Editorial

Citation

Atkinson, J. (2001), "Editorial", Microelectronics International, Vol. 18 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2001.21818caa.001

Editorial

Well done and thank you to all those of you who read my previous editorial in its entirety, I have to admit it was a trifle long-winded, even if it was heart-felt in its message. By way of compensation I have promised to be rather more succinct this time.

I am delighted to note that the standard of the papers being submitted to Microelectronics International continues to be very high. This edition of the journal contains some very interesting and wide-ranging examples of materials and techniques currently being employed in the microelectronics packaging industry and I am sure you will find them entertaining and informative.

Although the papers contained in this edition cover a very wide range of topics, they do contain an underlying common theme in that in each case there is a significant contribution in the field of material science. This point is perhaps worth further consideration since it is almost certainly because of some of the excellent research carried out in discovering and characterizing materials that we are able to continue to innovate and push our technology forward.

I have long harboured the belief that this industry eventually makes material scientists of us all. If this is true, it is perhaps just as well since one cannot foresee there being sufficient numbers of suitably trained material scientist graduates coming into the industry to satisfy the demand. Added to this, the highly specialized and multidisciplinary nature of what we do results in graduates from many disparate subject areas effectively having to retrain in order to supply us with the technologists we need. It is here that our industry journals make what is probably their most important contribution.

Microelectronics International aims to continue to address the need to educate and stimulate in its field of coverage by acting as a platform for the dissemination of ideas and information. However, this can only be achieved with the active participation of you, the reader. By continuing to send in your papers and correspondence you will hopefully further the continuing evolution our industry from the secretive, cut-throat competitiveness of the past to a technology-led, collaborative future that will be beneficial for all of us.

John Atkinson