Introduction of Piezotronics and Piezo-Phototronics

Abstract

Starting from the road map for microelectronics, the focus of future electronics will be on functionalities toward personal, portable, polymer, sensor, and self-powering applications. The integration of these characteristics with the fast speed and high density as defined by Moore’s law will lead to the development of smart systems and self-powered systems. This chapter first introduces the basic physics of piezotronics and piezo-phototronics from band structure theory. Then blue-prints for future impacts and applications of piezotronics and piezophototronics are presented. The role anticipated to be played by piezotronics in the era of “Beyond Moore” is similar to the mechanosensation in physiology that provides a direct human “interfacing” with CMOS technology. It presents a paradigm shift for developing revolutionary technologies for force/pressure triggered/controlled electronic devices, sensors, MEMS, human–computer interfacing, nanorobotics, touch-pad, solar cell, photon detector and light-emitting diodes.