Dr. Milton Ohring, author of two previously acclaimed Academic Press books,The Materials Science of Thin Films (l992) and Engineering Materials Science (1995), has taught courses on reliability and failure in electronics at Bell Laboratories (AT&T and Lucent Technologies). From this perspective and the well-written tutorial style of the book, the reader will gain a deeper physical understanding of failure mechanisms in electronic materials and devices; acquire skills in the mathematical handling of reliability data; and better appreciate future technology trends and the reliability issues they raise.
After an undergraduate degree in Music and a brief career as a professional musician and music teacher, Shefford P. Baker studied Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University in 1993, was a staff scientist at the Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung in Stuttgart from 1993 to 1997 and joined the Cornell faculty in 1998. He was Visiting Professor at the Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Saint Jérome, Université Paul Cézanne, Marseille, in summer 2006. Professor Baker's research focuses on the unique mechanical properties of materials having microstructural or dimensional length scales in the nanometer regime. At Cornell Baker is interested in undergraduate engineering education and served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2004 through 2010. He also chaired the College of Engineering Curriculum Task Force that examined the Engineering Common Curriculum in 2006. He is very active in the Materials Research Society, and served as President of the MRS in 2009. He has also served as Symposium Organizer, Meeting Chair, Committee Chair, and was a member of the Board of Directors for serveral years. He helped to form the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) network and has participated in a wide range of science and materials education related projects. Professor Baker teaches courses that focus on the mechanical properties of materials, thin films, microstructure of materials, and metallurgy.