About the Book
John D. Cressler, Silicon Earth: Introduction to Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, Second Edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2016, 595 pages (ISBN 978-1-4987-0825-8).
NOTE: This book is for general audiences.
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
Appendices
A: Properties of Silicon
B: Some Basic Concepts from Physics and Electrical Engineering
C: A Grab-Bag Glossary of Useful Techno-Geek Terms and Acronyms
Index