Title: Functional materials: electronics, information and sensors

Authors: Merton C. Flemings

Addresses: Head of Department of Materails Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

Abstract: Functional materials are those that have properties enabling them to preform a specific functional purpose, e.g. electrical, magnetic or optical. The rapid development of the technology of transistors and intergrated circuits will continue into the future with design incorporating new materials, notably gallium arsenide. Silica glass is finding increasing application in photonics, light emitting diodes and optical fibres for telephone cables. Optical-fibre technology depends on reliable and durable lasers which now use compound semiconductors such as indium-gallium-arsenide phosphide. It is anticipated that new materials application (indium-gallium-arsenide phosphide) will contribute towards progress in photovoltaics. Interest in superconducting material has heightened during 1980s with the promise that high-temperature superconductivity offers for more-efficient power generation and transmission. In future advantage will come from developing economic and reliable ways of producing functional materials to meet increasing demand.

Keywords: electronic materials; functional materials; gallium arsenide; high-temperature superconductivity; indium-gallium-arsenide phosphide; indium phosphide; magnetic materials; piezoelectric materials; photonics; photovoltaics; semiconductors; sensors; superconductivity; silica glass; light emitting diodes; LEDs; telephone cables; optical fibres; fibre optics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1990.036654

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1990 Vol.5 No.3, pp.244 - 254

Published online: 05 Nov 2010 *

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