and such particles perform consecutive propagation and collision processes over a discrete lattice mesh.Thi...

Discusses the CFD-DEM method of modeling which combines both the Discrete Element Method and Computational Fluid Dynamics to simulate fluid-particle interactions.Deals with both theoretical and practical concepts of CFD-DEM, its numerical implementation accompanied by a hands-on numerical code in FORTRANGives examples of industrial applications

Semiconductors and dielectrics are two essential materials found in cell phones and computers, for example, and both are manufactured by growing crystals.Edited by the organizers of the International Workshop on Crystal Growth Technology, this ready reference is essential reading for materials scientists, chemists, physicists, computer hardware manufacturers, engineers, and those working in the chemical and semiconductor industries. They have assembled an international team of exper...

This book targets new trends in microwave engineering by downscaling components and devices for industrial purposes such as miniaturization and function densification, in association with the new approach of activation by a confined optical remote control. It covers the fundamental groundwork of the structure, property, characterization methods and applications of 1D and 2D nanostructures, along with providing the necessary knowledge on atomic structure, how it relates to the material band...

According to Moore’s Law, not only does the number of transistors in an integrated circuit double every two years, but transistor size also decreases at a predictable rate. At the rate we are going, the downsizing of CMOS transistors will reach the deca-nanometer scale by 2020. Accordingly, the gate dielectric thickness will be shrunk to less than half-nanometer oxide equivalent thickness (EOT) to maintain proper operation of the transistors, leaving high-k materials as the only viable sol...

The thermal processing of materials ranges from few fem to seconds by Swift Heavy Ion Implantation to about one second using advanced Rapid Thermal Annealing. This book offers after an historical excursus selected contributions on fundamental and applied aspects of thermal processing of classical elemental semiconductors and other advanced materials including nanostructures with novel optoelectronic, magnetic, and superconducting properties. Special emphasis is given on the diffusion and s...

This book, edited by two of the most respected researchers in plasmonics, gives an overview of the current state in plasmonics and plasmonic-based metamaterials, with an emphasis on active functionalities and an eye to future developments. This book is multifunctional, useful for newcomers and scientists interested in applications of plasmonics and metamaterials as well as for established researchers in this multidisciplinary area.

In this 2nd edition of Micro-Drops and Digital Microfluidics, Jean Berthier explores the fundamentals and applications of digital microfluidics, enabling engineers and scientists to design this important enabling technology into devices and harness the considerable potential of digital microfluidics in testing and data collection. This book describes the most recent developments in digital microfluidics, with a specific focus on the computational, theoretical and experimental study of micr...

This book presents a comparison of solar cell materials, including both new materials based on organics, nanostructures and novel inorganics and developments in more traditional photovoltaic materials.It surveys the materials and materials trends in the field including third generation solar cells (multiple energy level cells, thermal approaches and the modification of the solar spectrum) with an eye firmly on low costs, energy efficiency and the use of abundant non-toxic materials...