Silicon Earth
We are in the swirling center of the most life-changing technological revolution the Earth has ever known. In only 60 years, an eye-blink of human history, a single technological invention has launched the proverbial thousand ships, producing the most sweeping and pervasive set of changes ever to wash over humankind; changes that are reshaping the very core of human existence, on a global scale, at a relentlessly accelerating pace. And we are just at the very beginning. Silicon Earth introduces readers with little or no background to the many marvels of microelectronics and nanotechnology, using easy, non-intimidating language, with an intuitive approach using minimal math. The general scientific and engineering underpinnings of microelectronics and nanotechnology are addressed, as well as how this new technological revolution is transforming a broad array of interdisciplinary fields, and civilization as a whole. Special 'widget deconstruction' chapters address the inner workings of ubiquitous micro/nano-enabled pieces of technology such as cell phones, flash drives, GPS, DVDs, and digital cameras.
Reviews & endorsements
"In this unique book, Cressler, displaying his immense and diverse knowledge, demystifies the overwhelming concepts of microelectronics..Recommended." - CHOICE
"take you through a historical voyage to the modern wonders of electronics and nanotechnology... provides a concise, easy to follow, step-by-step discussion of the evolutionary history of silicon-based electronics, microelectromechanical structures (MEMS), and nanotechnology, as well as their impact on our live...topic coverage in this book is quite remarkable...This book is a comprehensive yet thrilling and invigorating simple-to-read text that is well on its way to becoming a classic." - Mohammad Mojarradi and Benjamin Blalock, IEEE Nanotechnology, September 2010
Product details
August 2009Paperback
9780521705059
508 pages
256 × 178 × 28 mm
1.08kg
398 b/w illus. 6 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. The communications revolution
- 2. A matter of scale
- 3. Widget deconstruction #1: cell phone
- 4. Innumerable biographies: a brief history of micro/nanoelectronics
- 5. Semiconductors – lite!
- 6. Widget deconstruction #2: USB flash drive
- 7. Bricks and mortar: micro/nanoelectronics fabrication
- 8. Transistors – lite!
- 9. Microtools and toys: MEMS, NEMS, and BioMEMS
- 10. Widget deconstruction #3: GPS
- 11. Let there be light: the bright world of photonics
- 12. The nano-world: fact and fiction
- 13. The gathering storm: societal transformations and some food-for-thought
- Appendix.