This article presents an overview of advanced composites, namely, polymer matrix composites, metal-matrix composites, ceramic-matrix composites, and carbon-matrix composites. It also provides information on the properties and applications of the composites in thermal management and electronic packaging.

This article provides information on various forms of corrosion that occur in electronic packaging. Portable consumer electronic hardware which is subjected to humidity exposures is prone to condensed moisture and liquid damage. The article discusses two other corrosion-related phenomena that are found only in electronics, namely, electrochemical migration (ECM) and conductive anodic filament formation (CAF). It describes the corrosion that takes place in metals such as copper, tin, and tin-lead alloys, which are commonly used in electronic packaging. The article also discusses the corrosion of the components used in electronic assemblies.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) can be synthesized by vapor phase, liquid phase, or solid phase processes. This article emphasizes the liquid phase processing where solid reinforcements are incorporated in the molten metal or alloy melt that is allowed to solidify to form a composite. It illustrates the three broad categories of MMCs depending on the aspect ratio of the reinforcing phase. The categories include continuous fiber-reinforced composites, discontinuous or short fiber-reinforced composites, and particle-reinforced composites. The article discusses the two main classes of solidification processing of composites, namely, stir casting and melt infiltration. It describes the effects of reinforcement present in the liquid alloy on solidification. The article examines the automotive, space, and electronic packaging applications of MMCs. It concludes with information on the development of select cast MMCs.

This article describes the factors considered in the analysis of brazeability and solderability of engineering materials. These are the wetting and spreading behavior, joint mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, metallurgical considerations, and residual stress levels. It discusses the application of brazed and soldered joints in sophisticated mechanical assemblies, such as aerospace equipment, chemical reactors, electronic packaging, nuclear applications, and heat exchangers. The article also provides a detailed discussion on the joining process characteristics of different types of engineering materials considered in the selection of a brazing process. The engineering materials include low-carbon steels, low-alloy steels, and tool steels; cast irons; aluminum alloys; copper and copper alloys; nickel-base alloys; heat-resistant alloys; titanium and titanium alloys; refractory metals; cobalt-base alloys; and ceramic materials.

Due to the recent requirement of higher integration density, solder joints are getting smaller in electronic product assemblies, which makes the joints more vulnerable to failure. Thus, the root-cause failure analysis for the solder joints becomes important to prevent failure at the assembly level. This article covers the properties of solder alloys and the corresponding intermetallic compounds. It includes the dominant failure modes introduced during the solder joint manufacturing process and in field-use applications. The corresponding failure mechanism and root-cause analysis are also presented. The article introduces several frequently used methods for solder joint failure detection, prevention, and isolation (identification for the failed location).

This article focuses on the isothermal fatigue of solder materials. It discusses the effect of strain range, frequency, hold time, temperature, and environment on isothermal fatigue life. The article provides information on various isothermal fatigue testing methods used to assess solder joint reliability. These include the accelerated thermal cycling test and isothermal mechanical deflection system test.

This article is a detailed account of the advantages, disadvantages, and applications of microdispensing processes used in electronics manufacturing industries. The discussion covers various approaches to control material flow, namely time pressure, auger, positive displacement, and progressive cavity pump dispensing. The concept of valving to control starting and stopping is also discussed. The applications include printing solders in microelectronic packaging, printing to pads, printing conductive patterns for antennas, printing active circuits, printing on flexible surfaces, and structural printing.

This article discusses the influence of the materials, design, package type, and environment on corrosion in microelectronics. It describes the common sources and mechanisms of corrosion in microelectronics, including anodic, cathodic, and electrolytic reactions resulting in uniform corrosion, galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion, creep corrosion, dendrite growth, fretting, stress-corrosion cracking, and whisker growth. The article presents effective measures for minimizing the moisture retention in hermetic packages and/or moisture ingress in plastic packages. It concludes with information corrosion tests.

This article presents an overview of the electric and magnetic parameters and discusses the significance of these parameters for electronic applications. It describes the components of analog and digital electronic circuits. The article reviews the augmenting technologies: magnetic and special technologies such as electrooptical.

Soldering represents the primary method of attaching electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, or packaged integrated circuits, to either printed wiring board whose defects is minimized by consideration of proper PWB design, device packages, and board assembly. This article discusses the categories that are most important to successful electronic soldering, namely, solders and fluxes selection, nature of base materials and finishes, solder joint design, and solderability testing.

This article provides an overview of the implementation of wire embedding with ultrasonic energy and thermal embedding for polymer additive manufacturing, discussing the applications and advantages of the technique. The mechanical and electrical performance of the embedded wires is compared with that of other conductive ink processes in terms of electrical conductivity and mechanical strength.

This article presents an overview of the material properties of carbon-carbon composites. It provides information on the applications of carbon-carbon composites in electronic thermal planes, spacecraft thermal doublers, spacecraft thermal shields, spacecraft radiators, and aircraft heat exchangers.

This article highlights the selected applications of advanced polymer-matrix composites, metal-matrix composites, and ceramic matrix composites.

Soldering technology has been used in applications ranging from the packaging of integrated circuit chips to the fabrication of industrial heat exchangers and consequently in structural or electronic applications. This article provides information on various soldering parameters, including types of solder alloy in terms of selection process; selection of substrate base material; flux selection based on adequate wettability by the solder; solder joint assembly; combined substrate, solder, and flux properties; and manufacturing procedures. Each of these parameters is explored using examples of both structural and electronic applications. The article concludes with a discussion on the environmental, safety, and health issues to be considered during soldering.

This article begins with a brief history of composite materials and discusses its characteristics. It presents an introduction to the constituents, product forms, and fabrication processes of composite materials. The article concludes with a discussion on the applications of organic-matrix, metal-matrix, and ceramic-matrix composites.

This article provides an overview of the types, properties, and applications of traditional and advanced ceramics and glasses. Principal product areas for traditional ceramics include whitewares, glazes, porcelain enamels, structural clay products, cements, and refractories. Advanced ceramics include electronic ceramics, optical ceramics, magnetic ceramics, and structural ceramics.