Sizes of electronic and photonic devices are decreasing drastically in
order to increase the degree of integration for large-capacity and
ultrahigh- speed signal transmission and information processing. This
miniaturization must be rapidly progressed from now onward. For this
progress, the sizes of materials for composing these devices will be
also decreased to several nanometers. If such a nanometer-sized material
is combined with the photons and/or some other fields, it can exhibit
specific characters, which are considerably different from those ofbulky
macroscopic systems. This combined system has been called as a
mesoscopic system. The first purpose of this book is to study the
physics of the mesoscopic system. For this study, it is essential to
diagnose the characteristics of miniaturized devices and materials with
the spatial resolution as high as several nanometers or even higher.
Therefore, novel methods, e.g., scanning probe microscopy, should be
developed for such the high-resolution diagnostics. The second purpose
of this book is to explore the possibility of developing new methods for
these diagnostics by utilizing local interaction between materials and
electron, photon, atomic force, and so on. Conformation and structure of
the materials of the mesoscopic system can be modified by enhancing the
local interaction between the materials and electromagnetic field. This
modification can suggest the possibility of novel nano-fabrication
methods. The third purpose of this book is to explore the methods for
such nano-fabrication.
