Description:
This easy-to-read, introductory book describes the fundamentals of microelectronics and nanotechnology, as well as how micro/nano-enabled technologies are transforming civilization. Special chapters deconstruct the inner workings of smartphones, flash drives, digital cameras, and more. Completely updated and upgraded to full color, the second edition includes new material on the birth of electronic systems, the future of electronics, and the societal impact of micro/nanotechnology. It also provides new deconstructions of gadgets like the GPS-enabled smartwatch, incorporates end-of-chapter study questions, and adds hundreds of new color photos.
Review Quotes:
"Silicon Earth tells one of the most compelling stories of our time; how the sand on the beach, a common plaything for children, is the building block for the advanced technological hardware that enriches our daily lives. Dr. John Cressler chronicles the advancements of the transistor from its humble beginnings to modern day, where it is arguably the single most important device in modern society. This text is filled with exciting and relevant examples of everyday technology and delves into their inner workings. The book is written more as a novel than a textbook and is engaging to the reader to learn not only about where we've been technologically, but also about where we might go."
--Joel Andrews, Ph.D., Garmin International
Praise for the Previous Edition
"In this unique book, Cressler, ... displaying his immense and diverse knowledge, demystifies the overwhelming concepts of microelectronics. ... Summing up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers."
--M.S. Roden, emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles, USA, from CHOICE, February 2010
"... 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 lives. ... This book is a comprehensive yet thrilling and invigorating, simple-to-read text that is well on its way to becoming a classic. ... The book reduces highly abstract, technical, and mathematical topics foundational to the frontiers of silicon into a thrilling tale of pioneering history with very simple mathematics in an easy-to-understand and readable style. Graphically decorated with pictures and stories from the greatest science fiction movies (e.g., Terminator and Fantastic Voyage), the book helps the reader visualize the fundamental principles of electrical engineering and nanotechnology."
--Mohammad Mojarradi and Benjamin Blalock, from IEEE Nanotechnology Magazine, September 2010