Radio-frequency nanoelectronics — Bridging the gap between nanotechnology and R.F. engineering applications

In view to the new epochal scenarios that nanotechnology disclose, nanoelectronics has the potential to introduce a paradigm shift in electronic systems design similar to that of the transition from vacuum tubes to semiconductor devices. Since many nano-scale devices and materials exhibit their most interesting properties at radio-frequencies (RF), nanoelectronics provides an enormous and yet widely undiscovered opportunity for the microwave engineering community. The aim of RF nanoelectronics is to close the gap between the nanosciences and a new generation of multifunctional devices, circuits, and systems, for a broad range of applications and operating frequencies, up to the optical region. The paper presents an overview of some of the main research fields of RF nanoelectronics, by i) introducing theoretical foundations of the novel nano-scale materials (in particular, carbon nanotubes, graphene), ii) highlighting novel concepts and applications, iii) focusing on the investigation of the electromagnetics and quantum transport phenomena in nanodevices.