Stoneham, M; (2008) The quantum in your materials world. Materials Today , 11 (9) 32 - 36. 10.1016/S1369-7021(08)70177-9.

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Abstract

New ideas lead to new technologies, and new technologies demand new materials. Quantized matter - atoms - underpinned the 19th century chemical industry and quantized charge - the electron - is the basis of microelectronics. Atoms and electrons were once as exotic as the word ‘quantum’ is today, and just as hard to relate to the very real world of materials. Yet silicon technology spawned a whole series of materials innovations. There were the functional materials: ultrapure Si, strained Si/SiO2, low k materials, Cu and Al for interconnects, etc. There were passive device materials, such as heat sinks, packaging, and diffusion barriers. New materials were needed for fabrication: lithography optics, photoresists, and metalorganics. New fabrication methods, such as ion implantation, transformed dopant control. The public saw the fruits of this research: solid-state lasers for compact disc players, colorful casings and straps for watches, light-emitting diode and liquid crystal displays, etc. Quantum information processing (QIP) computing will offer a new list of materials.

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