Semiconductors have been used widely in signal-level or "brain" applications. Since their invention in 1948, transistors have revolutionized the electronics industry in computers, information processing, and communications. Now, however, semiconductors are being used more and more where consid­ erable "brawn" is required. Devices such as high-power bipolar junction tran­ sistors and power field-effect transistors, as well as SCRs, TRlACs, GTOs, and other semiconductor switching devices that use a p-n-p-n regenerative effect to achieve bistable action, are expanding the power-handling horizons of semicon­ ductors and finding increasing application in a wide range of products including regulated power supplies, lamp dimmers, motor drives, pulse modulators, and heat controls. HVDC and electric-vehicle propulsion are two additional areas of application which may have a very significant long range impact on the tech­ nology. The impact of solid-state devices capable of handling appreciable power levels has yet to be fully realized. Since it first became available in late 1957, the SCR or silicon-controlled rec­ tifier (also called the reverse blocking triode thyristor) has become the most popular member of the thyristor family. At present, SCRs are available from a large number of manufacturers in this country and abroad. SCR ratings range from less than one ampere to over three thousand amperes with voltage ratings in excess of three thousand volts.

The Brown Boveri Symposia are by now part of firmly established tradition. This is the seventh event in a series which was initiated shortly afer Corporate Research was established as a separate entity within our Company; the Symposia are held every other year. The themes to date have been 1969 Flow Research on Blading 1971 Real-Time Control of Electric Power Systems 1973 High-Temperature Materials in Gas Turbines 1975 Nonemissive Electrooptic Displays 1977 Current Interruption in High-Voltage Networks 1979 Surges in High-Voltage Networks 1981 Semiconductor Devices for Power Conditioning Why have we chosen these titles?

This book gives a comprehensive overview of recent advances in developing nanowires for building various kinds of electronic devices. Specifically the applications of nanowires in detectors, sensors, circuits, energy storage and conversion, etc., are reviewed in detail by the experts in this field. Growth methods of different kinds of nanowires are also covered when discussing the electronic applications. Through discussing these cutting edge researches, the future directions of nanowire electronics are identified.

This book presents innovative laser desorption ionization (LDI)-active nanophotonic structures for addressing the challenges that matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is currently facing and for enhancing LDI efficiency. It presents a variety of cutting-edge nanophotonic structures to satisfy the mass-analytical needs of sensitivity, reproducibility, and quantification. As opposed to the commercialized, conventional organic matrix used in MALDI-MS, these nanostructures are validated to be highly effective in detecting small metabolites and drugs, highlighting their considerable potential in the mass spectrometry field. It also systematically elucidates fundamental LDI processes in terms of the photo-thermal, electronic, and structural characteristics of nanophotonic structures, offering mechanistic knowledge of LDI-MS. Even though LDI-MS performance is heavily influenced by a number of nanostructure parameters, relatively little is known about the LDI processes associated with those characteristics. An in-depth understanding of nanostructure characteristics and LDI mechanisms thus paves the way for more effective, rational design and development of nanostructures with improved LDI capabilities. Further, with a focus on multiple cascades in nanostructure functions in response to laser pulse stimuli, this book provides detailed, step-by-step procedures to design and construct a nanophotonic, LDI-active platform, which may serve as a roadmap for graduate students in the field of mass spectrometry. Readers, including graduate students, researchers, and experts working in the related areas of mass spectrometry, nanophotonics, and material science and material engineering, will find a wealth of useful information in this book.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the sol–gel process. It is organized into sections on the basics and fundamentals of the process, the synthesis of selected materials using the sol–gel method, and the applications of these created materials.

This book will provide readers with a good overview of some of the most recent advances in the field of detector technology for gamma-ray imaging, especially as it pertains to new applications. There will be a good mixture of general chapters in both technology and applications in medical imaging and industrial testing. The book will have an in-depth review of the research topics from world-leading specialists in the field. The conversion of the gamma-ray signal into analog/digital value will be covered in some chapters. Some would also provide a review of CMOS chips for gamma-ray image sensors.

Following the birth of the laser in 1960, the field of "nonlinear optics" rapidly emerged.
Today, laser intensities and pulse durations are readily available, for which the concepts and approximations of traditional nonlinear optics no longer apply. In this regime of "extreme nonlinear optics," a large variety of novel and unusual effects arise, for example frequency doubling in inversion symmetric materials or high-harmonic generation in gases, which can lead to attosecond electromagnetic pulses or pulse trains. Other examples of "extreme nonlinear optics" cover diverse areas such as solid-state physics, atomic physics, relativistic free electrons in a vacuum and even the vacuum itself.