, except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface Tutorial lectures given by world-renowned researchers have become one of the important traditions of the Nano and Giga Challenges (NGC) conference series. Soon after preparations had begun for the first forum, NGC2002, 1 in Moscow, Russia, the organizers realized that publication of the lectures notes would be a valuable legacy of the meeting and a significant educational resource and knowledge base for students, young researchers, and senior experts. Our first book was published by Elsevier and received the same title as the meeting itself-Nano and Giga Challenges in Microelectronics. 2 Our second book, Nanotechnology for Electronic Materials and Devices, 3 based on the tutorial lectures at NGC2004 4 in Krakow, Poland, the third book from NGC2007 5 in Phoenix, Arizona, and the current book from joint NGC2009 and CSTC2009 6 meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, have been published in Springer's Nanostructure Science and Technology series. Hosted by McMaster University, the meeting NGC/CSTC 2009 was held as a joint event of two conference series, Nano and Giga Challenges (Nano & Giga Forum) and Canadian Semiconductor Technology Conferences (CSTC), bringing together the networks and expertise of both professional forums. Informational (electronics and photonics), renewable energy (solar systems, fuel cells, and batteries), and sensor (nano and bio) technologies have reached a new stage in their development in terms of engineering limits to cost-effective improvement of current technological approaches. The latest miniaturization of electronic devices is approaching atomic dimensions. Interconnect bottlenecks are limiting circuit speeds, new materials are being introduced into microelectronics manufacture at an unprecedented rate, and alternative technologies to mainstream CMOS are being considered. The low cost of natural energy sources and ignorance of the limits and environmental impact from use of natural carbon-based fuels have been long-standing economic barriers to the development of alternative and more efficient solar systems, fuel cells, and batteries. Nanotechnology is widely accepted as a source of potential solutions in securing future progress in information and energy technologies. Nanotechnology as the art (i.e., science and technique) of control, manipulation , and fabrication of devices with structural and functional attributes smaller than 100 nm is perfectly suited to advanced CMOS technology....

We are developing a 'toolbox' containing organic molecules, nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can be self-arranged into a very advanced information processing system. Before we can assemble these 'tools' in complex systems, it is imperative that we determine their physical, chemical and electrical properties. Here, we describe the development of three techniques to aid in evaluating the electrical properties of these 'tools'. Firstly, via a conducting atomic force microscope, we will examine a method of measuring the electrical properties of a single (few) dithiolated electronic molecule(s) inserted into an 'insulating' self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Secondly, to expedite the transport measurements of electronic molecules, we will present a hybrid assembly technique that consists of forming a SAM of the investigated molecule on pre-patterned electrodes and then bridging the electrodes with Au nanoparticles using an alternating electric field. Finally, to integrate single-wall carbon nanotubes into a circuit, we will outline a single optical lithographic step approach to pattern catalyst islands on top of metal electrodes. Then, reduced pressure chemical vapour deposition is performed on the patterned substrates to form CNTs bridging neighbouring electrodes and produce a circuit which is ready to test.

We present a model and results of self-consistent calculation of current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the InAs/AlSb/InAs, InAs/AlSb/GaSb resonant tunneling structures with type II heterojunctions. The different current components, charge accumulation in the quantum well and quasi-Fermi level variation in contacts and spacers due to the drift-diffusion processes, are taken into account. The kp band model is used to describe the interband and intraband tunneling processes. The transfer Hamiltonian approach is employed to obtain the resonant tunneling current density and charge density in the quantum well. A good quantitative agreement with the experiment is obtained for both structures including the agreement for the values of peak-to-valley (P/V) current ratio.

We have studied the selective formation of InAs self-organized quantum dots on top of [001]- and [011]-oriented mesa stripes on patterned GaAs (100) substrates. The GaAs stripes are also grown by selective area epitaxy. The dot density and spatial distribution depend on both the stripe orientation and the width of the (100) top facet of the stripe. The density is higher for stripes aligned in the [001] direction, and lower for those aligned in the [011] direction, respectively, when compared to that obtained on a planar substrate under the same growth conditions. In addition, the dot uniformity is improved by reducing the top facet width below 200 nm in the growth of the mesa stripes, and well-aligned rows of dots are obtained for sub-100-nm widths.

This article introduces the November 2004 issue of MRS Bulletin on the state of the art in solid-state memory and storage technologies. The memory business drives hundreds of billions of dollars in sales of electronic equipment per year. The incentive for continuing on the historical track outlined by Moore's law is huge, and this challenge is driving considerable investment from governments around the world as well as in private industry and universities. The problem is this: recognizing that current approaches to semiconductor-based memory are limited, what new technologies can be introduced to continue or even accelerate the pace of complexity? The articles in this issue highlight several commercially available memories, as well as memory technologies that are still in the research and development stages. What will become apparent to the reader is the huge diversity of approaches to this problem.

The switching characteristics and magnetization vortices of 15 nm thick cobalt structures patterned to different widths of 100, 200, and 600 nm were investigated. The effects of linewidth and aspect ratio (length/width) were systematically studied using an alternating gradient magnetometer (AGM), an atomic force microscope/magnetic force microscope (MFM) and superconducting quantum interference device. The AGM and MFM show that trapped magnetization vortices appear in structures with low aspect ratios (length/width)=1.5, 2, but not in structures with high aspect ratio (length/width)=3,4. It is found that the magnetization vortices of these patterned elements are strongly dependent on the width of the element with narrower linewidth more clearly showing the presence of magnetization vortices.

This paper deals with recent achievements in the field of an emerging technology termed the quantum monolithic microwave integrated circuit (QMMIC). QMMIC consists of a heterojunction interband tunneling diode and a high electron-mobility transistor monolithically integrated to obtain a new functional device. This technology enables the realization of low-voltage, high-density, and high-functionality circuits. A detailed description of the design and analysis techniques for several circuits such as an amplifier, an oscillator, and a mixer, along with the analytical treatment of the principle of operation are given in this paper. A number of prototypes implemented in InP technology constitute the proof-of-concept of the unique features of QMMIC circuit blocks for low-power wireless systems.Index Terms-Linear mixer, low power, monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC), quantum-well devices, RF identification (RF ID), voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO).

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