The mechanics of electronic materials

The primacy engineering function of electronic materials is the control of electric charge for some useful purpose, rather than any mechanical load ca rrying function. However, mechanical stress and its consequences are centra l factors in the fabrication, performance and reliability of microelectroni c devices, broadly affecting one of the largest industries in the world. He re, attention is focused on the role of stress in the fabrication of semico nductor heterostructures. Particular attention is devoted to strain relaxat ion by dislocation formation and interaction, stress-driven surface morphol ogy evolution, and the influence of strain on electronic transport characte ristics in quantum structures relevant to the next generation of devices. ( C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.