Aim of the course (2nd semester, 1st year of the National LM in Nanotechnologies for ICT) is to provide the theoretical basics to be exploited in the study of materials, technologies and design for the fabrication of microelectronic devices, micro and nanostructures, microsystems and MEMS/NEMS (micro/nano-electro-mechanical systems), with particular emphasis on applications in the ICT area.
This course plays a central role in the development of an Engineer expert in micro and nanotechnologies, because it extensively provides the basic elements for the fabrication and design of the above mentioned devices and it is preparatory for the understanding of subsequent courses of the Laurea Magistrale.
In the course the fundamentals of technologies and materials for microelectronics and microsystems and some examples of the same are treated and discussed, thus making the course specifically addressed to those students interested in the fabrication and design aspects of micro and nano-scale devices and systems.
Aim of the course is to provide the fundamental knowledges on the technologies and design for nanostructures and nanosystems , with particular emphasis on applications in the ICT area.
This course plays a central role in the development of an Engineer expert in nanotechnologies, because it extensively provides the basic elements for understanding how to study, understand and design a system based on emerging devices at the nanoscale both based on conventional and new principles, and how to connect them in more conventional microelectronics systems.
Expected knowledge:
• development of knowledge that extends and/or reinforces the ones received from preparatory courses and allow to develop and/or apply original ideas and design methods and the development of a technological process flow for the production of integrated circuits and microsystems;
• ability to apply the knowledge gained in a research and/or industrial framework, understanding capability and skills in solving problems related to the design, modeling, simulation and implementation of microelectronic circuits and microsystems also applied to new technological principles or unfamiliar issues or entered into application contexts broader and more interdisciplinary than the engineering sector (medicine, environmental monitoring, food, ...);
• ability to integrate technical knowledge and to manage the complexity of the design and manufacturing process flow, to evaluate the quality and robustness of a process flow, its implementation and feasibility, choosing the most efficient solutions from the available options;
• ability to communicate in a clear and unambiguous way technical aspects relating to the design and manufacture of integrated circuits and microsystems, both in writing and oral form and to both specialists and non-specialists;
• development of self-learning skills to allow the student to continue to learn autonomously new techniques and design methodologies and fabrication techniques for integrated circuits and micro and nano systems, not necessarily explained and described during the course.
Expected skills
• Knowledge of the physical-chemical behaviour of materials to be used in micro and nanotechnologies.
• Knowledge of the basic technologies for microstructures fabrication.
• Knowledge of materials and technologies for Microsystems and MEMS manufacturing.
• Ability to apply materials and technologies for the fabrication of microstructures and microsystems.
• Knowledge of models and methodologies used for the description and the design of micro and nano systems.
• Knowledge of methods and CAD for microsystems design.
• Ability to design component for microsystems and MEMS
• Knowledge of methods for the integration of MEMS/NEMS with electronic circuits
• Knowledge of techniques and issues related to the design, fabrication and verification of nanosystems.
• Ability to design integration of MEMS/NEMS and its co-design with electronic circuits
Expected knowledge:
• development of knowledge that extends and/or reinforces the ones received from preparatory courses and allow to develop and/or apply original ideas and design methods and the development of nanocircuits and nanosystems;
• ability to apply the knowledge gained in a research and/or industrial framework, understanding capability and skills in solving problems related to the design, modeling, simulation and implementation of nanosystems also applied to new technological principles or unfamiliar issues or entered into application contexts broader and more interdisciplinary than the engineering sector (medicine, environmental monitoring, food, ...);
• ability to integrate technical knowledge and to manage the complexity of the design a, to evaluate the quality and robustness of a nanosystem, its implementation and feasibility, choosing the most efficient solutions from the available options;
• ability to communicate in a clear and unambiguous way technical aspects relating to the design and manufacture of integrated circuits at the nanoscale, both in writing and oral form and to both specialists and non-specialists;
• development of self-learning skills to allow the student to continue to learn autonomously new techniques and design methodologies for integrated nano systems, not necessarily explained and described during the course.
Expected skills
• Knowledge of the physical-chemical behaviour of part of the materials nanotechnologies.
• Knowledge of the basic technologies for nanodevices fabrication.
• Ability to apply technologies for the design of nanosystems.
• Knowledge of models and methodologies used for the description and the design of nano systems.
• Knowledge of methods and CAD for nanosystems simulations and design.
• Knowledge of methods for the integration of nanocircuits with microelectronic circuits
• Knowledge of techniques and issues related to the design, fabrication and verification of nanosystems.
