The production and processing of materials into finished products constitute a large part of the present economy. To prepare students for the use of a variety of traditional and new materials, this course will cover: atomic structure and chemical bonding, crystal geometry and defects, mechanical properties and phase diagrams of metals and alloys, electrrical and optical properties of semiconductors, ceramics, and polymers; brief description of electronic, quantum electronic and photonic devices; benefits and difficulties of materials design with decreasing dimensions from millimeters to micrometers and to nanometers.
