Preface

The dramatic developments in the area of semiconductor device technology and nanotechnologies over the last decades has placed increasing demands on the fabrication and design technologies, where it is now necessary to implement nanoscale gate geometries to achieve the highest performance. The need to understand and model the operation of nano-devices is fundamental to future development and optimal design.

The key to the understanding of semiconductor nanoscaled active elements and devices based on smart materials (for example, ZnCdHgTe for far-infrared optoelectronics) lies in development of sophisticated models representing the physical and electrical characteristics as well as operation conditions. Conventional silicon-based solar cells production accounts principal characteristics of the semiconductor compounds presenting the main building part of the device. The first part of the lecture devoted to high-effective solar cells reports unique results on fabrication and quite uncommon performance of Sibased solar cells with novel contacts chemically deposited on traditionally prepared semiconductor part of the solar cell. How does the high-effective solar radiation conversion occur and what thermodynamics aspects are to be involved in theoretical explanation and further practical applications? The next part of the e-lecture proposes answers. The thermodynamics is an effective tool used in the physics of the Universe. Photonic condensate and the relic radiation are not only exotic objects for theoretical astrophysics but also present possible power tools for achieving high-effective energy conversion. This question is considered in further parts of this lecture.

Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. The basic physical principles underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and spin polarized transport in semiconductors and metals are of special importance. Spin transport differs from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling [3]. This e-book is intended to provide review lectures on latest achievements in growth technology, characterization methods and nanoscaled active elements modeling for novel device design and applications for graduate and PhD students as well as for professionals in mentioned fields of device technology and modeling.