Design-Oriented Introduction of Nanotechnology into the Electrical and Computer Engineering Curriculum

Abstract

Nanoelectronics has the potential, and is indeed expected, to revolutionize information technology by the use of the impressive characteristics of nanodevices such as carbon nanotube transistors, molecular diodes and transistors, etc. A great effort is being put into creating an introductory course in nanotechnology. However, practically all courses focus on the physics, chemistry, and materials science aspects of this discipline. On the other hand, a more abstract, design-oriented introduction is desirable for electrical and computer engineering majors. In order to teach design-oriented nanotechnology, the teaching curriculum must be extended to include new concepts. In particular, it is necessary to supply the design principles, device models, and software simulation tools. This article describes our approach for introducing nanotechnology system design into the Electrical and Computer Engineering undergraduate curriculum at Stony Brook University. The approach consists of developing a nanodevice library for SPICE-like simulator and a 3-week module on nanotechnology system design utilizing this library. The module will be woven into an existing course on Integrated Electronics.