This volume provides valuable summaries on many aspects of advanced semiconductor heterostructures and highlights the great variety of semiconductor heterostructures that has emerged since their original conception. As exemplified by the chapters in this book, recent progress on advanced semiconductor heterostructures spans a truly remarkable range of scientific fields with an associated diversity of applications. Some of these applications will undoubtedly revolutionize critically important facets of modern technology. At the heart of these advances is the ability to design and control the properties of semiconductor devices on the nanoscale. As an example, the intersubband lasers discussed in this book have a broad range of previously unobtainable characteristics and associated applications as a result of the nanoscale dimensional control of the underlying semiconductor heterostructures. As this book illustrates, an astounding variety of heterostructures can be fabricated with current technology; the potentially widespread use of layered quantum dots fabricated with nanoscale precision in biological applications opens up exciting advances in medicine. In addition, many more excellent examples of the remarkable impact being made through the use of semiconductor heterostructures are given. The summaries in this volume provide timely insights into what we know now about selected areas of advanced semiconductor heterostructures and also provide foundations for further developments.

Microelectronics is one of the most rapidly changing scientific fields today. The tendency to shrink devices as far as possible results in extremely small devices which can no longer be described using simple analytical models. This book covers various aspects of advanced device modeling and simulation. As such it presents extensive reviews and original research by outstanding scientists. The bulk of the book is concerned with the theory of classical and quantum-mechanical transport modeling, based on macroscopic, spherical harmonics and Monte Carlo methods.

Impact ionization, avalanche and breakdown phenomena form the basis of many very interesting and important semiconductor devices, such as avalanche photodiodes, avalanche transistors, suppressors, sharpening diodes (diodes with delayed breakdown), as well as IMPATT and TRAPATT diodes. In order to provide maximal speed and power, many semiconductor devices must operate under or very close to breakdown conditions. Consequently, an acquaintance with breakdown phenomena is essential for scientists or engineers dealing with semiconductor devices.The aim of this book is to summarize the main experimental results on avalanche and breakdown phenomena in semiconductors and semiconductor devices and to analyze their features from a unified point of view. Attention is focused on the phenomenology of avalanche multiplication and the various kinds of breakdown phenomena and their qualitative analysis.

The unique materials properties of GaN-based semiconductors have stimulated a great deal of interest in research and development regarding nitride materials growth and optoelectronic and nitride-based electronic devices. High electron mobility and saturation velocity, high sheet carrier concentration at heterojunction interfaces, high breakdown field, and low thermal impedance of GaN-based films grown over SiC or bulk AlN substrates make nitride-based electronic devices very promising. The chemical inertness of nitrides is another key property.This volume, written by experts on different aspects of nitride technology, addresses the entire spectrum of issues related to nitride materials and devices, and it will be useful for technologists, scientists, engineers, and graduate students who are working on wide bandgap materials and devices. The book can also be used as a supplementary text for graduate courses on wide bandgap semiconductor technology.

Silicon carbide is known to have been investigated since 1907 when Captain H J Round demonstrated yellow and blue emission by applying bias between a metal needle and an SiC crystal. The potential of using SiC in semiconductor electronics was already recognized half a century ago. Despite its well-known properties, it has taken a few decades to overcome the exceptional technological difficulties of getting silicon carbide material to reach device quality and travel the road from basic research to commercialization. This second of two volumes reviews four important additional areas: the growth of SiC substrates; the deep defects in different SiC polytypes, which after many years of research still define the properties of bulk SiC and the performance and reliability of SiC devices; recent work on SiC JFETs; and the complex and controversial issues important for bipolar devices. Recognized leaders in the field, the contributors to this volume provide up-to-date reviews of further state-of-the-art areas in SiC technology and materials and device research.

After many years of research and development, silicon carbide has emerged as one of the most important wide band gap semiconductors. The first commercial SiC devices — power switching Schottky diodes and high temperature MESFETs — are now on the market. This two-volume book gives a comprehensive, up-to-date review of silicon carbide materials properties and devices. With contributions by recognized leaders in SiC technology and materials and device research, SiC Materials and Devices is essential reading for technologists, scientists and engineers who are working on silicon carbide or other wide band gap materials and devices. The volumes can also be used as supplementary textbooks for graduate courses on silicon carbide and wide band gap semiconductor technology.

Silicon carbide is known to have been investigated since 1907 when Captain H J Round demonstrated yellow and blue emission by applying bias between a metal needle and an SiC crystal. The potential of using SiC in semiconductor electronics was already recognized half a century ago. Despite its well-known properties, it has taken a few decades to overcome the exceptional technological difficulties of getting silicon carbide material to reach device quality and travel the road from basic research to commercialization.This second of two volumes reviews four important additional areas: the growth of SiC substrates; the deep defects in different SiC polytypes, which after many years of research still define the properties of bulk SiC and the performance and reliability of SiC devices; recent work on SiC JFETs; and the complex and controversial issues important for bipolar devices.Recognized leaders in the field, the contributors to this volume provide up-to-date reviews of further state-of-the-art areas in SiC technology and materials and device research.

The increasing complexity of problems in semiconductor electronics and optoelectronics has exposed the insufficient potential of the technological doping processes currently used. One of the most promising techniques, which this book explores, is radiation doping: the intentional, directional modification of the properties of semiconductors under the action of various types of radiation. The authors consider the basic principles of proton interactions with single crystal semiconductors on the basis of both theory as well as practical results. All types of proton modifications of the materials known presently are analyzed in detail and exciting new fields of research in this direction are discussed.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics lies in the so-called terahertz (or submillimeter wave) regime, between the traditional microwave and the infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book provides a detailed review of the new THz frequency technological developments that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas.Volume II presents cutting edge results in two primary areas: (1) research that is attempting to establish THz-frequency sensing as a new characterization tool for chemical, biological and semiconductor materials, and (2) theoretical and experimental efforts to define new device concepts within the “THz gap”.

The last research frontier in high frequency electronics lies in the so-called terahertz (or submillimeter wave) regime, between the traditional microwave and the infrared domains. Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. During the last few years, major research programs have emerged that are focused on advancing the state of the art in THz frequency electronic technology and on investigating novel applications of THz frequency sensing. This book provides a detailed review of the new THz frequency technological developments that are emerging across a wide spectrum of sensing and technology areas.Volume II presents cutting edge results in two primary areas: (1) research that is attempting to establish THz-frequency sensing as a new characterization tool for chemical, biological and semiconductor materials, and (2) theoretical and experimental efforts to define new device concepts within the ?THz gap?.