Basics of Nanoelectronics

For an introduction to nanoelectronics it will be necessary to use quantum-mechanical concepts to explain the operational principles of these very fine structured devices. In this chapter the basic principles of quantum theory will be presented from a conceptual point of view. Quantum effects set up the limit of electronic miniaturization and information processing. They will be of great importance, if device dimensions are of the order of the de Broglie wavelength [14]. Another kind of quantization may be relevant to information processing. Therefore some principles of information theory will be presented at the end of this chapter.