This course gives an introduction to the main trends in nanotechnology and material science, covering fabrication and measurement techniques by giving examples from state-of-the-art research and development results.
Lecturers: Dr. Szabolcs Csonka, Dr. Endre Tóvári, Dr. Sándor Bordács (Dep. of Physics), Dr. Ferenc Réti (Dep. of Atomic Physics), Dr. Péter Fürjes (EK MFA), Dr. Levente Tapasztó (EK MFA)
Requirements: 3/0/0/v/4
Language: English
Mark: based on oral exam
Consultation: based on private communication
Time and place: Wednesday 9:30, F3M01
TOPICS 2026
Objects at nanoscale. Characteristic length scales in electronics.
Examples from bio-nanotechnology: virus, structure of cell wall, DNA origami, Phage display technique, electrodes from viruses, gecko tape
Nanotechnology in chemistry: nanocatalysis, artifical photosynthesis, photocatalic decomposition of hydrocarbons, batteries, supercapacitors.
Nanotechnology in solar cells (Schockley–Queisser limit, multijunction cells, carrier multiplication, dye cells).
2D Materials: exfoliation, properties of graphene, van der Waals heterostructures, TMDCs, twistronics.
Scanning electron microscopy. Parts of SEM, operational principle, resolution. Electron sources, optics, magnetic lenses, depth of field, detectors: SE, BSE, EDS, EBD.
Transmission electron microscopy. Parts of TEM, operational principle, resolution. Different operational modes (BF, DF, diffraction). High resolution TEM. Electron holography. Electron energy loss spectroscopy, Lorentz TEM. Near-field optical microscope, operational principle. Resolution (NSOM).
Scanning tunneling microscopy.
Top-down and bottom-up approaches: Lithography (optical, e-beam, nano imprint), thin film deposition techniques (PVD, CVD, MBE). Band gap engineering. FIB. Artificial photosynthesis, self-assembled from amphiphilic molecules, semiconductor nanowires
New directions of electronics (spintronics, quantumelectronics, molecular electronics, memristors)
Basics of silicon technology, Moore's law, planar and 3D tri-gate MOS transistors, lithography (optical, e-beam, soft)
MEMS systems, bulk and surface micromechanics, thin film deposition techniques, etching techniques (wet, dry, Bosch), examples from micromechanics (console, gyroscope, channels). NEMS examples. Microfluidic systems, low Reynolds number and consequences.
SIMS and SNMS methods. Principles, surface sensitivity, accessible information, limitation in quantitative results.
XPS and AES methods. Principles, surface sensitivity, accessible information, comparison.
Molecular vibrations; infrared and Raman active excitations; dielectric function, absorption and reflectivity for vibrational excitations; phonons in solids (longitudinal and transversal modes)
Instrumentation of optical spectroscopy; schematics of a grating spectrometer, a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer and a Raman spectrometer
Optical excitations in hydrogen-like atoms; X-ray spectroscopy; Ti:sapphire lasers; spectroscopy on a single molecule
Optical response of metals (Drude model); interband excitations in semiconductors, insulators; excitons
LECTURE NOTES 2026
Lecture 0: Richard P. Feynman: There's plenty of room at the bottom (1959)
Lectures 1-3 (09/09/2026, 16/09/2026, 23/09/2026): Introduction to nanotechnology
Lecture 4 (30/09/2026): 2D Materials
Lecture 5 (2026): Electron microscopy
Lecture 6 (2026): Scanning Probe Microscopy (L. Tapasztó)
Lecture 7 (2026): Top down approach and bottom up approach
Lecture 8 (12/11/2025): Novel directions in electronics: Quantum electronics, Memristors, Spintronics
Lecture 9 (2026): Silicon Technologies 1, 2 (P. Fürjes)
Lecture10 (2026): Modern surface analytic techniques (F. Réti)
Lectures 11-12 (2026): Optical spectroscopy 1, 2 (S. Bordács)
Lecturers: Dr. Szabolcs Csonka, Dr. Endre Tóvári, Dr. Sándor Bordács (Dep. of Physics), Dr. Ferenc Réti (Dep. of Atomic Physics), Dr. Péter Fürjes (EK MFA), Dr. Levente Tapasztó (EK MFA)
Requirements: 3/0/0/v/4
Language: English
Mark: based on oral exam
Consultation: based on private communication
Time and place: Wednesday 9:30, F3M01
TOPICS 2026
Objects at nanoscale. Characteristic length scales in electronics.
