Towards nanotechnology computer aided design: the NANOTCAD project

We discuss the motivation for the detailed simulation of nanotechnology devices and the challenges that it poses. Then, we present the approach to the numerical simulation of semiconductor nanostructures adopted within the project NANOTCAD, funded by the European Union within the Fifth Framework Programme, in the Future Emerging Technologies Initiative of the Information Society Technology Program. Results obtained from the initial development of a three-dimensional Poisson-Schrodinger solver are also shown.