ABSTRACT
Temperature is clearly a more intuitive human concept than energy. Our sensory organs can far more easily tell the difference between 0°C and 40°C than it can discern the differences between 2 and 2000 J. Hence, temperature is just a different measure of energy; they are fundamentally the same thing. The “thermal energy”, as it is known, figures prominently in the physics of micro/nanoscale systems. By any reckoning, thermal energy is the most fundamental parameter of the universe, because it governs the behavior of both the Fermi–Dirac and Bose–Einstein distribution functions, which control the behavior and structure of all particles and hence matter in the universe. There are many unique applications that require such “extreme environment electronics,” including, for instance, exploration of the Moon, where temperatures in the sunshine are at about +120°C, while temperatures in the permanent dark spots, can be as low as -230°C, far outside the realm at which conventional electronics will reliably operate.