• Ability to design integration of nanosystems and its co-design with electronic circuits
• Elementary physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, wave optics, elements of structure of matter)
• Elements of modern physics
• Elements of electronics
• Elements of electronic devices
• Elementary physics (elements of structure of matter)
• Elements of modern physics
• Elements of electronics
• Elements of electronic devices
. Knowledges on magnetism
Integrated Circuits technologies (wafer preparation, cleanroom technology, silicon oxidation, epitaxy, CVD, evaporation, sputtering, electroplating, diffusion, ion implantation) (2 ECTS)
Lithographic techniques, wet etching, dry etching, back-end technologies, CMOS process flow (1,5 ECTS)
Introduction to MEMS and NEMS, bulk micromachining, surface micromachining, LIGA, wafer bonding, MEMS packaging, MEMS complementary technologies (2 ECTS)
Examples of Microsystems (micro pressure sensors, microaccelerometers, …) (0,5 ECTS)
Basics of microsystems simulation; physical multidomain simulation (0,5 ECTS)
Elements of 'behavioural' and FEM simulation, examples and use of commercial software CAD tools and their characteristics (1 ECTS)
Module concept in micro and nano system technology (1 ECTS)
Methods for modeling nanodevices and nanocircuits for the hyerarchical design of micro and nano systems (1,5 ECTS)
Simulation, methods for integration and test of micro and nano systems (2 ECTS)
- Methods for modeling nanodevices and nanocircuits for the hierarchical design of micro and nano systems.
- Simulation, methods for integration and test of nano systems.
- Molecular devices: molecular wires, molecular diodes, molecular transistors, molecular sensors.
- Silicon based nanowires and nanosensors.
- Field Coupled Nanodevices for computation based on molecules, on nanomagnets and single atoms.
- Magnetic devices and systems for memory and computation.
- Carbon Nano Tubes used as interconnects and Field Effect Transistors: technology, models, circuits and applications
- Quantum computing and communication: technologies, models and deployment to circuits
The first part of the course ("Physics of Technological Processes for Micro & Nanosystems") consists of lectures delivered by slides and the use of the blackboard. The slides will be made available to students on the Internet Didactic Portal at the beginning of the course.
The second part of the course (“Micro and Nano systems”) consists both in lectures delivered by slides and using blackboards, and of laboratories aimed at simulating, evaluating and designing single devices and micro and nano systems. The slides and laboratory material will be made available to students on the Internet Didactic Portal, and the CAD system for the laboratory exercise will be available and usable during the whole semester.
The course consists both in lectures delivered by slides and using blackboards, and of laboratories aimed at simulating, evaluating and designing single devices and nano systems. The slides and laboratory material will be made available to students on the Internet Didactic Portal, and the CAD system and models for the laboratory exercise will be available and usable during the whole semester.
The structure of the course involves the study of:
- theory on conduction in 3D,2D,1D,0D systems
- device structure and impact of technological parameters on the physical behaviour and on conduction for molecular wires, diodes, transistors, sensors, nad for silicon based 1D systems
- modelling of molecular wires, diodes, transistors, sensors and silicon nanowires
- design of circuits and nanosystems based on molecular devices based on conduction and silicon nanowires
- theory on field-coupling information transmission at molecular level
- device structure and impact of technological parameters on the physical behaviour and on filed coupling information transmission for field-coupling molecular devices
-theory on filed-coupling information propagation in magnetic devices
- device structure and impact of technological parameters on the physical behaviour and on filed coupling information for
- modeling of filed-coupling based molecular and magnetic devices
- desing of circuits and nanosystems based on field-coupling principles
- magnetic memories organization and design and interfaces to microelectronics circuits
- resistive memories organization and design and interfaces to microelectronics circuits
- interconnection system and Field effect transistors based on Carbon Nano Tubes and their application in circuits for computation and sensing
- basics on recent technologies and devices for quantum computation and quantum communication, modeling and analysis of circuits for QC
Four laboratories on the main topics will also be organized using cad tools for the analysis, modeling and design of nanodevices and nanocircuits
An optional laboratory to exlore the topics at the design level will also be proposed
Concerning the first part of the course ("Physics of Technological Processes for Micro & Nanosystems ") the didactic material (slides for the lectures) will distributed by teachers. Suggested but not mandatory books will be specified by the teacher. Among them:
- “Microsystem Technology”, W. Menz, J. Mohr, O.Paul, Wiley-VCH ed.
For the second part of the course (“Micro and Nano systems”) the material (slides, scientific papers, material for the lab execution) will be available, and some books will be suggested as integration by the teacher.
The material (slides, scientific papers, material for the lab execution, lecture notes) will be available, and some books will be suggested as integration by the teacher.
Books
Marc Baldo "Introduction to Nanoelectronics",
Supryio Datta "Lessons from Nanoelectronics"
Michael Petty "Molecular Electronics, from principle to practice", Whiley
Slides; Dispense; Libro di testo; Esercitazioni di laboratorio; Video lezioni tratte da anni precedenti; Strumenti di simulazione;
Lecture slides; Lecture notes; Text book; Lab exercises; Video lectures (previous years); Simulation tools;
Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;
Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group project;
...
