The formation of solids is governed by kinetic processes, which are closely related to the macroscopic behaviour of the resulting materials. With the main focus on ease of understanding, the author begins with the basic processes at the atomic level to illustrate their connections to material properties. Diffusion processes during crystal growth and phase transformations are examined in detail. Since the underlying mathematics are very complex, approximation methods typically used in practice are the prime choice of approach. Apart from metals and alloys, the book places special emphasis on the growth of thin films and bulk crystals, which are the two main pillars of modern device and semiconductor technology. All the presented phenomena are tied back to the basic thermodynamic properties of the materials and to the underlying physical processes for clarity.
About the Author
Kenneth A. Jackson is Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where he has been since 1989. He received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University in 1956, and was an assistant Professor there until 1962, when he joined AT&T Bell Laboratories. At Bell Labs he was head of Materials Physics Research for many years. His major scientific interests are in the kinetic processes of crystal growth, and his scientific contributions include constitutional supercooling, the surface roughening transition, defect formation in crystals, and studies of alloy crystallization. He pioneered in computer simulation studies of the atomic scale processes during crystal growth. He has served as President for both the American Association for Crystal Growth and the Materials Research Society. He has received awards for his scientific contributions from both the American and the International Crystal Growth societies, and from the Materials Society of AIME, and has written and edited several books. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005.
