Views on an Electronic Materials Education
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Views on an Electronic Materials Education G.Y. Chin Introduction Electronic materials constitutes a subfield of materials. Therefore the issues raised concerning an electronic materials education must necessarily be viewed in the broader context of a comprehensive materials education. Yet electronic materials do differ from other subfields in several ways. First, unlike the traditional metals, ceramics and polymers, which are defined primarily by chemical composition, electronic materials are defined by functions, i.e., they are used in devices that provide electronic functions. As such, electronic materials encompass metals, ceramics, and polymers as well as semiconductors. Second, workers employed in electronic materials industries come from a diverse set of academic disciplines. They are physicists, chemists, chemical engineers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers as well as metallurgists, ceramists, and materials science and engineering (MSE) gradua t e s . T h u s activities in t h e - e l e c t r o n i c materials industries represent an extreme case of interdisciplinary activity which is characteristic of MSE. Third, the electronic materials industries play a dominant role in world economy today and the technology is changing at a dizzying pace. Thus issues in education in electronic materials become more challenging than other subfields and may require fresh and nontraditional approaches. Electronic Materials—A Definition When speaking of electronic materials, one generally thinks of semiconductors, such as silicon and more recently gallium arsenide, that are used in microelectronic devices. However, in recent years with the emergence of lightwave devices typified by solid state lasers and photodetectors, an impressive array of optical materials has been developed. In addition, the need for storing the vast a m o u n t of information generated by computers and transmitted via high speed optical fibers is being met by innovative storage devices primarily based on magnetic materials technology. Thus, the generic term "electronic materials" carries the broader connotation of electronic, optical, and magnetic materials. These materials may be semiconductors, metals, ceramics, glasses, and polymers as used in such devices. F u r t h e r m o r e , electronic c o m p o n e n t s consist not only of the active elements, but also of complex interconnecting networks for power and signal routing. A VLSI chip,
for example, is interconnected with conductors, insulating dielectrics, diffusion barriers, etc. In device manufacture, polymeric films are extensively used in the lithographic
Electronic materials activities span the full spectrum of materials. processing of various layers. High purity gases are used in material deposition and etching. Materials that package the chips are again comprised of metals, ceramics, and polymers. It is quite clear that from an industrial view, electronic materials activities span the full spectrum of materials. These activities, furthermore, require and do employ, the serv
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