Overview of the field

Abstract

The nanometre is not by a long way the smallest length scale explored today by physicists, but it is at this scale that the properties of matter change radically with, among other things, the manifestation of quantum effects which can be exploited in electronics and photonics. The development of nanoscience and nanotechnology has thus been driven forward by the quest to better understand the physical properties of matter on thenanoscale and thereby to miniaturise electronic and photonic components. The first parts of this chapter showhow we can today produce nano-objects by the top-down approach, how we can visualise, manipulate, and assemble them, and how some of their astonishing properties can be illustrated by quantum dots, nanotubes, nanowires, and a material like graphene. The following parts deal with nanoelectronics and nanophotonics.We also discover the current limits on the miniaturisation of the key component in electronics, the MOS transistor. These limitations have inspired scientists to investigate a broad range of new components and circuits, like those proposed by the new field of spintronics. When we consider nanophotonics, we discover a field of research with thesame breadth as nanoelectronics, illustrated by recent progress in the development of micro- and nanosources, the ideas of photonic crystals and metamaterials, and applications to photovoltaic conversion and optical interconnects. Finally, through the consideration of microsystems and nanobiotechnology, the last part of the chapter shows how research at the interfaces between nanophysics, chemistry, biology, and medicine will guaranteediscovery, innovation, and significant industrial applications, some of which will be presented in subsequent chapters.