NANOELECTRONICS

ENT458-1
 2

Syllabus
Module - I : Introduction to Nanoelectronics, The top –down Approach, The
Bottom-up Approach, challenges and future

Module - II : Single –Electron and Few Electron phenomena and Devices:

Tunnel junctions and applications of tunneling, Coulomb Blockade and the
single electron Transistor, Other SET and FET structures

Module - III : Many Electron Phenomena: Particle statistics and density of

states Quantum Wells, Quantum Wires , Quantum Dots and nanoparticles.

Module - IV : Fabrication Techniques for nanostructures

Module - V : Carbon nanotube and Nanowires and applications

Module - VI : Spintronic devices and applications

 3

 Text Books

 Fundamentals of Nanoelectronics, first Edition, George W. Hanson,

Pearson education, prentice Hall, (2008).
 Introduction to Nanotechnology, C.P. Poole Jr., F.J. Owens, Wiley (2003).
 Nanoelectronics and Information Technology (Advanced Electronic
Materials and Novel Devices), Waser Ranier, Wiley-VCH, (2003)

 Reference Books
 Nanosystems, K.E. Drexler, Wiley (1992).
 The Physics of Low-Dimensional Semiconductors, John H. Davies,
"Cambridge University Press," (1998).
4

MODULE-1
Introduction to Nano electronics, The
top –down Approach, The Bottom-up
Approach, challenges and future
HISTORY OF ELECTRONICS
5

 Co-inventors of first
bipolar transistor at Bell
laboratory. (Dr William
Schokley, Dr John
Bardeen and Dr Walter
Brattain)
BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR
6

 First transistor invented in Bell lab in

1947.

 Bipolar device with two sharp metal

wires (emitter and collector) making
contact with base electrode.
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
7

 First monolithic 2D Silicon IC invented by Robert Noyce (Fairchild

Semiconductor) in 1961.

 Transistor, resistor, capacitor and interconnects are on same piece of

silicon.
8

Shockley (first on the right, sitting) celebrating being awarded the Nobel
Prize along with some of his company’s employees / Image: Nick Wright
 9

Publicity photograph featuring the “traitorous eight” researchers who left Shockley Semiconductor
Laboratory in 1957 to establish Fairchild Semiconductor. From left to right: Gordon Moore, Sheldon
Roberts, Eugene Kleiner, Robert Noyce, Victor Grinich, Julius Blank, Jean Hoerni, and Jay Last.
(PBS/Intel)
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
10

 First monolithic 2D Germanium IC invented by Jack Kilby (Texas

Instruments) in 1958.

 Transistor, resistor, capacitor and interconnects are on same piece of

germanium.
MOSFETs
11
 12

 A 11.8 inch (300 mm) wafer of Intel 9th-gen Core processors

Source : INTEL
DESIGN ABSTRACTION IN VLSI
13
MOSFET (METAL OXIDE FIELD EFFECT
TRANSISTOR)
14
MORE POWERFUL CHIPS
15

MOORE’S LAW

 Number of transistors per silicon chip

gets double every 18-24 months.

 This law has given chip designer to

incorporate the new features of
silicon.

 Another tenet of Moore's Law says Gordon E. Moore

(Co-founder & Chairman of
that the growth of microprocessors is Intel Corporation.)
exponential.
INTRODUCTION TO NANOELECTRONICS
16

• Nano electronics: Combination of words

“Nano” and “Electronics”
• Nano: Prefix used to describe 10-9 in metric
system.
• Electronics: a single device (BPT, FET, JFET,
IGBT etc)
• Atleast one of the material, device or
structure with atleast one dimension sized in 1
to 100 nm
1 nm = 10-9 m
17
18
19
 ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES USING
NANOTECHNOLOGY
20

• Samsung
• IBM
• AMD
• Apple
• Intel
• Eikos
• Lenovo
• LG electronics
VARIOUS POSITIONS FOR ENGINEERS
21

