NE Course Descriptions

Nanotechnology Engineering (2009-2010)

An introduction to nanotechnology engineering and its various applications. Introduction to basic methods and principles used by engineers. Introduction to the engineering profession, including standards, safety, and intellectual property. Professional development, including résumé skills, interview skills, and preparation for co-op terms. [Offered: F]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: F]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: W]

Matrices, operations on matrices. Determinants. Adjoints and inverses. Solution of linear equations: elimination and iterative methods. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors with engineering applications. Numerical methods. Complex numbers. [Offered: F]

Introduction to digital computers, hardware and software organization. Programming fundamentals. Algorithms and control structures. Computer communication. Spreadsheets for problem solving, plotting, fitting data, building new functions, and making iterations and loops. Problem solution, plotting, and creating complex programs in an engineering prototyping programming environment. Elementary numerical methods (e.g., Taylor-series summations, roots of equations, roots of polynomials, systems of linear and nonlinear algebraic equations, integration). Applications in nanotechnology engineering. [Offered: F]

Elementary probability theory. Random variables and distributions. Binomial, Poisson, and normal distributions. Elementary sampling. Statistical estimation. Tests of hypotheses and significance. Regression. Goodness-of-fit tests. [Offered: W]

Chemical reactions. Mass and charge balance. Introduction to the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics. Chemical kinetics. Chemical equilibrium. Applications of chemical equilibrium principles to proton-transfer and electron-transfer reactions. Electronic structure of atoms and molecules. Periodicity and chemical bonding. [Offered: F]

Structure, nomenclature and reactions of important classes of organic compounds. Interconversions of functional groups. Mechanisms of chemical reactions. Introduction to nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy. [Offered: W] No Special Consent Required.

Fundamentals of crystalline structure, crystal defects, and noncrystallinity. Structure and properties of metals, ceramics, glasses, amorphous materials, polymers, and composites. Processing and concepts of engineering design of materials. [Offered: W]

A first course in physics that introduces basic topics in classical mechanics, wave mechanics, and physical optics. [Offered: W]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: F]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: S]

Ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients. Boundary value problems and applications to quantum mechanics. Laplace transforms, Fourier series and applications. Numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. [Offered: F]

Gradient, Divergence and Curl: Applications. Line and Surface Integrals. Green's, Gauss', and Stokes' Theorems: Applications to electromagnetism and fluid mechanics. Numerical solution of partial differential equations. [Offered: S]

Labs following the NE 125 Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering course. Lab topics are: Mechanical stress-strain test on metals, polymers and semiconductors; Measurement of heat capacity of materials; Measurement of Tg of polymers; Characterization of macro-, meso- and micro-structures of materials, using optical microscopes; Mechanical stress-strain test on alloys and ceramics. [Offered: F]

An introduction to the chemistry of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids. Structure and properties of proteins and enzymes. [Offered: F]

Chemical description of electronic structure from atoms to the solid state; basic quantum chemistry, orbitals, band structure and density of states; electrical and optical properties; physical interactions from the atomic level to the solid state; reactions in liquid media, sol-gel processes; crystalline and non-crystalline solids (local defects, mesoscopic order, non-periodic structure); fundamentals of diffraction theory and application to amorphous materials. [Offered: F]

Materials structure analysis. Materials composition and chemical bonding analysis. In-situ analysis and monitoring of fabrication process parameters. Materials properties characterization. [Offered: S]

Historical background; the differential equation approach to quantum mechanics; treatments of solvable problems such as the particle-in-a-box, harmonic oscillator, rigid rotor, and the hydrogen atom; introduction to approximation methods for more complex systems; application to solid state problems, including band theory. [Offered: S]

Coulomb's law and electric field, Gauss' law and electric flux, energy and potential, dielectrics, capacitance, Poisson's and Laplace's equations, electric current, metallic conductors, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws, resistance, electrical energy dissipation, Ampere's law, magnetic circuits, Faraday's law, inductance, electrical energy storage. [Offered: F]

Introduction to semiconductor devices and theory, energy bands, carriers, carrier transport, homojunctions, heterojunctions, charge, pn junctions, biasing, equilibrium, transient behaviour, MOS devices, bipolar devices, disordered semiconductors, thin-film devices, organic semiconductors, solar cells, and sensors. [Offered: S]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: S, first offered in 2008]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: F]

Introduction to the engineering design process: problem definition and needs analysis; process synthesis, analysis, optimization and troubleshooting; safety and environmental protection in design; written and oral communication for design reports. Students form four-person design teams and start a team-oriented project based on the knowledge and skills acquired in previous courses and on co-operative work terms, culminating in a design proposal presentation. [Offered: F]

