K24931_cover_1John D. Cressler, Silicon Earth: Introduction to the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, Second Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2016, 595 pages (ISBN 978-1-4987-0825-8).

We are in the center of the most life-changing technological revolution the Earth has ever known. In little more than 65 years, an eye-blink in human history, a single technological invention has launched the proverbial thousand ships, producing the most sweeping and pervasive set of changes ever to wash over humankind; changes that are reshaping the very core of human existence, on a global scale, at a relentlessly accelerating pace. And we are just at the very beginning.

Silicon Earth: Introduction to Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, Second Edition introduces readers with little or no technical background to the marvels of microelectronics and nanotechnology, using straightforward language, an intuitive approach, minimal math, and lots of pictures. The general scientific and engineering underpinnings of microelectronics and nanotechnology are described, as well as how this new technological revolution is transforming a broad array of interdisciplinary ­fields, and civilization as a whole. Special “widget deconstruction” chapters address the inner workings of ubiquitous micro/nano-enabled pieces of technology, such as smartphones, flash drives, and digital cameras.

Completely updated and upgraded to full color, the Second Edition:

  • Includes new material on the design of electronic systems, the future of electronics, and the societal impact of micro/nanotechnology
  • Provides new widget deconstructions of cutting-edge tech gadgets like the GPS-enabled smartwatch
  • Adds end-of-chapter study questions and hundreds of new color photos

Silicon Earth: Introduction to Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, Second Edition is a pick-up-and-read-cover-to-cover book for those curious about the micro/nanoworld, as well as a classroom-tested, student-and-professor-approved text ideal for an undergraduate-level university course. Lecture slides, homework examples, a deconstruction project, and discussion threads are available via an author-maintained website.

 

Contents by Chapter

Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Author

1. The Communications Revolution
The Big Picture
The Evolution of Human Communications
Doomsday Scenarios
Global Information Flow
Evolutionary Trends: Moore’s Law
Silicon: The Master Enabler
Micro/Nanoelectronics at the State of the Art: Nanoscale CMOS
A Parting Shot
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

2. A Matter of Scale
The Tyranny of Numbers
“Seeing” versus “Imaging” the Infinitesimal
The Distance Scale of the Universe
The Micro/Nanoelectronics Distance Scale
The Time and Frequency Scales of Micro/Nanoelectronics
The Temperature and Energy Scales of Micro/Nanoelectronics
Seeing Is Believing?
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

3. Innumerable Biographies: A Brief History of the Field
What History Can Teach Us
The Uniqueness of Microelectronics
The Shoulders We Stand On: Some Giants of Electrical Engineering
The Invention/Discovery of the Transistor
Newsflash!
How the West Was Won
The Integrated Circuit
Not Invented Here
The Rest of the Story
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

4. Widget Deconstruction #1: Smartphone
With a Broad Brush
Nuts and Bolts
Where Are the Integrated Circuits and What Do They Do?
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

5. Semiconductors: Lite!
What Are Semiconductors?
What Makes Semiconductors So Special?
Types of Semiconductors
Crystal Structure
Energy Bands
Electrons and Holes in Semiconductors
Doping
Drift and Diffusion Transport
Carrier Drift
Carrier Diffusion
Generation and Recombination
The Semiconductor Equations of State
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References

6. Widget Deconstruction #2: USB Flash Drive
With a Broad Brush
Nuts and Bolts
Hard Disk Drives
RAM and ROM
Flash Memory
Where Are the Integrated Circuits and What Do They Do?
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

7. Bricks and Mortar: Micro/Nanoelectronics Fabrication
The IC Fabrication Facility (aka “the Cleanroom”)
Crystal Growth and Epitaxy
Semiconductor Crystals
Epitaxy
Doping: Diffusion, Implantation, and Annealing
Oxidation and Film Deposition
Etching and Polishing
Photolithography
Metalization and Interconnects
Building a Transistor
IC Packaging: Wirebonds, Cans, DIPs, and Flip-Chips
3D ICs, TSVs, and SoPs
Reliability
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References

8. Transistors: Lite!
The Semiconductor Device Menagerie
Why Are Transistors So Darn Useful?
The pn Junction
What Is It?
How Does It Work?
What Does It Do for You?
The BJT
What Is It?
How Does It Work?
What Does It Do for You?
The MOSFET
What Is It?
How Does It Work?
What Does It Do for You?
X-Men Transistors: HBTs and HFETs
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

9. From Transistors to Circuits to Systems
Building Circuits and Systems from Transistors
IC Tape-Out: Machines Designing Machines
Software
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References

10. Microtools and Toys: MEMS, NEMS, and BioMEMS
Micro-Intuition and the Science of Miniaturization
MEMS Classifications
A Grab Bag of MEMS Toys
Micromachining Silicon
Cool App #1: MEMS Accelerometers
Cool App #2: MEMS Micromirror Displays
Cool App #3: BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-Chip
So What Comes Next?
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

11. Widget Deconstruction #3: GPS
With a Broad Brush
A Brief History of GPS
Nuts and Bolts
Where Are the Integrated Circuits and What Do They Do?
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

12. Let There Be Light: The Bright World of Photonics
Let There Be Light!
Spectral Windows
Getting Light In and Out of Semiconductors
Optical Absorption
Optical Emission
Direct versus Indirect Bandgap Materials
Photodetectors and Solar Cells
CCD Imagers, CMOS Imagers, and the Digital Camera
LEDs, Laser Diodes, and Fiber Optics
Laser Perks, Drawbacks, and Future Directions
CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

13. The Future of Electronics
Darwinian Evolution in Micro/Nanoelectronics, and the End of the Silicon Road
Carbon Engineering: Buckyballs, Nanotubes, and Graphene
Forsaking Group IV: Zinc Oxide and Black Phosphorus
Bend and Flex: The World of Organics
Ferroelectric Memory, Memristors, Phase Change Memory, and Spintronics
Quantum Computing
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References

14. The Nanoworld: Fact and Fiction
Nanotech
Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say: Nanotech Definitions
Emerging Nanoapps and Humans 2.0
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References and Notes

15. Societal Impact
The Internet
e-Addictions
Computer Gaming
Genomics
e-Education
Social Media
e-Politics
Environmental Impact
e-Books and Libraries
A Grab Bag of Issues
Time Out: Gut Check on Your Comprehension
References

Appendix A: Properties of Silicon
Appendix B: Some Basic Concepts from Physics and Electrical Engineering
Appendix C: A Grab-Bag Glossary of Useful Techno-Geek Terms and Acronyms
Index