Graduate Courses in Materials Science and Engineering


A student works at a transmission electron microscope (TEM) at the Microscopy and Microanalysis Center. The center studies thin film semiconductor heterostructures and superlattices, metallic multilayers, and optical properties of materials.

Each core course may only be repeated once, unless there are special circumstances. In this rare instance the student is required to petition the Graduate Studies Committee before being allowed to take a core course a third time.

ENMA 620: Polymer Physics (3) (Core Course)

Course Description: The thermodynamics, structure, morphology and properties of polymers. Developing an understanding of the relationships between theory and observed behavior in polymeric materials.

ENMA 621: Advanced Design of Composite Materials (3)

Course Description: This course covers fundamentals of design, processing and selection of composite materials for structural applications. The topics include a review of all classes of engineering materials, an in-depth analysis of micro and macro mechanical behavior including interactions at the two-phase interfaces, modeling of composite morphologies for optimal microstructures, material aspects, cost considerations, processing methods including consideration of chemical reactions and stability of the interfaces and material selection considerations.

ENMA 622: Polymer Characterization (3)

Course Description: Characterization of polymeric materials: molecular weight, molecular size distribution, solution properties, thermal properties, fractionation, etc.

ENMA 624: Radiation Engineering (3)

Course Description: Ionizing radiation, radiation dosimetry and sensors, radiation processing, radiation effects on; polymers, metals, semiconductors, liquid, and gas, radiation in advance manufacturing, radiation-physical technology.

ENMA 625: Advanced Biomaterials (3)

Course Description: Examination of materials used in humans and other biological systems in terms of the relationships between structure, fundamental properties and functional behavior. Replacement materials such as implants, assistive devices such as insulin pumps and pacemakers, drug delivery systems, biosensors, engineered materials such as articicial skin and bone groth scaffolds, and biocompatibility will be covered.

ENMA 640: Advanced Nanoprocessing of Materials with Plasmas (3)

Course Description: Plasmas are used to control the micro-and nanoscale level structure of materials including patterning at the mico-and nanoscale level using plasma etching techniques. The course establishes the scientific understanding required for the efficient production of nano-structure using plasma techniques.

ENMA 641: Nanotechnology Characterization (3)

Course Description: This course covers techniques to characterize the properties of materials whose characteristic dimensions are a few to a few hundred nanometers, including "conventional" nanocrystalline materials, but concentrating on "novel" nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, quantum wires, and quantum wells. The emphasis is on recent results from the scientific literature concerning those properties that make nanostructures interesting: quantum effects, novel transport phenomena, enhanced mechanical properties associated with localization and with small crystallite size.

ENMA 642: Current Trends in Nanomaterials (3)

Course Description: This course gives a historical and contemporary perspective of the trends of development of nanomaterials. Having characteristic dimensions in the range of 1-100 nanometers, these materials are difficult to synthesize and characterize but are nevertheless at the forefront of science and technology in many fields. Through detailed analysis of the current literature, all students will develop a sense for not only where the science and technology has come but also where it is going.

ENMA 643: Advanced Photonic Materials and Devices (3)

Course Description: The understanding of the basic optical processes in photonic devices and systems composed of waveguides, light emitting diodes and lasers, as well as modulators is developed. Lectures on basic degradation mechanisms of such systems will be presented. The area of organic based LED reliability will be covered from the point of view of the stability of the organic-inorganic interface.

ENMA 644: Advanced Ceramics (3)

Course Description: Introduces basic concepts such as crystal chemistry, defect chemistry and ternary phase equilibria which can also be used to illustrate the various types of advanced ceramics (superconductors; superionic conductors; dielectrics including ferroelectrics; optical materials; high temperature structural materials; etc.) and allow an understanding of their behaviors.

ENMA 650: Nanostructure (Physics) of Engineering Materials (3) (Core Course)

Course Description: The structural aspects of crystalline and amorphous solids and relationships to bonding types. Point and space groups. Summary of diffraction theory and practice. The reciprocal lattice. Relationships of the microscopically measured properties to crystal symmetry. Structural aspects of defects in crystalline solids.

ENMA 651: Electronic Structure of Engineering Materials (3)

Course Description: Electronic and magnetic materials in relationship to their applications. Metallic conductors, resistive alloys, superconducting materials, semiconductors, hard and soft magnetic materials, piezo-electric and piezo-magnetic materials, optical materials. Emphasis on relationships between electronic configuration, crystal structure, defectstructure and physical properties.

ENMA 659: Special Topics in Electronic Materials (3)

Course Description: This special topics course is offered in different forms with focus on different topics. Past courses have included the following: Systems Design for Microelectronics Materials Processing, Systems Engineering Design Project, Technology and Systems for Microelectronics Materials Manufacturing, Materials and Processes for Microelectronics, and Materials and Processes for Microelectronics.

Prerequisite: One or more 400-level ENMA courses or equivalent, and permission of the instructor.

ENMA 660: Thermodynamics in Materials Science (3) (Core Course)

Course Description: Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of engineering solids. Cohesion, thermodynamic properties. Theory of solid solutions. Thermodynamics of mechanical, electrical, and magnetic phenomena in solids. Chemical thermodynamics, phase transitions and thermodynamic properties of polycrystalline and polyphase materials. Thermodynamics of defects in solids.

