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CONTENT
● Introduction
● How did it start?
● Top down approach
● Bottom up approach
● Application of semiconductors nanomaterials.
● Silicon semiconductors nanomaterials and
devices
● How does getting smaller benefit them?
● The benefit of quantum size effect.
● Challenges
● Dangers
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● conclusion

NANOTECHNOLOGY
FOR
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SEMICONDUCTOR
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INTRODUCTION

Nanotechnology is a field of science and

technology of controlling matter on a nanoscale.
It is a highly multidisciplinary field, including
electrical and mechanical engineering, Physics,
Chemistry and biosciences. Nanotechnology will
radically affect all these disciplines and their
applications. It is commonly attributed for the
technologies leading to producing nano-scaled
materials (10^-9m) at nanometre dimension.
This feather of nano-particles provides a larger
surface space per unit mass than those which are
not in nano size .
To create nanostructured materials there are two
commonly routine techniques that can be used,
top down techniques and bottom up techniques.
One of the main applications of Nanotechnology
and their driving force for nanoscience is the
electronics industry. Over the past few decadesthe
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transistor has been continually miniaturised.

Nanotechnology broadly includes all technologies
that handle nanoscale materials and in narrow
science technologies that handle unique
phenomena that arise in the 10 to 100 nm size
range.
Materials of this size have been prepared using
two techniques, the top-down and bottom-up
methods.
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How did it start?

When we get to the very, very small world When

we get to the very, very small world - say circuits of
say circuits of seven atoms seven atoms - we
have a lot of new things that would happen that
represent completely new opportunities for design.
Atoms that represent completely new opportunities
for design. Atoms on a small scale behave like
nothing on a large scale, for they satisfy the laws
of quantum mechanics. So, as we go down and
fiddle around with the atoms down there, we are
working with different laws, and we can expect to
do different things. We can manufacture in
different ways. We can use, not just circuits, but
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some system involving the quantized energy

levels, or the interactions of quantized spins, etc.

TOP-DOWN APPROACH

This approach,which leads physicists and

engineers to manipulate progressively smaller
pieces of matter by photolithography, Electron-
beam lithography , X-ray lithography and related
techniques, has operated in an outstanding way up
until now. It is becoming increasingly apparent for
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example that miniaturisation in computer

technology, which relies on silicon-based chips,is
rapidly approaching the upper limits of its
capabilities. But it is very large on the scale of
atoms and molecules. Therefore "there is plenty
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Of room at the bottom" for further

miniaturisation.

Bottom-Up Approach

An alternative and most promising strategy to exploit

science and technology at the nanometre scale is
offered by the bottom-up approach,which starts
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from nano-or sub-nano scale objects( namely atoms

and molecules) to build up nanostructures. The
bottom-up approach is largely the realm of
nanoscience and nanotechnology. This is the reason
why chemists,being able to manipulate atoms and
molecules, are in the ideal position to contribute to
the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
The top-down method is applied to process just as in
the semiconductor process, whereas the bottom-up
method is applied to integrate molecules or atoms
into nano-scale material just as a Living organisms
synthesise DNA and proteins, and integrate them
into a cell, and further into a body.
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The ability to fabricate structures with manometric

precision is of fundamental importance to any
exploitation of nanotechnology. The great promise of
nanotechnology is the ability to do more in the same
space: to advance our current technologies through
miniaturisation, so that each crop of electronics is
smaller,faster and more powerful than the one
before.
Due to their small dimensions, nanomaterials have
extremely large surface area to volume ratio, which
makes a large number of surface or interfacial atoms.
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Application of Semiconductor Nanomaterials

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Semiconductor nanomaterials have interesting

physical and chemical properties and useful
functionalities, when compared with their
conventional bulk counterparts and molecular
materials. Narrow and intensive emission spectra,
continuous absorption bands, high chemical and
photobleaching stability, processability, and surface
functionality are among the most attractive
properties of these materials. The development of
“nanochemistry” is reflected in an immense number
of publications on the synthesis of semiconductor
nanoparticles. For instance, the spatial quantum
confinement effect results in significant
change in optical properties of semiconductor
nanomaterials.
The very high dispersion (high surface-to-volume
ratio), with both physical and chemical properties of
the semiconductor has a major influence on their
optical and surface properties.
As a result, semiconductor nanomaterials have been
the focus of research for about 20 years and have
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attracted significant interest in research and

