Abstract
Microwave technology will be the cornerstone of 21st Century electronics. Microwave electronics systems differ radically from conventional silicon semiconductor technology, requiring specialist semiconductors, circuits and interconnects. Gallium arsenide and gallium nitride are advanced compound semiconductors that fulfil the first requirement. Gold and gold alloys have unique properties that are essential for integrating these components into functioning systems.
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About the author Dr Giles Humpston was awarded a first degree in Metallurgy from Brunel University in 1983, followed by a PhD on the constitution of solder alloys 1985. He has since been employed by GEC and now leads the Future Technologies Division of Marconi Materials Technology, a role that not only includes responsibility for projects involving electronic and optical devices but extends to magnetic materials, electroceramics, diamond and fuel cells. He is the cited inventor on 15 patents and the author of over 50 papers. He is coauthor of the book Principles of Soldering and Brazing, published by ASM International in 1993. He is the recipient of six international awards, the most recent of which include the Cook Prize of the Institute of Materials and the Robert L Peaslee Brazing Award of the American Welding Society.
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Humpston, G. The essential role of gold in the fabrication of microwave electronics systems. Gold Bull 32, 75–79 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03216613
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03216613