An Environment of Challenges

Modern electronic materials and devices arguably are built upon nearly the entire periodic table (excluding only the actinides and a few other unusual or unstable elements). These diverse materials are required to meet the intense challenges which electronic device applications present. In their full extent, electronic applications range from simple copper wires, to high-performance magnetic materials for computer disks, to semiconductors for state-of-the-art microelectronic devices, and many more. Likewise, the critical properties of the materials range from electronic conductivity, to optical transmission, to diffusion-resistance or mechanical properties. It is not reasonable, nor is it particularly desirable, to cover all aspects of electronic materials in a single text. Consequently, the materials discussed here relate primarily to the most challenging applications, particularly with reference to microelectronic and optical devices. This volume is further restricted to the semiconducting materials used in active devices and leaves the metals, dielectrics, and other materials used in microelectronic processes to other texts. A wide range is considered including some traditional materials, such as silicon, and some in their infancy, such as organic semiconductors. Readers may also wish to consider books on epitaxial growth, and other processes relevant to microelectronics manufacturing as supplements to this text.