Cressler J.D. Silicon Earth: Introduction to the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Revolution

Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, USA, 2009. — 526 p. — ISBN: 0521879396, 0521705053.We are in the swirling center of the most life-changing technological revolution the Earth has ever known. In only 60 years, an eye-blink of human history, a single technological invention has launched the proverbial thousand ships, producing the most sweeping and pervasive set of changes ever to wash over humankind; changes that are reshaping the very core of human existence, on a global scale, at a relentlessly accelerating pace. And we are just at the very beginning. Silicon Earth introduces readers with little or no background to the many marvels of microelectronics and nanotechnology, using easy, non-intimidating language, with an intuitive approach using minimal math. The general scientific and engineering underpinnings of microelectronics and nanotechnology are addressed, as well as how this new technological revolution is transforming a broad array of interdisciplinary fields, and civilization as a whole. Special 'widget deconstruction' chapters address the inner workings of ubiquitous micro/nano-enabled pieces of technology such as cell phones, flash drives, GPS, DVDs, and digital cameras.The Communications Revolution
A Matter of Scale
Widget Deconstruction #1: Cell Phone
Innumerable Biographies: A Brief History of the Field
Semiconductors – Lite!
Widget Deconstruction #2: USB Flash Drive
Bricks and Mortar: Micro/Nanoelectronics Fabrication
Transistors – Lite!
Microtools and Toys: MEMS, NEMS, and BioMEMS
Widget Deconstruction #3: GPS
Let There Be Light: The Bright World of Photonics
The Nanoworld: Fact and Fiction
The Gathering Storm: Societal Transformations and Some Food for Thought
Appendices
Properties of Silicon
Some Basic Concepts from Physics and Electrical Engineering
Electronic Circuits, Boolean Algebra, and Digital Logic
A Grab-Bag Glossary of Useful Techno-Geek Terms and Acronyms