Moore's Law: predictor and driver of the silicon era

In 1653, the French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal published "Treatise on the Equilibrium of Liquids," which discussed the principles of static fluids. A static fluid is a fluid that is not in motion. When a fluid is not flowing, we say that the fluid is in static equilibrium. If the fluid is water, we say it is in hydrostatic equilibrium. For a fluid in static equilibrium, the net force on any part of the fluid must be zero; otherwise, the fluid will start to flow. Pascal observed...

There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...

Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...

A fundamental property of a static magnetic field is that it is not conservative, unlike an electrostatic field. Instead, there is a relationship between the magnetic field and its source, electric current. Mathematically, this is expressed in terms of the line integral of the magnetic field, which is also known as Ampère’s law. It is valid only if the currents are steady and no magnetic materials or time-varying electric fields are present.
Ampère's law states that for any closed looped path,...

Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect Transistors, or MOSFETs, play a critical role in electronic circuits. They are primarily utilized for amplifying and switching signals.
Various vital parameters influence their functionality, which is crucial for theory and electronics applications. First, channel dimensions, precisely length, and width, are pivotal. The size of these channels affects the transistor's ability to carry current and switching speeds; shorter channels typically enable quicker...

The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...