This second edition of the book, initially written as an introductory text dealing with how electric currents behave at the nanometer scale, begins with a general description of electric currents at the macroscale. Then by considering the physical length scales relevant to electron flow, it is observed how the behavior of currents varies as they approach the nanoscale. A quantum description of electric current is covered as well as its relevance, with particular reference to defects, grain...

'The text is lightly written but, underneath the entertaining gloss of anecdote and personal detail, this is actually an intensely serious and carefully constructed book, aimed at informing the educated public about science in general and nanotechnology in particular. It is attractively produced, with innumerable well-captioned coloured images … To my mind, Colm Durkan has succeeded in combining the accessible style of the best science journalists with the authority and vision that come fr...

Feynman Simplified gives mere mortals access to the fabled Feynman Lectures on Physics.As a Caltech undergraduate, I had the amazing opportunity to learn physics directly from the greatest scientist of our age. I absorbed all I could. His style and enthusiasm were as important as the facts and equations.Feynman’s mantra seemed to be: No Einstein Left Behind. He sought to inspire “the more advanced and excited student”, perhaps10% of the class. My goal is to reach the other ...

This classic text deals with the elementary aspects of heat transfer, with special emphasis on the fundamental laws so that the subject is perceived by the student as both a science and an art. The text is supported by a large number of solved examples. Each chapter contains many problems with answers provided at the end of the book. The fourth edition is an expanded version of the earlier editions. It is written as a stand-alone text which can be read and understood by the student on his ...

Everyone is familiar with the amazing performance of a modern smartphone, powered by a billion-plus nanotransistors, each having an active region that is barely a few hundred atoms in length.These lecture notes are about a less appreciated by-product of the microelectronics revolution, namely the deeper understanding of current flow, and device operation that it has enabled, which forms the basis for a new approach to transport problems.The book assumes very little background beyond linear...

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the physics of the photovoltaic cell. It is suitable for undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers new to the field. It covers: basic physics of semiconductors in photovoltaic devices; physical models of solar cell operation; characteristics and design of common types of solar cell; and approaches to increasing solar cell efficiency. The text explains the terms and concepts of solar cell device physics and shows the reader how to ...

Meeting the demand for a readily understandable introduction to nanomaterials and nanotechnology, this textbook specifically addresses the needs of students - and engineers - who need to get the gist of nanoscale phenomena in materials without having to delve too deeply into the physical and chemical details.The book begins with an overview of the consequences of small particle size, such as the growing importance of surface effects, and covers successful, field-tested synthesis te...

These lectures are designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of carrier transport in nano-devices using a novel, “bottom up approach” that agrees with traditional methods when devices are large, but which also works for nano-devices. The goal is to help students learn how to think about carrier transport at the nanoscale and also how the bottom up approach provides a new perspective to traditional concepts like mobility and drift-diffusion equations. The lectures are designed for ...

Spectroscopy is the principal tool used in astronomy to investigate the Universe beyond Earth's atmosphere. Through the analysis of electromagnetic radiation, spectrographs enable observers to assess the chemical composition, kinematics and local physical properties of distant stars, nebulae and galaxies. Thoroughly illustrated and clearly written, this handbook offers a practical and comprehensive guide to the different spectroscopic methods used in all branches of astronomy, at all wavel...

This book reviews up-to-date ideas of how the luminescence radiation in semiconductors originates and how to analyze it experimentally. The book fills a gap between general textbooks on optical properties of solids and specialized monographs on luminescence. It is unique in its coherent treatment of the phenomenon of luminescence from the very introductory definitions, from light emission in bulk crystalline and amorphous materials to the advanced chapters that deal with semiconductor nano...

The creation of affordable high speed optical communications using standard semiconductor manufacturing technology is a principal aim of silicon photonics research. This would involve replacing copper connections with optical fibres or waveguides, and electrons with photons. With applications such as telecommunications and information processing, light detection, spectroscopy, holography and robotics, silicon photonics has the potential to revolutionise electronic-only systems. Providing a...

Keeping abreast of the latest techniques and applications, this new edition of the standard reference and graduate text on laser spectroscopy has been completely revised and expanded. While the general concept is unchanged, the new edition features a broad array of new material, e.g., ultrafast lasers (atto- and femtosecond lasers) and parametric oscillators, coherent matter waves, Doppler-free Fourier spectroscopy with optical frequency combs, interference spectroscopy, quantum optics, th...