An editorial on the recent advances in high and low temperature electronics

Abstract

The field of low- and high-temperature electronics is as broad as the temperature range covered, from liquid helium temperatures up to 300-400 oC. Operating semiconductor at different temperatures may shed more light on the transport behavior and mechanisms, yielding a better understanding and modeling [1]. At deep cryogenic temperatures, novel quantum-transport based phenomena may be found, which eventually can lead to new applications. This has been the case for the discovery of the integer quantum Hall effect [2], which forms the basis of a new set of measurement standards. The same goes for quantum computing [3] and Single Electron Transistors, which have initially been explored at low temperatures. The ultimate goal is of course to enable operation as close as possible to room temperature. At the same time, there is a specific need for microelectronic components and semiconductor-based sensors to operate at cryogenic temperatures. A typical example is space instrumentation, where depending on the mission a broad temperature range can be considered [4].