This engaging history covers modern computing from the development of the first
electronic digital computer through the dot-com crash. The author concentrates
on five key moments of transition: the transformation of the computer in the
late 1940s from a specialized scientific instrument to a commercial product; the
emergence of small systems in the late 1960s; the beginning of personal
computing in the 1970s; the spread of networking after 1985; and, in a chapter
written for this edition, the period 1995-2001. The new material focuses on the
Microsoft antitrust suit, the rise and fall of the dot-coms, and the advent of
open source software, particularly Linux.
Computers were invented to ‘‘compute’’: to solve ‘‘complex mathematical
problems,’’ as the dictionary still defines that word.1 They still do
that, but that is not why we are living in an ‘‘Information Age.’’ That
reflects other things that computers do: store and retrieve data, manage
networks of communications, process text, generate and manipulate
images and sounds, fly air and space craft, and so on. Deep inside a
computer are circuits that do those things by transforming them into a
mathematical language. But most of us never see the equations, and few
of us would understand them if we did. Most of us, nevertheless,
participate in this digital culture, whether by using an ATM card,
composing and printing an office newsletter, calling a mail-order
house on a toll-free number and ordering some clothes for next-day
delivery, or shopping at a mega-mall where the inventory is replenished
‘‘just-in-time.’’ For these and many other applications, we can use all the
power of this invention without ever seeing an equation. As far as the
public face is concerned, ‘‘computing’’ is the least important thing that
computers do.
But it was to solve equations that the electronic digital computer was
invented. The word ‘‘computer’’ originally meant a person who solved
equations; it was only around 1945 that the name was carried over to
machinery.2
That an invention should find a place in society unforeseen by its
inventors is not surprising.3 The story of the computer illustrates that. It
is not that the computer ended up not being used for calculation—it is
used for calculation by most practicing scientists and engineers today.
That much, at least, the computer’s inventors predicted. But people
found ways to get the invention to do a lot more. How they did that,
transforming the mathematical engines of the 1940s to the networked
information appliance of the 1990s, is the subject of this book.
In this issue:
Techlog
PCW Forum
Full Disclosure
15 Ideas for Microsoft - How to revent a tech behemoth
Plugged In
Gadget Freak
Beta Watch
GeekTech
ISP Bandwidth Limits Return - Cable Services curb heavy users
Skeptical Shopper
On your Side
Digital SLR Cameras - New Models From Canon and Sony go to the top of the chart
HP TouchSmart IQ506 PC
Top 5 42-Inch HDTV
Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 12
Top 10 Color Laser Printers
Pure Digital FLip Mino
and etc.
Think of this book as a friendly, approachable guide to tackling terminology
and the Linux collection of tools, utilities, and widgets. Although Linux isn’t
terribly hard to figure out, it does pack a boatload of details, parameters, and
administrivia (administrative trivia, in Unixspeak). You need to wrestle those
details into shape while you install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot a
Linux-based computer. Some sample topics you find in this book include the
following:
* Understanding where Linux comes from and what it can do for you
* Installing the Linux operating system
* Working with a Linux system to manage files and add software
* Setting up Internet access and surfing the Web
* Customizing your Linux system
* Managing Linux system security and resources
Although it may seem, at first glance, that working with Linux requires years of
hands-on experience, tons of trial and error, advanced computer science training,
and intense dedication, take heart! It’s not true! If you can tell somebody
how to find your office, you can certainly build a Linux system that does what
you want. The purpose of this book isn’t to turn you into a full-blown Linux
geek (that’s the ultimate state of Linux enlightenment, of course); it’s to show
you the ins and outs that you need to master in order to build a smoothly functioning
Linux system and to give you the know-how and confidence to use it.
About the Author
Dee-Ann LeBlanc, RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), is a writer, course
developer, journalist, and trainer who specializes in Linux. While these various
professions may sound scattered, they in fact reinforce one another by
allowing her to see what people are doing with Linux in the real world and
where they need help. She is the Linux Games editor for the Linux Journal,
the Desktop editor for LinuxToday.com, and is the author of numerous books
on Linux and other computer topics. Dee-Ann has also been a regular contributor
to Computer Power User magazine for two years, writing this publication’s
Linux content.
When Dee-Ann isn’t teaching, developing course materials, writing technical
nonfiction or fantasy fiction, interviewing interesting people, chatting about
Linux online or at conferences, or trying in one way or another to save the
world, she hikes with her dogs and experiments on her husband Rob with new
recipes. See the latest that Dee-Ann’s up to and join her readers’ mailing list
at www.Dee-AnnLeBlanc.com and http://dee-ann.blog-city.com/.
(Contact Dee-Ann at dee@renaissoft.com.)
Take a guided tour through hundreds of assembly language instructions
Learn to interface assembly language routines with high-level languages
Create 8088 assembly programs for the 80286, 80386, and 80486 computers
Written with C program in mind, this volume takes the beginning assembly language user by the hand for a step-by-step tour through the world of assembly language programming. The book reveals such mysteries as the structures of an assembly language program, the computer’s architecture, data representation, and more.
Synopsis
Semiconductor Device Physics and Design provides a fresh and unique teaching
tool. Over the last decade device performances are driven by new materials,
scaling, heterostructures and new device concepts. Semiconductor devices have
mostly relied on Si but increasingly GaAs, InGaAs and heterostructures made from
Si/SiGe, GaAs/AlGaAs etc have become important. Over the last few years one of
the most exciting new entries has been the nitride based heterostructures. New
physics based on polar charges and polar interfaces has become important as a
result of the nitrides. Nitride based devices are now used for high power
applications and in lighting and display applications. For students to be able
to participate in this exciting arena, a lot of physics, device concepts,
heterostructure concepts and materials properties need to be understood. It is
important to have a textbook that teaches students and practicing engineers
about all these areas in a coherent manner.
