Novel Materials
for Micro- and Nanoelectronics
Renaca, Chile
Application for travel support
For more information
contact:
gustaf@physics.rutgers.edu
Last updated:
Friday, December 29, 2006
Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI):
Novel Materials for Micro- and Nanoelectronics
A Pan-American Advanced Study Institute (PASI) on "Novel Materials for Micro- and Nanoelectronics" will be held in Renaca, Chile, January 8 - 18, 2007. One of our aims is to stimulate cooperation among researchers in the Americas in this rapidly advancing field. The PASI is primarily intended for the advanced graduate and post-doctoral level but more senior scientists are also very much encouraged to attend, to present their work, to take part in the discussions and to enjoy the hospitality of our Chilean colleagues. The program will consist of tutorial lectures and research seminars by leading scientists in the field, as well as presentations by the participants and poster sessions. The PASI Program is a jointly supported initiative between the (US) Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). We will provide funding for some 40 attendees, with half coming from the US and half from other countries in the Americas.
Since the invention of the transistor and the integrated circuit half a century ago, electronic materials have revolutionized life for people all over the world. These novel materials now form the basis for whole new industries that did not previously exist. The performance of devices today is vastly superior of that from just a few years ago and their cost has shown a similarly exponential decrease. The nanometer (nm) is today the practical measure of length in high performance devices.
This unparalleled revolution in technologies to date can be traced back very directly to discoveries in basic science and to the direct and focused interaction between basic, applied and industrial scientists and engineers. For future progress, these interactions have to be strengthened and intensified. Entirely new methods and ideas have to be developed and new approaches will have to be tried. On the nanoscale, size itself (for example through quantization) produces novel physical, chemical and engineering properties that can be exploited to fabricate devices with entirely new characteristics. The associated challenges, both intellectually/scientifically and eventually industrially, are enormous and fascinating.
In the area of microelectronics, the PASI will focus on problems dealing with materials challenges, which will become critical during the next decade, such as high dielectric constant (high-k) materials. On a slightly longer time horizon is the possibility to replace silicon with other semiconductors, such as Ge, GaAs and InGaAs. Of related interest are also novel ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials, often with interesting magnetic properties.
By nanoelectronics, we understand here new technologies, which may become a commercial reality in a longer time perspective (10+ years). Among the classes of systems are nanotubes, nanowires, quantum dots and new electronic materials based on molecular solids.
The PASI co-chairs are Patricio Häberle of the UTFSM, Valparaiso, Chile and Torgny Gustafsson, Rutgers University, NJ, USA.
Sponsored by:
