The course is taught in English. Aim of the course is to provide the theoretical and the experimental tools concerning materials and characterization techniques involved in micro and nanotechnological processes. The role of this course is central for the development of the professional profile concerning Physics of Complex Systems, as it develops several skills required for learning the other courses in Master's Degree. 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: - Physical and chemical properties of functional materials involved in micro and nanotechnologies. - Characterization methods devoted to materials, micro/nanostructures and technological processes

- Basic physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, wave optics, elements of condensed matter physics) - Quantum mechanics. - Elements of statistical mechanics and quantum statistics for fermions and bosons. - 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 (2,5 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 Lab (0,5 credits) - Experimental demonstration of electron microscopies

The course concerns theoretical lectures with the discussion of several application case studies and the experimental demonstration performed in laboratory.

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

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula);

Exam: Written test;

... 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 1 h 30 min. Laptop, smarphones, book, pocket calculator, slides, notes are not allowed.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.