Semiconductor Device Physics and Design starts out with basic physics concepts
including the physics behind polar heterostructures and strained
heterostructures. Important devices ranging from p-n diodes to bipolar and field
effect devices is then discussed. An important distinction users will find in
this book is the discussion presented on device needs from the perspective of
various technologies. For example, how much gain is needed in a transistor, how
much power, what kind of device characteristics are needed. Not surprisingly the
needs depend upon applications. The needs of an A/D or D/A converter will be
different from that of an amplifier in a cell phone. Similarly the diodes used
ina laptop will place different requirements on the device engineer than diodes
used in a mixer circuit. By relating device design to device performance and
then relating device needs to system use the student can see how device design
works in real world.
This book is comprehensive without being overwhelming. The focus was to make
this a useful text book so that the information contained is cohesive without
including all aspects of device physics. The lesson plans demonstrated how this
book could be used in a 1 semester or 2 quarter sequence.
Acknowledgements
Writing a book on Semiconductor Device Physics and Design is never complete and probably
never completely satisfying. The field is vast and diverse and it is difficult to decide what
should be included in the book and what should not be. Of course it is always a good idea for
authors to not discuss areas that they are unfamiliar with and that helped narrow the scope of
this book down greatly!! In all seriousness the flow and content of this book is a consequence
of the classes that we have taught at UC Santa Barbara and The University of Michigan and
reflects what we believe can be taught in a manner that emphasizes physical understanding with
an appropriate amount of rigor. At UCSB Prof Kroemer had developed a two-quarter sequence
class on device physics which I (Umesh Mishra) took over when I arrived at UCSB in 1990.
I developed the class over the past 15 years using his notes as a foundation and the new content
is reflected in this book. I am grateful to Prof Kroemer for allowing me to include parts
of his notes and homework problems in this book. Prof Mark Rodwell contributed to understanding
that the answer to the question “How much ? do we need” is application dependent.
Prof Steve Long and Prof Rakesh Lal helped with the diode- applications section. Prof Tomas
Palacios of MIT contributed to the AlGaN/GaN HEMT description. Dr Karthik Krishnamurthy
(RFMD) allowed use of his descriptions of classes of FET amplifiers. Lastly, Dr Jeff Shealy (VP
RFMD) and Dr Rama Vetury (RFMD) are thanked for their help in illustrating how the mobile
phone uses multiple semiconductor technologies for optimal system performance as described
in the introduction. Discussions with Profs. Lorenzo Faraone, Brett Nener and John Dell at The
University of Western Australia were helpful (and fun). Drs., Lee McCarthy, Ilan Ben-Yaacov,
Nicholas Fichtenbaum and Siddharth Rajan contributed significantly in helping the text layout
of the book. We thank several of our colleagues who contributed figures to the book and they
have been acknowledged at the appropriate places. Umesh would like to thank his wife Susan
for not asking the question “Isn’t it finished?” too many times. Jasprit would like to thank his
wife Teresa for drawing numerous figures and YuhRennnWu for providing device design studies
for field effect transistors. We would also like to thank the editors at Springer Verlag for their
enthusiasm and support.
Preface
It would not be an exaggeration to say that semiconductor devices have transformed human
life. From computers to communications to internet and video games these devices and the
technologies they have enabled have expanded human experience in a way that is unique in
history. Semiconductor devices have exploited materials, physics and imaginative applications to
spawn new lifestyles. Of course for the device engineer, in spite of the advances, the challenges
of reaching higher frequency, lower power consumption, higher power generation etc. provide
never ending excitement. Device performances are driven by new materials, scaling, and new
device concepts such as bandstructure and polarization engineering. Semiconductor devices have
mostly relied on Si but increasingly GaAs, InGaAs and heterostructures made from Si/SiGe,
GaAs/AlGaAs etc have become important. Over the last few years one of the most exciting
new entries has been the GaN based devices that provide new possibilities for lighting, displays
and wireless communications. New physics based on polar charges and polar interfaces has
become important as a result of the nitrides. For students to be able to participate in this and
other exciting arena, a broad understanding of physics, materials properties and device concepts
need to be understood. It is important to have a textbook that teaches students and practicing
engineers about all these areas in a coherent manner. While this is an immense challenge we
have attempted to do so in this textbook by judiciously selecting topics which provide depth
while simultaneously providing the basis for understanding the ever expanding breath of device
physics.
In this book we start out with basic physics concepts including the physics behind polar heterostructures
and strained heterostructures. We then discuss important devices ranging from
p ? n diodes to bipolar and field effect devices. An important distinction users will find in this
book is the discussion we have presented on how interrelated device parameters are on system
function. For example, how much gain is needed in a transistor, and what kind of device characteristics
are needed. Not surprisingly the needs depend upon applications. The specifications
of transistors employed in A/D or D/A converter will be different from those in an amplifier in a
cell phone. Similarly the diodes used in a laptop will place different requirements on the device
engineer than diodes used in a mixer circuit. By relating device design to device performance
and then relating device needs to system use the student can see how device design works in real
world.
It is known that device dimensions and geometries are now such that one cannot solve device
problems analytically. However, simulators do not allow students to see the physics of
the problem and how intelligent choices on doping, geometry and heterostructures will impact
devices. We have tried to provide this insight by carefully discussing and presenting analytical
models and then providing simulation based advanced results. The goal is to teach the student
how to approach device design from the point of view some one who wants to improve devices
and can see the opportunities and challenges. The end of chapter problems chosen in this book
are carefully chosen to allow students to test their knowledge by solving real life problems.
Umesh K. Mishra University of California Santa Barbara
Jasprit Singh The University of Michigan Ann Arbor
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