Ongoing developments in nanofabrication technology and the availability of novel materials have led to the emergence and evolution of new topics for mesoscopic research, including scanning-tunnelling microscopic studies of few-atom metallic clusters, discrete energy level spectroscopy, the prediction of Kondo-type physics in the transport properties of quantum dots, time dependent effects, and the properties of interacting systems, e.g. of Luttinger liquids. The overall understanding of each of these areas is still incomplete; nevertheless, with the foundations laid by studies in the more traditional systems there is no doubt that these new areas will advance mesoscopic electron transport to a new phenomenological level, both experimentally and theoretically. Mesoscopic Electron Transport highlights selected areas in the field, provides a comprehensive review of such systems, and also serves as an introduction to the new and developing areas of mesoscopic electron transport.

Advances in semiconductor technology have made possible the fabrication of structures whose dimensions are much smaller than the mean free path of an electron. This book gives a thorough account of the theory of electronic transport in such mesoscopic systems. After an initial chapter covering fundamental concepts, the transmission function formalism is presented, and used to describe three key topics in mesoscopic physics: the quantum Hall effect; localisation; and double-barrier tunnelling. Other sections include a discussion of optical analogies to mesoscopic phenomena, and the book concludes with a description of the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism and its relation to the transmission formalism. Complete with problems and solutions, the book will be of great interest to graduate students of mesoscopic physics and nanoelectronic device engineering, as well as to established researchers in these fields.

This book introduces researchers and students to the physical principles which govern the operation of solid-state devices whose overall length is smaller than the electron mean free path. In quantum systems such as these, electron wave behavior prevails, and transport properties must be assessed by calculating transmission amplitudes rather than microscopic conductivity. Emphasis is placed on detailing the physical laws that apply under these circumstances, and on giving a clear account of the most important phenomena. The coverage is comprehensive, with mathematics and theoretical material systematically kept at the most accessible level. The various physical effects are clearly differentiated, ranging from transmission formalism to the Coulomb blockade effect and current noise fluctuations. Practical exercises and solutions have also been included to facilitate the reader's understanding.

Mesoscopic physics deals with systems larger than single atoms but small enough to retain their quantum properties. The possibility to create and manipulate conductors of the nanometer scale has given birth to a set of phenomena that have revolutionized physics: quantum Hall effects, persistent currents, weak localization, Coulomb blockade, etc. This Special Issue tackles the latest developments in the field. Contributors discuss time-dependent transport, quantum pumping, nanoscale heat engines and motors, molecular junctions, electron–electron correlations in confined systems, quantum thermo-electrics and current fluctuations. The works included herein represent an up-to-date account of exciting research with a broad impact in both fundamental and applied topics.

Opening with a brief historical account of electron transport from Ohm's law through transport in semiconductor nanostructures, this book discusses topics related to electronic quantum transport. The book is written for graduate students and researchers in the field of mesoscopic semiconductors or in semiconductor nanostructures. Highlights include review of the cryogenic scanning probe techniques applied to semiconductor nanostructures.

Semiconductor technology has developed considerably during the past several decades. The exponential growth in microelectronic processing power has been achieved by a constant scaling down of integrated cir,cuits. Smaller fea ture sizes result in increased functional density, faster speed, and lower costs. One key ingredient of the LSI technology is the development of the lithog raphy and microfabrication. The current minimum feature size is already as small as 0.2 /tm, beyond the limit imposed by the wavelength of visible light and rapidly approaching fundamental limits. The next generation of devices is highly likely to show unexpected properties due to quantum effects and fluctuations. The device which plays an important role in LSIs is MOSFETs (metal oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors). In MOSFETs an inversion layer is formed at the interface of silicon and its insulating oxide. The inversion layer provides a unique two-dimensional (2D) system in which the electron concentration is controlled almost freely over a very wide range. Physics of such 2D systems was born in the mid-1960s together with the development of MOSFETs. The integer quantum Hall effect was first discovered in this system.

Quantum mesoscopic physics covers a whole class in interference effects related to the propagation of waves in complex and random media. These effects are ubiquitous in physics, from the behaviour of electrons in metals and semiconductors to the propagation of electromagnetic waves in suspensions such as colloids, and quantum systems like cold atomic gases. A solid introduction to quantum mesoscopic physics, this book is a modern account of the problem of coherent wave propagation in random media. It provides a unified account of the basic theoretical tools and methods, highlighting the common aspects of the various optical and electronic phenomena involved and presenting a large number of experimental results. With over 200 figures, and exercises throughout, the book was originally published in 2007 and is ideal for graduate students in physics, electrical engineering, applied physics, acoustics and astrophysics. It will also be an interesting reference for researchers.

Annotation David K. Ferry introduces the physics and applications of transport in mesoscopic and nanoscale electronic systems and devices and expands on the behaviour of these novel devices the numerous effects not seen in bulk semiconductors. Including coverage of recent developments, and with a chapter on carbon-based nanoelectronics, this work will provide a good course text for advanced students or as a handy reference for researchers or those entering this interdisciplinary area.

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the research and development of nanoscale science and technology. Central to the understanding of the properties of nanoscale structures is the modeling of electronic conduction through these systems. This graduate textbook provides an in-depth description of the transport phenomena relevant to systems of nanoscale dimensions. In this textbook the different theoretical approaches are critically discussed, with emphasis on their basic assumptions and approximations. The book also covers information content in the measurement of currents, the role of initial conditions in establishing a steady state, and the modern use of density-functional theory. Topics are introduced by simple physical arguments, with particular attention to the non-equilibrium statistical nature of electrical conduction, and followed by a detailed formal derivation. This textbook is ideal for graduate students in physics, chemistry, and electrical engineering.

When I was contacted by Kluwer Academic Publishers in the Fall of 200 I, inviting me to edit a volume of papers on the issue of electron transport in quantum dots, I was excited by what I saw as an ideal opportunity to provide an overview of a field of research that has made significant contributions in recent years, both to our understanding of fundamental physics, and to the development of novel nanoelectronic technologies. The need for such a volume seemed to be made more pressing by the fact that few comprehensive reviews of this topic have appeared in the literature, in spite of the vast activity in this area over the course of the last decade or so. With this motivation, I set out to try to compile a volume that would fairly reflect the wide range of opinions that has emerged in the study of electron transport in quantum dots. Indeed, there has been no effort on my part to ensure any consistency between the different chapters, since I would prefer that this volume instead serve as a useful forum for the debate of critical issues in this still developing field. In this matter, I have been assisted greatly by the excellent series of articles provided by the different authors, who are widely recognized as some of the leaders in this vital area of research.