|
发表于 2017-2-18 10:31:12
|
显示全部楼层
The society we live in today relies on and is built upon our ability to almost instantly
communicate and share information at virtually any location. In the past 10 to 15 years, we
have witnessed unprecedented advances in the areas of computer and information technology,
health care, biotechnology, environmental sciences and engineering, and clean energy
technologies such as solar and wind power. All of these disciplines, as well as the challenges
they face and the opportunities they create, are interrelated and depend on our ability to send,
store, and convert information and energy.
The amount of information that we exchange using the Internet, computers, and other
personal communication devices such as smart phones, laptops, high-definition televisions,
fitness and activity trackers, electronic book readers, global positioning systems, autonomous
cars, and other technologies continues to increase very rapidly. At the very core of these
technologies lie very important devices made using a number of materials that have unique
electronic, magnetic, and optical properties. Thus, in this age of information technology, any
scientist or engineer must have some knowledge of the basic science and engineering
concepts that enable these technologies. This is especially important as we move to
technologies that cut across many different disciplinary boundaries.
A good portion of information-related technologies developed to date can be traced to
microelectronic devices based on silicon. Of course, information storage and processing has
also been supported by the availability of magnetic materials for data storage, optical fibers
based on ultrahigh-purity silica, and advances in sensors and detectors. However, silicon has
been at the core of microelectronics-related technologies and has served us extremely well
for almost 70 years since the invention of the transistor on December 16, 1947. There is no
doubt that silicon-based microelectronic devices that enable the fabrication of computer chips
from integrated circuits will continue to serve us well for many more years to come |
|