The Age of Electronic Materials

Abstract

Stone Age—Bronze Age—Iron Age—what’s next? Some individuals have called the present era the space age or the atomic age. However, space exploration and nuclear reactors, to mention only two major examples, have only little impact on our everyday lives. Instead, electrical and electronic devices (such as radio, television, telephone, refrigerator, computers, electric light, CD players, electromotors, etc.) permeate our daily life to a large extent. Life without electronics would be nearly unthinkable in many parts of the world. The present era could, therefore, be called the age of electricity. However, electricity needs a medium in which to manifest itself and to be placed in service. For this reason, and because previous eras have been named after the material that had the largest impact on the lives of mankind, the present time may best be characterized by the name Electronic Materials Age.