Area of Study / Keywords

Microsystems and Nanodevices Solid State Electronics

About

Mani Vaidyanathan received the B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. degrees from the University of Waterloo, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of British Columbia. He has held the positions of Assistant Research Scientist at the University of California - San Diego, working in the area of radio-frequency electronics, and Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University, working in the area of computational nanoelectronics. He is currently a Professor and Program Director of Engineering Physics at the University of Alberta.

Research

Research Interests

Dr. Vaidyanathan’s research interests are in understanding nanoscale transistors and circuits for future technologies. State-of-the-art modeling and simulation approaches, such as the semi-classical Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) and the fully quantum-mechanical non-equilibrium Green’s function approach (NEGF), are used to assess the performance potential and operating physics of emerging transistors. Work is also underway in the area of radio-frequency (RF) circuits. Collaborators include local experimentalists, academics from Europe, and industrial partners in North America, including IBM and Qualcomm.

Current Research

• “Fin” field-effect transistors (FinFETs) for analog and radio-frequency applications
• Ferroelectrics and negative-capacitance field-effect transistors (NCFETs)
• Quantum transport in two-dimensional channel materials, such as MoS2 and SnS2
• N-path filter design

ECE 203 - Electrical Circuits II

Nonlinear circuit analysis. Diodes: ideal and simple and models, single phase rectifiers. Ideal and finite gain op-amps. Treatment of RLC circuits in the time domain, frequency domain and s-plane. Two port networks. Prerequisites: ECE 202 or E E 240. Corequisite: ECE 240 or E E 238. Credit may be obtained in only one of ECE 203 or E E 250.

ECE 456 - Introduction to Nanoelectronics

Fundamental concepts related to current flow in nanoelectronic devices. Energy level diagram and the Fermi function. Single-energy-level model for current flow and associated effects, such as the quantum of conductance, Coulomb blockade, and single electron charging. The Schroedinger equation and quantum mechanics for applications in nanoelectronics. Matrix-equation approach for numerical band structure calculations of transistor channel materials. k-space, Brillouin zones, and density of states. Subbands for quantum wells, wires, dots, and carbon nanotubes. Current flow in nanowires and ballistic nanotransistors, including minimum possible channel resistance, quantum capacitance, and the transistor equivalent circuit under ballistic operation. Prerequisite: ECE 302 or E E 340. Credit may be obtained in only one of ECE 456 or E E 456.

ECE 745 - Advanced Topics in Solid State Electronics

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