Date of Award

January 2016

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physics & Astronomy

First Advisor

Saeed Mohammadi

Committee Member 1

Chen Yang

Committee Member 2

Luis M. Kruczenski

Committee Member 3

Kenneth P. Ritchie

Abstract

Electronic device modeling is a crucial step in the advancement of modern nanotechnology and is gaining more and more interest. Nanoscale complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, being the backbone of the electronic industry, are pushed to below 10 nm dimensions using novel manufacturing techniques including extreme lithography. As their dimensions are pushed into such unprecedented limits, their behavior is still captured using models that are decades old. Among many other proposed nanoscale devices, silicon vacuum electron devices are regaining attention due to their presumed advantages in operating at very high power, high speed and under harsh environment, where CMOS cannot compete. Another type of devices that have the potential to complement CMOS transistors are nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS), with potential applications in filters, stable frequency sources, non-volatile memories and reconfigurable and neuromorphic electronics.

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