The exam is divided in two parts (each of them worth 6 ECTS), mirroring the division in 2 parts of the course:
- The first part (“Physics of Technological Processes for Micro & Nanosystems”, 6 ECTS) involves a written and oral proof. The written exam includes both multiple-answer questions and open questions and short exercises. The total allotted time is 30 mins. No books or notes are allowed. The type of proposed questions aims to test the student ability to understand and revision the topics covered in class lectures, with particular reference to the ability to compare similar technologies, compare results or processing parameters of technological processes or performance of different materials. The oral exam lasts 15-20 minutes and it will cover all the subjects explained during the lectures. The main evaluation criteria of the exam consist in the correctness of the tests solutions, the completeness and synthesis of the responses to the open questions and the correctness of the employed technical language. The mark for the first part of the course will be calculated as the average between the written and oral proofs.
- The second part (“Micro and nano systems”, 6 ECTS) requires a written proof and a project. The written part is organized in three open questions related to all the subjects discussed during the lectures and the laboratories. The time for this part is 1.5 hours. The aim of the question is to verify the student capability to understand and discuss the major subjects presented, independently on the specific aspects analyzed in the project development. The evaluation criteria focus on the verification of the correctness and the in depth analysis of the suggested subjects, in the student capability to organically present it with a good degree of completeness and of details. The project (to be selected among a list of proposed subjects) consists in analyzing, designing and validating a micro and nano system among those proposed during the lectures or even other more innovative cases. The goal is to give the student the possibility to experiment and to enlarge the knowledge and techniques studied during the lectures and the laboratories. The project evaluation requires verifying the appropriateness of the method used, the correctness of the analysis and design criteria, the completeness and correctness of the results, of the final report and of its related presentation.
The final mark (for 12 ECTS) will be the average between the two marks of the two above described exams
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.
Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Group project;
The exam consists in four parts:
Laboratory reports: The laboratories will require a report on each subject and will be evaluated for the final exam (20%).
Written exam: The written exam will be on the more theoretical and design part and based on specific exercises on the various topics (30%).
Oral exam: The oral exam will be on the whole subject (30%).
Final Project: The final project will be an extension of one of the laboratories with subjects proposed by the teacher to be elaborated and investigated (20%).
The project is not mandatory; if not taken the final score will be evaluated on the basis of the other three parts on a maximum of 28.
Expected learning outcomes:
Laboratory reports:
- understanding the models of the analysed devices and the impact of parameters on the devices behaviour
- capability to use the simulation tools and the design tools and their optimization and relation to the device and circuit characteristcs
- skill in the design of small circuits based on the analyzed devices
- capability in writing a correct, exhaustive and clear technical report
Written exam:
- knowledges on the theoretical behavior of the devices and the systems analyzed
- understanding of the impact of parameters and of technology on the device behavior
- capability to apply the theoretical analysis to practical and numerical examples
- knowledge of the technological processes i=mpacting ont the electronics behavior of the devices
- capability to design small circuits based on the analyzed devices
Oral exam:
- knlowledges on the devices and circuits characteristics and parameters and of the analyzed fabrication processes
- knowledges of the relations among theory and application for the devices and circuits analyzed
- capability to discuss the performance of devices and circuits
Final Project:
- skill in analyzing the behavior of devices and/or circuits
- capability to search and understand new aspects of the subject analyzed no only covered during the lectures, independence in finding solutions to unexpected problems on the devices, the circuits and the adopted tools
- creativity in the design and application of the device under analysis
- capability to write a complete and extended technical report
Exam rules
-Laboratory reports: The reports are to be delivered within two weeks from the dalboratory date, are expected to be completed
in terms of the answers to the asked questions and exercises, are required to be well presented and connected to the theory analyzed in the lectures;
critical thinking will be especially evaluated. Lab reports are evaluated over a maximu score of 30
-Written exam: It consists of two/three open questions that might include also numerical exercise as a part to be completed and the time for the exam is two hours; no reading material or books are allowed; maximum score 30
-Oral exam: the exam is based on three to five questions on the whole subject and could include also to apply the theory and practice to new cases and discuss them. The oral consists in 15 minuts to prepare the answers to two questions and 30 minutes to present the answers and to discuss them at the board
-Final Project: the project topic will be chosen among a list of possibilities, each related to one of the subjects analyzed in classes and in labs;
critical thinking is especially stimulated and in some cases could require to learn and discover new elements and tools; the project will be described
with some progressive steps and the student can choose how many steps to take. the maximum evaluation is 30L and will be related to the number of steps, the degree of difficulty, the capability to apply the theory and to go in depth with the analysis as well as the level of creativity and imagination involved. The project should be delivered by the end of the winter exam session.
The project is not mandatory; if not taken the final score will be evaluated on the basis of the other three parts on a maximum of 28.
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.