Title Page

Indice

Preface

Gruppo fotografico dei partecipanti al Corso

Spin dephasing and ''hot spins''

Introduction

NEGF method

What constitutes a dephasing process?

Proposed ''spin-charge transducer''

Spin valve with magnetic impurities

Hot-spin effect

NEGF equations: A summary

Inputs to the NEGF model

NEGF equations

NEGF model: Spin valve with impurities

Channel

Contacts

Current

Green function, spectral function and the correlation function

Spin-flip current

NEGF vs. equivalent circuit

''Hot spin'' effect

Dynamic polarization of impurities

Time constant for impurity polarization

Concluding remarks

Appendix A. Dephasing in the NEGF formalism

Evaluating Dn and Dp using eqs (A.4)

Appendix B. MATLAB codes used to generate text figures

Ginzburg-Landau phenomenology: its role in the modern theory of superconductivity and studies of nanograin properties

Introduction

Qualitative picture of fluctuations in superconductors

Ginzburg-Landau theory

GL functional

Heat capacity jump

GL equations

Fluctuation contribution to heat capacity of the superconducting nanograin

Ultrasmall superconducting grains

Superconducting drops in system with quenched disorder: the smearing of the superconducting transition

Josephson coupled superconducting grains and drops

Classical phase transition in granular superconductors

XY-model for granular superconductor

GL description of the granular superconductor

The broadening of the superconducting transition by quenched disorder

Percolation superconductivity in granular and drop systems

Wigner transport in the presence of phonons: Particle models of electron kinetics

Introduction

Classical and quantum distribution functions

Classical statistical mechanics

The Weyl transform

The density matrix

The Wigner function for pure state

Properties of the Wigner function

Classical limit of the Wigner equation

Quantum-statistical mechanics

Appendix

Generalized Wigner function of the coupled electron-phonon system

Weak coupling and equilibrium phonons approximations

Weak coupling

Equilibrium phonon averages

Models for the electron Wigner function

Main model for the electron Wigner function

The Levinson equation

Collisional broadening and retardation

The intra-collisional field effect (ICFE)

Approximate model for the reduced WF

Classical limit in the electron-phonon interaction

Particle models for the Wigner-Boltzmann equation

Concepts of Monte Carlo method

Random variable

Evaluation of integrals

Evaluation of integral equations

Physical averages in the stationary Wigner-Boltzmann transport: probabilistic analysis

Formulation and reformulation of the transport problem

Integro-differential form revised

Integral form

Adjoint equation

Analysis of A

Injection from the boundaries

Probability factors in K

Recording averages

Particle models

Classical transport

Coherent transport

Quantum transport with dissipation

Appendix A

Physical and mathematical structure of quantum noises

White noises as fields in a fast clock

Notations and statement of the problem

Quantum formulation of classical probability theory

Complex random variables as operators on Hilbert spaces

Stochastic processes and quantum fields

Gaussian fields and processes

Different types of Gaussian states

Dynamical evolutions

Combining states and dynamics

White noises

Convergence of fast fields to noises

The principle of stochastic resonance

Dissipation from white-noise Hamiltonians: a hierarchy of transport equations

The open system scheme

The canonical form of the interaction Hamiltonian

The time rescaling

The white-noise Hamiltonian equation

Causally normally ordered form of the equation

The stochastic Schrodinger equation

The Langevin (stochastic Heisenberg) equation

Master equations

Electron lattices coupled to phonon fields: conductivity and resistivity tensors

Description of the model

The stochastic limit of the model

The Langevin equation

The current vector in the linear response approximation

Computation of the current

The case of radiative dispersion

The linear response approximation

A formula for electrical conductivity

Computational methods for nanoelectronics

Introduction

Evaluation of the potential due to the gates in the Fermi-level pinning approximation

Two-step 'frozen charge' approximation

Boundary condition based on a density of surface states

Solution of the Schrodinger equation in the presence of a magnetic field

Gauge with non-zero transverse component

Gauge with non-zero longitudinal component

Application to noise and conductance calculations

Sensor parameters and the new Kelvin probe technique

Introduction

Metallic thermistor

Chemical sensors based on conductivity change of metal oxide semiconductors

The MOSFET operation

The ISFET operation

The GASFET operation

Sensitivities in BAW and SAW sensors

Sensitivity and mass resolution of BAW-based sensors

SAW-based sensors

The Kelvin probe

Sensitivity comparison between the two techniques

The Kelvin probe as a sensor

Conclusion

Fundamentals of nanostructured magnetic materials for spintronic devices

Introduction

Physical basis of spin electronics

Spin injection and probing by diffusion and tunneling

Metallic spin-valves

Magnetic tunnel junctions

GMR and interlayer exchange coupling

Oscillatory interlayer exchange coupling in metallic multilayers

Intrinsic spin-valves in layered manganite phases

Electronic structure and magnetism in perovskites

Colossal magnetoresistance and mesoscopic phase separation in manganites

The Hubbard model and GKA rules in oxides

Nanostructuring of oxides

Biaxial strain and orbital ordering

Cation ordering and double perovskites

Improving the TMR of manganite MTJs

Ferromagnetic 2DEG at oxide interfaces

Ferromagnetic/ferroelectric oxides

Conclusions

Silicon nanocrystal memories

Introduction

Materials and device fabrication

Electrical characteristics

Robustness to SILC

Channel hot-electron programming

Threshold voltage shift

Statistics of threshold voltage shift in large arrays: nanocrystal memory scaling

Summary

Microscopic description of molecular devices

Introduction

The Green's-function-based density-functional tight binding (gDFTB)

Application of the gDFTB method to the sensing properties of carbon nanotubes

Influence of the molecule vibrations on charge transport: elastic scattering

Results

Influence of the molecule vibrations on charge transport: Inelastic scattering

Application to di-thio-phenyl molecule

New imaging devices and image processing challenges

Image devices

Introduction

CCD chips and nanoscaling

CMOS detectors and nanoscaling

The human eye

How small should detectors be?

New image devices

New sensors

Organic material sensors

Nano-wire detectors

Carbon nanotubes optics

Photo-sensing nanodevices with nanoparticles

Photonics, plasmonics

Photonics

Plasmonics

3D integrated imaging system

Parallel processing - simulation of the visual cortex

3D-CORTEX system specification

The interlayer data transfer rate

New nanoelectronic devices

Introduction

Current CMOS status

New FET-like devices

Resonant tunnelling devices

Single-Electron Tunnelling (SET) devices

Other switching or memory device concepts

Magnetoelectronics

Quantum interference transistors (QITs)

Molecular switches

Quantum Cellular Automata (QCA)

Discussion and conclusion

Limits of computational systems, noise and fault tolerance

Noise

Fault-tolerance

R-Modular Redundancy

Cascaded Triple-Modular Redundancy

NAND Multiplexing

Reconfiguration

Results and discussion

Green fluorescent proteins as nanometric optical devices for applications in proteomics and biomolecular electronics

Introduction

Optical and biophysical characteristics of GFP mutants

GFP mutants for live cell imaging

Single-molecule photophysics and photochromism of GFP mutants

E2GFP as photochromic element of 2D biomolecular memories

Conclusions and perspectives

Perspectives of colloidal nanocrystals in nanoscience and nanotechnology

Introduction

A general model for the growth of colloidal nanocrystals

Shape-controlled nanocrystals

Three-dimensional nanocrystal heterostructures

Optical properties of shaped-controlled semiconductor nanocrystals

Present and potential applications of nanocrystals

Conclusions and perspectives

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