les Houches This Winter School on "The Physics and Fabrication of Microstructures" originated with a European industrial decision to investigate in some detail the potential of custom-designed microstructures for new devices. Beginning in 1985, GEC and THOMSON started a collaboration on these subjects, supported by an ESPRIT grant from the Commission of the European Com munity. To the outside observer of the whole field, it appears clear that the world effort is very largely based in the United States and Japan. It also appears that cooperation and dissemination of results are very well organised outside Europe and act as a major influence on the development of new concepts and devices. In Japan, a main research programme of the Research and Development for Basic Technology for Future Industries is focused on "Future Electron Devices". In Japan and in the United States, many workshops are organised annually in order to bring together the major specialists in industry and academia, allowing fast dissemination of advances and contacts for setting up cooperative efforts.

In this revised and expanded edition, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the tools, technologies, and physical models needed to understand, build, and analyze microdevices. Students, specialists within the field, and researchers in related fields will appreciate their unified presentation and extensive references.

The Physical Electronics Department of SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) has been pioneering the development of devices fabricated to submicron tolerances for well over 20 years. In 1961, a landmark paper on electron-beam lithography and its associated technologies was published by K. R. Shoulderst (then at SRI), which set the stage for our subsequent efforts in this field. He had the foresight to believe that the building of such small devices was actually within the range of human capabilities. As a result of this initial momentum, our experience in the technologies associated with microfabrication has become remarkably comprehensive, despite the relatively small size of our research activity. We have frequently been asked to deliver seminars or provide reviews on various aspects of micro fabrication. These activities made us aware of the need for a comprehensive overview of the physics of microfabrication. We hope that this book will fill that need.

An up-to-date collection of tutorial papers on the latest advances in the deposition and growth of thin films for micro and nano technologies. The emphasis is on fundamental aspects, principles and applications of deposition techniques used for the fabrication of micro and nano devices. The deposition of thin films is described, emphasising the gas phase and surface chemistry and its effects on the growth rates and properties of films. Gas-phase phenomena, surface chemistry, growth mechanisms and the modelling of deposition processes are thoroughly described and discussed to provide a clear understanding of the growth of thin films and microstructures via thermally activated, laser induced, photon assisted, ion beam assisted, and plasma enhanced vapour deposition processes. A handbook for engineers and scientists and an introduction for students of microelectronics.

In this book, the fundamentals of micro- and nanofabrication are described on the basis of the concept of “using gases as a fabrication tool.” Unlike other books available on the subject, this volume assumes only entry-level mathematics, physics, and chemistry of undergraduates or high-school students in science and engineering courses. Necessary theories are plainly explained to help the reader learn about this new attractive field and enable further reading of specialized books. The book is an attractive guide for students, young engineers, and anyone getting involved in micro- and nanofabrication from various fields including physics, electronics, chemistry, and materials sciences.

The ability to engineer the bandstructure and the wavefunction over length scales previously inaccessible to technology using artificially structured materials and nanolithography has led to a new class of electron semiconductor devices whose operation is controlled by quantum effects. These structures not only represent exciting tools for investigating new quantum phenomena in semiconductors, but also offer exciting opportunities for applications. This book gives the first comprehensive treatment of the physics of quantum electron devices. This interdisciplinary field, at the junction between material science, physics and technology, has witnessed an explosive growth in recent years. This volume presents a detailed coverage of the physics of the underlying phenomena, and their device and circuit applications, together with fabrication and growth technology.