applications in diverse disciplines such as solid-state
physics, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry,
colloid chemistry, materials science, and recently
biological sciences, medical sciences,
engineering,and interdisciplinary fields. Among the
unique properties of nanomaterials, the movement of
electrons and holes in semiconductor nanomaterials
is primarily governed by the well-known quantum
confinement, and the transport properties related to
phonons and photons are largely affected by the size
and geometry of the materials.The specific surface
area and surface-to-volume ratio increase drastically
as the size of the material decreases. Parameters such
as size, shape, and surface characteristics can be
varied to control their properties for different
applications of interest.These novel properties
of semiconductor nanomaterials have attracted
significant attention in research and applications in
emerging technologies such as nanoelectronics,
nanophotonics, energy conversion, nonlinear optics,
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miniaturised sensors and imaging devices, solar cells,

catalysis, detectors, photography biomedicine etc., In
this section we discuss the application of
semiconductor nanomaterials in catalysis and
medical sciences.
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Silicon Semiconductor Nanomaterials and

Devices

This field has become one of the most active research

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areas of semiconductor nanotechnology. Knowledge

of modern information technology is based on silicon
based microelectronics. Therefore, the development
of silicon based materials and devices will influence
the future development of current microelectronics
and information technology to a certain extent,
which has an important strategic significance.
Besides the widely used crystalline silicon wafers,
silicon nanostructures have been considered
as the basic components for future
nano/microelectronic devices. With the size of silicon
based complementary metal oxide semiconductors
(CMOS) circuits reducing gradually down to 10 nm or
even smaller, a series of severe challenges appear,
such as how to deal with device manufacturing limits,
dramatic increase in cost, and the working
mechanism changes of new devices. These lead to
the ‘bottle-neck’ of the future development in the
silicon based microelectronics industry, while silicon
based nanotechnology can provide a solution with
lower cost and higher efficiency. The size effect of
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silicon nanostructures leads to a lot of novel

properties. One typical example is the size-tunable
highly-luminescent silicon nanostructures due
to the quantum effect. By using these novel
properties scientists have recently developed several
silicon based novel devices like highly sensitive
biological and chemical sensors, high-efficiency
solar cells and light-emitting diodes.
Therefore, silicon nanostructures show wide
application prospects in many fields. Our aim is to
build an internationally advanced scientific centre for
nano technologically research and to create a
competitive technology innovative environment for
nanotechnology applications.
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Semiconductors in Nanotechnology -
How Does Getting Smaller Benefit
Them?
For the past several decades, scientists have been
experimenting with the potential benefits that
nanomaterials, particularly carbon nanotubes, could
offer semiconductors. As researchers develop methods to
further reduce the size of semiconductor materials,
dramatic improvements in the physical and chemical
properties of these materials continue to arise. In
conclusion, minimising the size of semiconductor
materials has been shown to maximise the performance
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of semiconductors for their application in a wide range

of material applications.

The Benefit of Quantum Size Effect (QSE)

The quantum size effect (QSE) arises as a result of the
increased quantum confinement of the electrons and
holes following the increased reduction in size of small
crystalline structures, such as that which occurs during
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the nanoscaling of semiconductor materials.

Nanomaterials affected by QSE exhibit changes in their
electronic structures, which results in an intermediate
molecular size that falls between the size of a molecule
and its bulk material. When present in this intermediate
state, the individual energy density of states (DOS) of
valence and conduction bands in metals and
semiconductors undergo a unique transformation that
leads to the spatial enclosure of charge carriers within
these structures.
As a result of the electron structural changes that arise
from QSE, dramatic modifications from the physical
properties of bulk materials can be demonstrated by
manufactured nanomaterial. By manipulating the size
and shape of these intermediate atoms, researchers are
able to adjust the energy and optical transitions of
nanoengineered semiconductor materials. For example,
by modifying the electronic energy state, researchers can
adjust the light emission capable of passing through
these nanoparticles to be within the ultraviolet, visible,
near-infrared and/or mid-infrared spectral ranges,
depending on the desired application of the material.
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Challenges

While this modification in the physical properties of

nanomaterials has allowed for the development of
increasingly strong materials, such as graphene,
material chemistry researchers often struggle with
the ability to determine the correlation between the
physical properties that may arise with each newly
created physical dimension. To this end, each
component of a nanostructure must be carefully
scaled in order to achieve the perfect combination of
material compositions and length scales that will be
appropriate for the final product of interest.
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Nanotechnology Dangers
The riskiest aspects of nanotechnology are unknown
dangers, misuse and harmful effects on health and
environment.
Scientists continue to work toward finding practical

applications of nanoparticles without truly knowing

the potential effects of their innovations. Underlying

risks are always present when technologies surpass

human knowledge and understanding.The ability to

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alter substances at a molecular level is a powerful

skill and, left in the wrong hands, could lead to

misuse.One fear is manipulating particles to

intentionally cause physical harm to one or more

persons. Especially dangerous is the prospect of a

terrorist applying this technology to create small,

undetectable biological or atomic weaponry.

