The Electronic Materials Designated Minor Program

Program Coordinators:

    L.M. Porter (Materials Science and Engineering)
    D.W. Greve (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Many of the technological changes in recent decades-notably the rise of digital data processing-has been made possible by continuing advances in the performance of electronic devices. These advances include continuous improvement in microprocessor performance, optical communication bandwidth, and magnetic disk storage capacity. Other new areas of innovation include the development of micromechanical systems and the a host of proposed post-roadmap device technologies. These advances depend on interactions between engineers from many different disciplines. In particular, there is a strong interaction between device design and materials engineering and processing.

The Electronic Materials Minor is intended to provide students with a firm basis for the application of electronic materials in advanced systems. This minor is well suited for students who intend to pursue careers in the electronics industry (included, but not limited to, semiconductor integrated circuit design and manufacturing, and magnetic storage engineering). The minor also provides an excellent preparation for students interested in pursing graduate work in MSE, ECE, or Applied Physics.

This minor is primarily intended to offer ECE and MSE students an understanding of the important features that must be built into a material during processing so that it will function as required in an electronic or magnetic device. Other students interested in pursuing this minor should consult their advisors to determine whether it will be practical in their own curriculum.  Such students are expected to take both 18-100 and 27-201 as introductory courses.

Students in the Electronic Materials program are urged to consider registering for an undergraduate project in addition to the requirements below, especially if they intend to apply to graduate school. The co-directors will make every effort to arrange a suitable project for interested students.
 

Course requirements

The minor requires an introductory course together with a minimum of 48 additional units as specified below.

Required introductory courses for the minor

18-100 Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering (MSE students)
27-201 Perfect Crystals including lab (ECE students)

Elective courses

48 additional units, with 24 units from group A and 24 units from group B.

Group A

          27-202 Defects in Materials (ECE students only)
          06-619 Semiconductor Processing Technology
          27-542 Thin Films
          27-217 Phase Relations (ECE students only)
          27-533 Principles of Growth and Processing of Semiconductors
          27-432 Electronic, Magnetic, and Optical Properties
          27-551 Properties of Ceramics and Glasses
          27-216 Transport in Materials (ECE students only)
          33-225 Quantum Physics and Structure of Matter (ECE students only)
          33-448 Introduction to Solid State Physics
          33-355 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology     

Group B

          18-310 Semiconductor Devices I*
          18-412 Semiconductor Devices II
          18-416 Introduction to Data Storage Systems Technology
          18-417 Introduction to Optical Communication Systems
          18-715 Physics of Applied Magnetism
          18-716 Advanced Applied Magnetism
          18-8XX An appropriate 800-level course (for example, 18-813, 18-815, 18-819).

* 18-220 is listed as a pre-requisite for 18-310. This is normally waived by the instructor for MSE students interested in the Electronic Materials minor.

Other appropriate courses may be substituted with the approval of the coordinators in the event that limited course offerings make it impossible to satisfy the requirements as described above.

For further information, contact one of the Electronic Materials Minor coordinators:



  


Approved by College Council May 13 2005, web version updated May 31 2005.