ENMA 661: Kinetics of Reactions in Materials (3) (Core Course)

Course Description: The theory of thermally activated processes in solids as applied to diffusion, nucleation and interface motion. Cooperative and diffusionless transformations. Applications selected from processes such as allotropic transformations, precipitation, martensite formation, solidification, ordering, and corrosion.

ENMA 662: Advanced Smart Materials (3)

Course Description: The course will cover the three ferroic materials, ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and ferroelastic (also known as Shape Memory Alloy, SMA) as well as materials that are simultaneously ferromagnetic and ferrolectric etc. Their similarities and differences will be identified and their atomic level and crystal structure examined. Phase transformations are very important and will be treated in some detail. Applications, e.g. permanent magnets, electronic magnetic materials, digital storage elements, actuators and sensors as well as SMAs for vision glasses, self-adjusting valves and the like will be covered.

ENMA 669: Special Topics in the Chemical Physics of Materials (3)

ENMA 671: Defects in Materials (3) (Core Course)

Course Description: The nature and interactions of defects in crystalline solids, with primary emphasis on dislocations. The elastic and electric fields associated with dislocations. Effects of imperfections on mechanical and physical properties.

ENMA 680: Experimental Methods in Materials Science (3)

Course Description: Methods of measuring the structural aspects of materials. Optical and electron microscopy. Resonance methods. Electrical, optical and magnetic measurement techniques. Thermodynamic methods.

ENMA 681: Diffraction Techniques in Materials Science (3)

Course Description: Theory of diffraction of electrons, neutrons and X-rays. Strong emphasis on diffraction methods as applied to the study of defects in solids. Short range order, thermal vibrations, stacking faults, microstrain.

ENMA 683: Structural Determination Laboratory (1)

Course Description: Formerly ENMA 698L. The operation of an electron microscope is covered. TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) techniques that are used to characterize the structure, defects and composition of a sample are presented and used to study a variety of materials. These techniques are: electron diffraction patterns, bright/dark field imaging, high resolution lattic imaging and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Also covers different sample preparation techniques for TEM. The goal is that the students become independent users of the TEM.

Prerequisite: Permission of department. Credit will be granted for only one of the following: ENMA698L or ENMA683.

ENMA 684: Advanced Finite Element Modeling (3)

Course Description: A brief review of mechanical behavior of materials, introduction to Finite Element Modeling (FEM), and procedures for predicting mechanical behavior of materials by FEM using computer software (at present ANSYS). The FEM procedures include, setting up the model, mesh generation, data input and interpretation of the results.

ENMA 685: Advanced Electronic and Optical Materials (3)

Course Description: The course will familiarize the students with basic and state of the art knowledge of some technologically relevant topics in materials engineering and applied physics, including dielectric/ferroelectric materials, magnetic materials, superconductors, multiferroic materials and optical materials with an underlying emphasis on thin film and device fabrication technology. Fundamental physical properties and descriptions of different materials and their applications are included. Discussions will include new developments in the fields.

ENMA 698: Special Problems in Engineering Materials (1-16)

ENMA 698D: Special Problems in Engineering Materials: Liquid Crystals and Other Monomeric Soft Matter Materials (3)

Course Description: Liquid crystals and their applications, role in biology, and nanometer structure.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

ENMA 698G: Special Problems in Engineering Materials: Advanced Nanosized Materials: Synthesis and Utilization (3)

Course Description: This course is an advanced course covering practical aspects of nanoscale materials fabrication and utilization. It presents various approaches for the synthesis of nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanotubes, and discusses the unique properties observed in these structures and devices made with them.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

ENMA 698J: Special Problems in Engineering Materials: Advanced Electron Microscopy (3)

Course Description: This course will give an introduction of the basic principles of operation for modern electron microscopes. Details will be given on the construction of microscopes, their basic operation, and the types of questions that can be addressed with an electron microscope. Emphasis will be placed on a conceptual understanding of the underlying theories. Where appropriate, mathematical descriptions will be utilized. Upon completion of this course, students will be expected to have a basic understanding sufficient to give interpretations of microscopy images and to suggest the correct tool or approach for certain research studies.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department.

ENMA 698R: Special Problems in Engineering Materials: Advanced Physics of Failure Mechanisms in Materials Engineering (3)

Course Description: Advanced failure mechanisms in reliability engineering will be taught from a basic materials and defects point of view. The methods of predicting the physics of failure of devices, materials, components and systems are reviewed. The main emphasis will be given to basic degradation mechanisms through understanding the physics, chemistry, and mechanics of such mechanisms. Mechanical failures are introduced through understanding fatigue, creep and yielding in materials, devices and components. The principles of cumulative damage and mechanical yielding theory are taught. The concepts of reliability growth, accelerated life testing, environmental testing are introduced. Physical, chemical and thermal related failures are introduced through a basic understanding of degradation mechanisms such as diffusion, electromigration, defects and defect migration. The failure mechanisms in basic material types will be taught. Failure mechanisms observed in real electronic devices and electronic packaging will also be presented. Problems related to manufacturing, and microelectronics will be analyzed. Mechanical failures are emphasized from the point of view of complex fatigue theory.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department.