Nanoelectronics and nanotechnology: promising approaches in the educational process

Abstract

Objectives. Nanoelectronics is concerned with the development of physical and technological foundations for the creation of integrated circuits comprised of elements whose topological dimensions do not exceed 100 nm. Nanotechnology includes the creation and use of materials, devices and technical systems whose functioning is determined by their nanostructure, i.e., comprising ordered fragments ranging from 1 to 100 nm in size. The present research is aimed at developing a concept for training highly qualified specialists in the field of nanoelectronics and nanotechnologies on the example of the Department of Nanoelectronics of the Institute of Advanced Technologies and Industrial Programming at the MIREA - Russian Technological University.Methods. Promising approaches for supporting the educational process within the nanoindustry are analyzed and compared.Results. Three fundamental components of education in the field of nanoindustry can be distinguished: physical (the study and search for new promising physical effects); materials science, related to the study, search, and synthesis of new advanced materials; informatics (including mastering of modern software packages and programming languages for modeling a wide range of nanoindustry elements and materials).Conclusions. All three fundamental components of education within nanoindustry have been effectively implemented by combining scientific laboratories and centers at the Department of Nanoelectronics. After graduating from the Department of Nanoelectronics, graduates can work for leading scientific institutes and technical organizations in Russia, intern at specialized organizations in neighboring and other countries, teach at leading universities, and start their own knowledge-intensive business.

Keywords

• nanoelectronics
• nanotechnology
• education