Issues

Plasma‐based dry etching processes offer higher accuracy in replicating device patterns than wet etching patterns, but further advances may depend on a better understanding of gas‐phase phenomena and plasma‐surface interactions.

Epitaxial growth of germanium‐silicon alloys or metal silicides on silicon produces structures that can be used in high‐performance optical and electronic devices.

The oxide of silicon is mechanically stable, electrically insulating and chemically protective; it forms an integral part of nearly every integrated circuit, but we still need to determine many details about its structure and properties.

Making reliable connections between a million or more electronic components on a single chip requires a multidisciplinary approach involving thin conducting and dielectric films, chemical reactions and diffusion at interfaces.

Faster electrons, direct bandgaps and smaller power dissipation translate into electronic devices with higher operating frequencies, compatibility with optics and a tolerance of closer packing.