Introduction to Fourier series and their use in boundary value problems. Review of the conservation laws and associated differential equations. Mathematical description of solids and fluids: forces, displacement, stresses, strains and their relations. Analysis of the response of micromechanical systems to electrical, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical forces. Viscoelastic properties of polymeric and biological systems. Fundamentals of transport phenomena: mass, heat, charge, momentum and energy. Molecular transport mechanisms. [Offered: S]

Follow-up labs associated with the NE 226 (Characterization of Materials) course. Lab topics may include: Reflective, transmissive, and polarized light optical microscopy; surface topography, and image analysis by scanning electron microscopy; film thickness determination by ellipsometry; crystal lattice measurements by x-ray diffractometry, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. [Offered: S]

Labs associated with NE 333 (Macromolecular Science 1) course. Lab exercises exploring the kinetics of radical co-polymerization, the analysis of copolymer composition, concepts in the determination and control of polymer molecular weight distribution, and the kinetics and particle size development in emulsion polymerization. [Offered: F]

Basic definitions and polymer nomenclature, molecular weight averages and distributions, constitutional and configurational isomerism, rubber elasticity, step-growth and free-radical chain-growth polymerizations, emulsion polymerization. [Offered: S]

Statistical mechanics vs. thermodynamics. Probability theory. Microcanonical and canonical ensembles. Entropy. General formulation of statistical thermodynamics. Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein and Boltzmann statistics. Quantum ideal gases. Specific heat of solids. Metals: the electron gas. Radiation: the photon gas. [Offered: S, first offered in 2008]

Introduction to the applications of macromolecules in nanotechnology. Block copolymers and self-assembled polymerization. Micelles and colloids. Dendrimers and molecular brushes. Supramolecular polymers, polymeric blends and macromolecular nanocomposites. Polymer templates. Applications in the manufacturing of nanostructured materials and nanoscale devices. [Offered: F]

Modeling and simulation. Lumped versus distributed approaches. Review of differential-equation systems, constitutive relations, boundary conditions, and solvers for complex, coupled transport problems pertinent to micro and nanosystems. Coupling strategies. Numerical schemes for nonlinear systems. Basic modeling and simulation of micro and nanosystems, and fluidic systems. Relevant nanotechnology applications: optical, thermal, mechanical, and fluidic microstructures, and nanoscale devices. [Offered: F]

Labs associated with the NE 343 (Microfabrication and Thin-film Technology) course. Lab topics may include: thin film deposition by PECVD and PVD (sputtering); photolithography; dry and wet etching; and C-V and I-V analysis of MIS structures. [Offered: F]

Key processes for electronic device fabrication. Single crystal growth. Substrate preparation. Homoepitaxy, heteroepitaxy, and molecular-beam epitaxy. Ion implantation. Oxidation and diffusion. Physical and chemical vapor deposition. Sputtering and evaporation. Etching. Micromachining. Spin coating and printing. Photolithography. Effects of device scaling on chip performance. Process integration. Yield and reliability. [Offered: S]

Basic circuit theory. Circuit definitions. Nonlinear elements. Opamp circuits. Diode circuits. Transistor terminal characteristics. Circuit biasing and load line. Small-signal equivalent circuits. Single stage small-signal amplifiers. Introduction to digital circuits, the transistor switch, inverter circuits, ring oscillators and delay analysis, static and dynamic characteristics of basic digital circuit operation. Small, medium, and large-scale integration, circuit layout and integration issues. [Offered: S]

Surfaces and interfaces in microelectronics and nanofabrication. Physicochemistry of interfaces. Capillary phenomena and molecular self-assembly. Structure and properties of clean and adsorbate covered surfaces (metals, semiconductors, oxides). Reactions at surfaces and catalysis. Surface electrochemistry, growth and diffusion, nanoscale structure formation/surface patterning, biological interfaces. [Offered: F, first offered in 2008]

Theory and application of nanoprobing based on scanning probe microscopy (scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning near-field optical microscopy). Nanolithographic techniques (extreme-UV lithography, X-ray lithography, e-beam lithography, focused ion beam lithography, nano-imprint lithography and soft lithography). [Offered: F]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

General seminar about the Nanotechnology Engineering program and related research. [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]

Design work for the project proposed in NE 307, culminating in a progress report presentation. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Completion and presentation of the design project from NE 307 and NE 408. Teams communicate their design in the form of a final report, a poster, and a seminar presentation. [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]

Review of geometrical and wave optics. Optical measurements and instrumentation. Coherent radiation and lasers. Optical communications and optical networks. Optical detectors. Photonic devices. Displays. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Labs associated with the NE 353 (Nanoprobing and Lithography) course. Lab topics may include: Scanning probe microscopic characterization of polymer and bio-polymer surfaces; scanning tunneling characterization of semiconductors and thin films; fluorescence and laser microscopic testing of proteins; micro-contact printing using molecular self-assembly, nano-soft lithography by AFM. [Offered: F; first offered in Fall 2009]