Examples from bio-nanotechnology: virus, structure of cell wall, DNA origami, Phage display technique, electrodes from viruses, gecko tape
Nanotechnology in chemistry: nanocatalysis, artifical photosynthesis, photocatalic decomposition of hydrocarbons, batteries, supercapacitors.
Nanotechnology in solar cells (Schockley–Queisser limit, multijunction cells, carrier multiplication, dye cells).
2D Materials: exfoliation, properties of graphene, van der Waals heterostructures, TMDCs, twistronics.
Scanning electron microscopy. Parts of SEM, operational principle, resolution. Electron sources, optics, magnetic lenses, depth of field, detectors: SE, BSE, EDS, EBD.
Transmission electron microscopy. Parts of TEM, operational principle, resolution. Different operational modes (BF, DF, diffraction). High resolution TEM. Electron holography. Electron energy loss spectroscopy, Lorentz TEM. Near-field optical microscope, operational principle. Resolution (NSOM).
Scanning tunneling microscopy.
Top-down and bottom-up approaches: Lithography (optical, e-beam, nano imprint), thin film deposition techniques (PVD, CVD, MBE). Band gap engineering. FIB. Artificial photosynthesis, self-assembled from amphiphilic molecules, semiconductor nanowires
New directions of electronics (spintronics, quantumelectronics, molecular electronics, memristors)
Basics of silicon technology, Moore's law, planar and 3D tri-gate MOS transistors, lithography (optical, e-beam, soft)
MEMS systems, bulk and surface micromechanics, thin film deposition techniques, etching techniques (wet, dry, Bosch), examples from micromechanics (console, gyroscope, channels). NEMS examples. Microfluidic systems, low Reynolds number and consequences.
SIMS and SNMS methods. Principles, surface sensitivity, accessible information, limitation in quantitative results.
XPS and AES methods. Principles, surface sensitivity, accessible information, comparison.
Molecular vibrations; infrared and Raman active excitations; dielectric function, absorption and reflectivity for vibrational excitations; phonons in solids (longitudinal and transversal modes)
Instrumentation of optical spectroscopy; schematics of a grating spectrometer, a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer and a Raman spectrometer
Optical excitations in hydrogen-like atoms; X-ray spectroscopy; Ti:sapphire lasers; spectroscopy on a single molecule
Optical response of metals (Drude model); interband excitations in semiconductors, insulators; excitons
LECTURE NOTES 2026
Lecture 0: Richard P. Feynman: There's plenty of room at the bottom (1959)
Lectures 1-3 (09/09/2026, 16/09/2026, 23/09/2026): Introduction to nanotechnology
Lecture 4 (30/09/2026): 2D Materials
Lecture 5 (2026): Electron microscopy
Lecture 6 (2026): Scanning Probe Microscopy (L. Tapasztó)
Lecture 7 (2026): Top down approach and bottom up approach
Lecture 8 (12/11/2025): Novel directions in electronics: Quantum electronics, Memristors, Spintronics
Lecture 9 (2026): Silicon Technologies 1, 2 (P. Fürjes)
Lecture10 (2026): Modern surface analytic techniques (F. Réti)
Lectures 11-12 (2026): Optical spectroscopy 1, 2 (S. Bordács)
- Teacher: Szabolcs Csonka
- Teacher: Endre Tóvári