ABSTRACT
The success of semiconductor (SC) electronics has been built on the charge degree of freedom of electrons in SCs. The biggest impact on the solid state electronic industry at that time stemmed from the first discovery of transistor action in Bell Labs in 1947. It was unexpected that the discovery took just 5 years to be commercialized and now becomes an indispensable component in every computer. Since then, many other SC devices such as a field-effect transistor, light-emitting diode (LED), integrated circuit (IC), and SC laser have become available on the market. This revolution brought about the beginning of miniaturization in electronics. In the current overwhelmingly digital world, demands for higher processing speed, lower energy dissipation, and denser storage medium have been unavoidable and the successes of the SC electronics in the past do not offer clear solutions for the future development of the industry.