Laboratory exercises associated with the technical elective courses NE 461 (Micro and Nanoinstruments), NE 471 (Physics, Technology, and Applications of Nanoelectronics), NE 481 (Nanoscale Biosystems) and NE 491 (Nanostructured Materials). Lab topics may include: lithography, film deposition, etching, assembly and testing of a micro- or nanoinstrument; measurement of quantum effects in electron gas, optoelectronic characterization of diodes and OLEDs, electrical characterization of thin-film transistors, deposition and patterning techniques; cell biopotential measurements, cell adhesion measurements using optical and atomic force microscopy, protein and peptide surface adhesion and nanopatterning; zeolite, polymer nanocomposite, and semiconductor quantum dot synthesis and characterization. Laboratory exercises are chosen on the basis of technical elective choices. [Offered: F; first offered in Fall 2009]

Laboratory exercises associated with the technical elective courses NE 469 (Special Topics in Micro and Nanoinstruments), NE 479 (Special Topics in Nanoelectronics), NE 489 (Special Topics in Nanoscale Biosystems) and NE 499 (Special Topics in Nanostructured Materials). Lab topics may include: design, fabrication and testing of a micro- or nanofluidic or electronic device; design, fabrication and testing of organic light emitting diodes or organic thin-film transistors; peptide-mediated drug delivery, biomolecular surface patterning and simple peptide/DNA chips; preparation and characterization of MCM-41, preparation and testing of nylon-clay nanocomposite, characterization of morphology and mechanical properties of high-impact nanostructured polymer blends. Laboratory exercises are chosen on the basis of technical elective choices. [Offered: W; first offered in Winter 2010]

A nanotechnology engineering assignment requiring the student to demonstrate initiative and assume responsibility. The student will select a project at the end of the 4A term. Students can propose their own project. A faculty member will provide supervision. A project report is required at the end of the 4B term. [Offered: W, first offered 2010] No Special Consent Required.

Fabrication technology for development of micro and nanosensors, actuators, and modules (e.g., microelectromechanical systems, nanoelectromechanical systems, micro or nanofluidics channels). Integration using examples drawn from chemical analysis micro and nanoinstruments. An overview of current micro and nanoinstruments. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Topics in this theme area may include: micro and nanosensors, micro and nanoactuators, micro and nanofluidics, micro and nanoscale fabrication, emerging and unconventional nanofabrication technologies. (Note: Each year, at least one elective course will be offered in this theme area. For a current list of offerings, see the Associate Director for Nanotechnology Engineering.) [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]

Transport phenomena. Quantum confinement. Single molecule transistors. Resonant tunnelling devices. Large area and mechanically flexible electronics. Deposition and patterning techniques. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Topics in this theme area may include: quantum effects in electronic devices, molecular electronics, solid state nanoelectronics, organic electronics, advanced nanofabrication technologies such as vacuum deposition, electron beam patterning and nanolithography. (Note: Each year, at least one elective course will be offered in this theme area. For a current list of offerings, see the Associate Director for Nanotechnology Engineering.) [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]

Overview of biomedical engineering principles, with respect to physiological impact on artificial or engineered systems. Discussion on biocompatibility, immunogenic and biofunctionality integrity. Miniaturization of biomedical analytical devices. DNA chips, peptide chips, protein chips, cell chips. Nanoscale biomembranes for biomolecular separations. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Topics in this theme area may include: nanoscale biomaterials for medical and drug delivery devices, biointerfaces, biomembranes, nanoscale patterning on biological interfaces, biomicroelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS), biomimetics, biochips, self-assembly of peptides and proteins, bioseparation, biosensors. (Note: Each year, at least one elective course will be offered in this theme area. For a current list of offerings, see the Associate Director for Nanotechnology Engineering.) [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]

Introduction to inorganic nanostructured materials and nanoscale crystalline materials. Inorganic nanocomposites. Effects of scale on interfaces and properties. Natural and synthetic nanostructured materials. Synthesis and processing. Theoretical and experimental interpretation of structure-properties relationship in nanostructured materials. [Offered: F, first offered in 2009]

Topics in this theme area may include: membrane nanotechnology, nanoengineered catalysts, nanoengineered polymers, and nanocomposites; manufacturing of nanotubes, nanoparticles, quantum dots, nanowires and other nanomaterials (Note: Each year, at least one elective course will be offered in this theme area. For a current list of offerings, see the Associate Director for Nanotechnology Engineering.) [Offered: W, first offered in 2010]