Course Descriptions

Below are descriptions of several courses taught by Prof. Berggren .

Nanostructure Fabrication 6.75s (MIT Professional Institute)

This course makes much of the course curriculum for 6.781 available to the broader community via an intensive week-long summer course. Course treats methods of optical, electron, and scanning-probe microscopy and lithography, as well as processing and self-assembly. Target audience is research engineerings and technical managers seeking a comprehensive overview of this rapidly-changing field of research.

Nanostructure Fabrication 6.781 (course participants only)
Surveys techniques to fabricate and analyze submicron and nanometer structures, with applications. Reviews optical and electron microscopy. Surface characterization, preparation, and measurement techniques. Resist technology. Optical projection, interferometric, X-ray, ion, and electron lithography. Aqueous, ion, and plasma etching techniques. Lift-off and electroplating. Ion implantation. Applications in microelectronics, microphotonics, information storage, and nanotechnology. Undergraduates with permission of instructor.

Applied Quantum & Statistical Physics (6.728) (MIT only)
Elementary quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Introduces applied quantum physics. Emphasizes experimental basis for quantum mechanics. Applies Schrödinger's equation to the free particle, tunneling, the harmonic oscillator, and hydrogen atom. Variational methods. Elementary statistical physics; Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein, and Boltzmann distribution functions. Simple models for metals, semiconductors, and devices such as electron microscopes, scanning tunneling microscope, thermionic emitters, atomic force microscope, and more.

Circuits and Electronics (6.002)
Fundamentals of the lumped circuit abstraction. Resistive elements and networks; independent and dependent sources; switches and MOS devices; digital abstraction; amplifiers; and energy storage elements. Dynamics of first- and second-order networks; design in the time and frequency domains; analog and digital circuits and applications. Design exercises. Alternate week laboratory. Enrollment may be limited. 4 Engineering Design Points.

Curriculum-Development Projects

Prof. Berggren is currently working to develop new curricular elements for the graduate course Submicrometer & Nanometer Technology (course participants only) based on incorporating laboratory workstyle elements into the course. This effort is based on getting students to experience the laboratory elements first-hand through video shorts, "pre-lab" exercises, and other multimedia elements. A core element is the application of the theoretical and survey knowledge from the course to the concrete problems of debugging processing mistakes and imperfections. By using virtual access to the laboratory, the cumbersome and time-consuming steps of lab access, safety training, are avoided while much of the intellectually challenging elements are preserved. This effort is funded by MIT’s Alumni funds for teaching: the Class of ’51 fund for Excellence in Education, the Class of ’55 Fund for Excellence in Teaching, the Class of ’72 Fund for Educational Innovation, and the Class of ’99 fund for Excellence in Student Learning.

Extracurricular Graduate Educational Opportunities

We run a series of  journal clubs and seminars to enhance graduate-student educational opportunities within the research community at MIT.

NanoStructures Laboratory Group Meetings

At these meetings, graduate students give short seminars (10 minutes each) regarding their research in the  NanoStructures Laboratory. Occasionally, faculty or lab staff instead will present a similarly brief introduction to a technical area relevant to the use of the lab.  This meeting is open to the MIT community.

Templated Self-Assembly Summer Journal Club (Participants only)

Our goal in this group is to survey the active field of templated self-assembly, and to permit interactive conversations about the latest restults in the field.  Each week, we choose a different paper from the literature and jointly read and review this paper.  [This group is currently inactive.]

Nanofabrication Journal Working Group (MIT only)
Our goal in this group is to provide a forum for discussion of nanofabrication topics, ranging from self-assembly to optical lithography. In particular, we aim to review current and important past literature on these topics, and comment on their relevance to current and possible future research. The hope is to encourage interaction between disciplines and research groups, as well as increase activity on these topics at M.I.T.. [This group is currently inactive.]