Atomic-Scale Electronics Beyond CMOS

This book explores emerging topics in atomic- and nano-scale electronics after the era of Moore’s Law, covering both the physical principles behind, and technological implementations for many devices that are now expected  to become  key elements of the future of nanoelectronics beyond traditional complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS). Moore’s law is not a physical law itself, but rather a visionary prediction that has worked well for more than 50 years but is rapidly coming to its end as the gate length of CMOS transistors approaches the length-scale of only a few atoms. Thus, the key question here is: “What is the future for nanoelectronics beyond CMOS?” 

The possible answers are found in this book. Introducing novel quantum devices such as atomic–scale electronic devices, ballistic devices, memristors, superconducting devices, this book also presents the reader with the physical principles underlying new ways of computing, as well as their practical implementation. Topics such as quantum computing, neuromorphic computing are highlighted here as some of the most promising candidates for ushering in a new era of atomic-scale electronics beyond CMOS.

Mircea Dragoman was born in Bucharest in 1955. He graduated the Polytechnical Institute in Bucharest, Electronic Faculty, in 1980 and received his doctoral degree in electronics in 1991. Since 1996 he is a senior researcher at the National Research Institute in Microtechnologies and, since 2008, is teaching a course at the Univ. Poltehnica Bucharest, Romania titled "Advanced Technological Processes", which is related to nanotechnologies and advanced materials. He has realized the first carbon nanotube and graphene devices and circuits for high frequency applications, thereby enriching the novel field of Carbon-Based Electronics. In the period from 1992-1994, he was recipient of the Humbold Fellowship award and carried out postdoctoral studies at Duisburg University, Germany. He has held invited professor positions at CNR- Istituto di Electtronica dello Stato Solido-Roma (1996), Univ. Saint-Etienne –Franta (1997), Univ. Mannheim (1998-1999, 2001-2002), Univ. Frankfurt  (2003), and Univ. Darmstadt (2004). In the periods 2005-2006 and 2008-2010 he was nominated Directeur de Recherche at CNRS LAAS Toulouse. He has published more than 300 scientific papers in the following areas : nanoelectronics, microwaves, MEMS, optoelectronics. Mircea Dragoman received the “Gheorghe Cartianu” award of the Romanian Academy in 1999.

Daniela Dragoman graduated the University of Bucharest, Physics Faculty, in 1989 and received her PhD from the University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland, in 1993. She is currently Professor at the Physics Faculty of the University of Bucharest and teaches Solid State Physics and Nanophysics courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her areas of interests include the physics and applications of nanostructures, with a particular emphasis of carbon nanotubes and graphene, and modeling of quantum nanoscale devices. She was the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt fellowship during Feb. 1998-June 1999 and Sept. 2001-March 2002, when she worked at the Univ. of Mannheim, Germany, and occupied the position of Directeur de Recherche at LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse, France during July-September 2008, 2009, and 2010. She was also visiting professor at several universities in France, Germany, and Italy. Daniela Dragoman has published more than 300 scientific papers in areas including quantum and classical optics, quantum mechanics, and nanostructures. She received the “Gheorghe Cartianu” award of the Romanian Academy in 1999, for the book Advanced Optoelectronic Devices (Springer).