Silicon earth : introduction to microelectronics and nanotechnology / John D. Cressler.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The communications revolution -- A matter of scale -- Innumerable biographies : a brief history of the field -- Widget deconstruction #1 : smartphone -- Semiconductors : lite! -- Widget deconstruction #2 : USB flash drive -- Bricks and mortar : micro/nanoelectronics fabrication -- Transistors : lite! -- From transistors to circuits to systems -- Microtools and toys : MEMS, NEMS, and BioMEMS -- Widget deconstruction #3 : GPS -- Let there be light : the bright world of photonics -- The future of electronics -- The nanoworld : fact and fiction -- Societal impacts -- Appendix A : properties of silicon -- Appendix B : some basic concepts from physics and electrical engineering -- Appendix C : a grab-bag glossary of useful techno-geek terms and acronyms.