Quantum engineering of nanoelectronic devices

The performance evaluation and characterization of nano-meter scale devices is shown to be considerably affected by the presence of quantum waves that transform the energy character of an electron from classical (analog) to quantum (digital). A presence of high electric field makes familiar Ohm's law invalid, necessitating the use of velocity saturation effects that limit the electron velocity in nano-devices to thermal velocity or Fermi velocity depending on the degeneracy of the sample. The novel concepts behind quantum-engineered nanostructures are reviewed.