The MOSFET Revisited: Device Physics and Modeling at the Nanoscale

The silicon MOSFET is now a true nanoelectronic device with the dimensions of the channel a few 10´s of nanometers long. Sophisticated computer simulations using techniques such as full band Monte Carlo and full quantum transport approaches are being used to explore the physics of the ultimate MOSFET, but circuit models continue to be based on concepts and approaches developed in the 1960´s. At the same time, researchers in molecular electronics are exploring electronic conduction in single molecules and developing conceptual understanding and computational approaches to simulate electronics at the atomic scale. What does this new understanding of electronics at the molecular scale tell us about nanoscale MOSFETs? What does it mean to the world of real technology? These questions are addressed in this paper