Electronics/ Electrical/ Communication Industries in the

Area of Fabrication of Nano & Micro Scale Systems

• Research associate/assistant
• Service Engineer (Microscopy)
• Development Engineer (Wafer fabrication)
• Sr. Wafer Fab Process Engineer (etching/lithography)
• Sr. Research engineer (Packaging Reliability)
• Sr. Research engineer (circuit designer)
• Sr. Research engineer (MEMS sensor Design)
• Research Scientist (Materials-photovoltaic)
Impacts of Nanotechnology
22

• Smaller size imply operations at higher frequencies,

higher functionality, lower fabrication and lower
power for a given performance.
• Memory capacity and transmission data speeds will
increase.
• Faster, more functional, and more accurate medical
diagnostic equipment. (Lab-on-chip)
• Nanoparticles in pharmaceutical products improve
their absorption within the body and make them
easier to deliver, often through combination medical
devices.
CLASSIFICATION OF TECHNIQUES FOR
SYNTHESIS OF NANOMATERIALS
23

• There are two general approaches for the

synthesis of nanomaterials :

a) Top- down approach

b) Bottom–up approach.
24

Source : Rajoriya et al. Green Silver Nanoparticles: Recent Trends and

Technological Developments. Journal of Polymers and the Environment. 29.
10.1007/s10924-021-02071-z.
 25

• Top-down approach
– viewed as an approach where the building blocks are removed from
the substrate to form the nanostructure.
– Involves the breaking down of the bulk material into Nano sized
structures or particles.
– extension of those that have been used for producing micron sized
particles.
– inherently simpler
– depend either on removal or division of bulk material or on
miniaturization of bulk fabrication
– The biggest problem is the imperfection of surface structure and
significant crystallographic damage to the processed patterns.
– imperfections would have a significant impact on the physical and
chemical properties of nanostructures and nanomaterials.
 26

• Bottom-up approach

– “Molecular nanotechnology”
– The alternative approach, which has the potential of creating less
waste and hence the more economical.
– refers to the build up of a material from the bottom: atom-by-atom,
molecule-by-molecule, or cluster-by cluster.
– Many of these techniques are still under development or are just
beginning to be used for commercial production of nanopowders
– merits as fewer defects, more homogenous chemical composition and
better ordering.
LITHOGRAPHY
27

 Lithography is an important part of the

top-down approach
 multiple etch, deposition, and doping
processes taking place in the fabrication of
a device
 Photolithography uses light energy passing
through a patterned mask
 The light is focused onto the
photosensitive surface
 Chemical changes in the surface coating
occur
 Subsequent chemical development
creates a temporary pattern on the
surface.
31
LITHOGRAPHY STEPS
32

 photoresist is applied to the wafer

 Optical energy (light) is directed at a photomask containing opaque and
transparent regions
 photoresist that are exposed to the light coming through the mask
undergo chemical reactions
 negative photoresist: When the wafer is washed with a solvent, the
areas that were unexposed dissolve, and the exposed areas,
corresponding to transparent sections of the photomask, remain
 positive photoresist: When the wafer is washed with a solvent, the
areas that were exposed to the illumination dissolve, and the
unexposed areas remain.
 Etching may be used to remove substrate material
 Material may be deposited, for example, metallization, onto the wafer
 a beam of dopant ions can be accelerated towards the wafer known as ion
implantation.
86
TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP
87
88
CHALLENGES IN DEVICE SCALING
89

 Device fabrication :
 difficult to extend optical lithography into the realm of low tens of
nanometers.
 fabrication methods for high-throughput, commercial-level
production are not, as yet, mature.

 Device operation:
 lowering of threshold voltage of MOSFET devices, and makes it
difficult to completely turn the device off hence wasting of power
 Behavior of MOSFET changes due to the law of quantum physics.

 Heat dissipation:
 Heat dissipation reduces circuit reliability.