Ethical concerns of misuse also include the

possibility of altering the genetic make-up of

humans by engineering specific traits.Such a

procedure would be directed toward the

high-income section of society and could further

divide the population into a “super” class of

intelligent, strong beings and a lower class of

“average” people.
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Particles on a nanoscale can cause toxic effects in

humans; they are so small they have the potential

to cross the blood-brain barrier, which could cause

mass poisoning or unwanted neurological effects.

In addition, scientists do not know whether

exposure to nanoparticles over long periods of time

will affect the human body.

Although strict government guidelines exist to

minimise potential dangers, some still believe it

plausible that long-term exposure can cause a slow

poisoning and future health issues.

Researchers do not know if nanoparticles pose

potential dangers to the environment such as

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contamination of water supplies or harm to animal

populations.

Dismissed by many scientists, some still fear the

“grey goo” scenario. This scenario is based on the

theory that nanorobots would self-replicate, cloning

themselves until the entire organic world was

consumed, leaving behind a giant mass of grey goo.

Although some of these are speculative, scientists

have valid concerns regarding short and long-term

threats to the human body and environment

because of recent laboratory findings:

● Exposure to fullerenes killed water fleas

● Fullerenes caused extensive brain damage and
changed the physiological make-up of fish
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● Earthworms absorbed fullerenes that easily

travelled through soil
● Nanoparticles built-up in the bodies of lab
animals subjected to long-term exposure
● Qdots caused cadmium poisoning in humans
● Nanoparticles can travel through a mother’s
placenta
● Nanoparticles can assist in the formation of free
radicals

The real and potential risks associated with

nanotechnology raises much concern; although

there is no quantitative way to determine if the

benefits outweigh the risks.

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Conclusion
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Electronic and photonic information technology and

renewable energy alternatives, such as solar energy,
fuel cells and batteries, have now reached an
advanced stage in their development. Cost-effective
improvements to current technological approaches
have made great progress, but certain challenges
remain. As feature sizes of the latest generations of
electronic devices are approaching atomic
dimensions, circuit speeds are now being limited by
interconnect bottlenecks. This has prompted
innovations such as the introduction of new
materials into microelectronics manufacturing at an
unprecedented rate and alternative technologies to
silicon CMOS architectures. Despite the
environmental impact of conventional fossil fuel
consumption, the low cost of these energy sources
has been a long-standing economic barrier to the
development of alternative and more efficient
renewable energy sources, fuel cells and batteries. In
the face of mounting environmental concerns,
interest in such alternative energy sources has grown.
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It is now widely accepted that nanotechnology offers

potential solutions for securing future progress in
information and energy technologies.This special
issue of Nanotechnology is devoted to a better
understanding of the function and design of
semiconductor devices that are relevant to
information technology (both electronics and
photonics based) and renewable energy applications.
Information technology research and renewable
energy sources are research areas of enormous public
interest. This special issue addresses both theoretical
and experimental achievements and provides a
stimulating outlook for technological developments
in these highly topical fields of
research.Nanotechnology is essential to the
continuing advances in integrated electronics:
increasing computational power, reducing device
scale, and limiting energy con-sumption. In addition,
as we have seen in this chapter, nanostructured
materials are providing performance improvements
and new functionalities in a range of associated
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technologies, such as nanomechanical devices,

transparent and flexible conductors, display
materials, and high capacity energy storage. These
developments provide critical support to current
trends in consumer electronics – in particular,
increased functionality and battery life in
smartphones and other handheld devices, rugged and
comfortable wearables, wide area and flexible
dis-plays, and a wide range of sensing devices.
We anticipate a future where distributed devices,
with specialised sensing capabilities and
long-lasting energy supplies, are ubiquitous and well
integrated into our environments and ways of living.
By providing such devices with both the unique
functionalities, including flexibility and
transparency, and the required performance,
nanoelectronics will be critical to realising such a
future.
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Bibliography
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❖ https://sst.semiconductor-digest.com
❖ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/se
miconductor-nanoparticles
❖ http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.nn.20130303.06.htm
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❖ Wikipedia
❖ Youtube
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