The course is taught in English.
Aim of the course (1st semester, 2nd year Master’s Degree in Materials engineering, free choice course) is to provide the theoretical and the experimental tools concerning materials and characterization techniques involved in micro and nanotechnological processes.
The course is divided into two parts: in the first, the fundamental aspects of the physical and chemical properties of functional materials involved in micro and nanotechnological processes. In the second part, the student learns basic notions about the main characterization techniques dealing with materials (homogeneous and nanostructured) and synthesis processes.

The knowledge transmitted by the course to students involves:

- Basic physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, wave optics, elements of condensed matter physics)
- Quantum mechanics.
- Elements of electronics and electrotechnics.

Materials (3 credits)
- Fundamentals of materials bonding and structure; materials properties inferred from chemical bonding; crystal defects.
- Metals and Ceramics: Thermo-/Ferro-/Pyro-electrical properties, Piezoelectricity, Piezoresistivity
- Materials for harsh environments
- Shape memory materials
- Nanostructured materials
- Polymers

Characterizations (3,5 credits)
- Introduction to Materials Characterization: Composition, Structure and Morphology through fundamental interactions (photons-matter, electrons-matter, ions/particles-matter)
- Optical microscopy (conventional [wide field], confocal/laser scanning)
- Electron microscopies (SEM and TEM with Electron Probe Microanalysis) and e-beam lithography
- Ionic microscopy (Focus Ion Beam) and related lithography
- Optical Spectroscopy: Photodetectors/Optical Spectrometers, Reflectance/Transmittance spectroscopy, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy

Experimental Labs (1,5 credits)
- Experimental demonstrations of synthesis and materials characterizations theoretically discussed during the lessons

The course concerns theoretical lectures with the discussion of several application case studies and the experimental demonstrations performed in research laboratories.

Selected chapters from the following texts:
- Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, by William D. Callister, Ed. Wiley
- Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering, by William F. Smith and Javad Hashem, Ed. McGraw-Hill
- Solid State Chemistry and its Applications, by Anthony R. West, Ed. Wiley
- Structural and chemical analysis of materials, by J. P. Eberhart, Ed. Wiley
- Surfaces and interfaces of solid materials, by H. Luth, Ed. Springer
- A guide to scanning microscope observation, by JEOL Inc.
- Optical processes in semiconductors, by J. I. Pankove, Ed. Dover Publ. Inc.
- Optical diagnostics for thin film processing, by I. P. Herman, Ed. Academic Press
- Fundamentals of photonics, by B.E.A. Saleh and M. C. Teich, Ed. Wiley

Learning material provided by teachers

The exam concerns a written test dealing with open questions on the developed theory and the experiments performed within the laboratory demonstrations, with a scheduled time of 2 hours. Laptop, smarphones, book, pocket calculator, slides, notes are not allowed.