Title

THE ROLE OF THE MATERIALS ENGINEER IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

Authorship

BROTZEN, FRANZ R.

BROTZEN, FRANZ R.

I am this author

DOI

10.5151/2594-5327-49v9-55-64

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Abstract

The majority of engineers who work in the electronics industry come from an electrical-engineering background. Yet, most of their tasks require a thorough knowledge of processing, application and characterization of materials. As an example, the conducting parts in a microcircuit are often aluminum alloys of submicron thickness. Alloying elements introduced into the aluminum are frequently copper and silicon in varying proportions. While these additions improve mechanical resistance to thermal stresses and are helpful in preventing undesirable diffusion at junctions and in diminishing the chances of failure due to electromigration, they may enhance corrosion susceptibility. In short, the circuit designer is faced with problems that are clearly within the realm of knowledge of the materials engineer. Moreover, the metal films must be deposited in an economical and safe manner, avoiding alloy segregation and defects while providing for good adhesion to the substrate. This, again, requires a firm grasp of principles of materials science and engineering. The semiconducting, ceramic and polymeric parts of the microchips present equally challenging problems. As a result, manufacturers of electronics devices have been and will be relying increasingly on the know-how of materials engineers.

Keywords

materiais, engenharia, microcircuitos, eletrônica, confiabilidade