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| Materials Science and Engineering (School of Engineering) |
| MTLE-2020 Introduction to Ceramic Materials Structure and properties of crystalline ceramic materials. Atomic bonding, crystal structure, structural imperfections, nonstoichiometry, surfaces, and interfaces. Reactions in ceramic systems in terms of phase equilibria, nucleation and crystal growth, diffusion, grain growth, and sintering. Ceramic microstructures and various properties. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-2100 Structure of Engineering Materials The first course in Materials Science and Engineering. Structures of metals, ceramics, and polymers and experimental techniques for their determination are discussed. Laboratory experience is included. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Spring term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-2940 Readings in Materials 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-2980 Senior Project 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4030 Glass Science Glasses are used in optical communications (optical fibers), electronics (insulator) and nuclear waste processing in addition to conventional use as windows, light bulbs and containers. Subjects covered include: Formation and structure of inorganic glasses. The relationship between properties and cooling rate. Viscosity and structural relaxation. Phase separation and crystallization. Ionic diffusion and electrical properties. Mechanical strength and fatigue. Glass surface and chemical durability. Optical properties. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4050 Introduction to Polymers A first course on polymer physics and structure-property relationships. Topics include molecular structure; morphology of amorphous and crystalline polymers; physical properties of polymers in relation to structure, including rubber elasticity, viscoelasticity, and glass transition; mechanical testing. This is a companion course to CHEM-4620 Introduction to Polymer Chemistry. Course is open to advanced juniors, seniors, and graduate students in science or engineering and others by permission of instructor. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4100 Thermodynamics of Materials Rigorous development of classical thermodynamics as applied to prediction of materials properties. Nonideal gases, solutions, phase equilibria, chemical equilibria, defects. Prerequisites: ENGR-2250, ENGR-1500, ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Fall term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4150 Kinetics in Materials Systems Kinetic processes in materials. Overview of kinetics in relation to equilibrium thermodynamics, atomistics and mathematics of diffusion, phase transformations, and microstructural evolution. All materials classes, including metals and alloys, ionic and intermetallic compounds, glasses, semiconductors, and polymers, will be considered in terms of similarities and differences. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisites: MTLE-4100, ENGR-1500, ENGR-1600. Spring term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4160 Semiconducting Materials Review of electronic properties of materials. Growth and structure of semiconductors. Diffusion, ion implantation, oxidation, microlithography, plasma etching, thin film deposition, metallization, with emphasis on Si technology. Introduction to compound semiconductors. Students cannot obtain credit for both this course and ECSE-4250. Prerequisite: MTLE-4200 or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4200 Properties of Engineering Materials I Introduction to wave mechanics of particles. Applications to harmonic oscillator, free electrons, Kronig-Penney and Ziman models. Electron energy bands in solids. Charge carrier transport. Electrical conductivity of metals and semiconductors. Junctions and devices based on them. Microelectronics, dielectric and optical properties of materials. Optoelectronic devices. Includes laboratory. Prerequisites: ENGR-1600, MTLE-2100, PHYS-1200. Fall term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4250 Properties of Engineering Materials II This is a required departmental course, but is also appropriate for biomedical engineers and other engineering disciplines as an elective. This course teaches the mechanical properties of metals, ceramics, and polymers from both the macroscopic and atomistic or micromechanical viewpoints. An introduction to three-dimensional stresses and strains. Elastic behavior, plastic behavior, strengthening mechanisms, fracture, creep, and fatigue are all addressed. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisites: ENGR- 1600, MTLE-2100. Spring term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4290 Electronic Packaging Design and fabrication of interconnection structures in electronic systems; heat transfer and mechanical and environmental protection; applications, future trends, and limitations. (Cross listed as ECSE-4290 and MANE-4290. Students cannot receive credit for both this course and either ECSE-4290 or MANE-4290.) Prerequisites: senior or graduate level at Rensselaer or an undergraduate degree in engineering or science. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4310 Corrosion Mechanisms, characteristics, and types of corrosion. Methods for testing, combating, and evaluating corrosion resistance. Suitability of metals, ceramics, and organic materials in corrosive environments. Oxidation and other high-temperature gas-metal reactions. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4400 Materials Synthesis and Processing I Emphasis is on materials synthesis, with four instructional modules drawn from aspects of melt and extractive metallurgy and from the synthesis of polymers, ceramics and glasses, electronic materials, composite materials and nanophase materials. Prerequisites: MTLE-4200, MTLE-4150, MTLE-4250. Fall term annually. Includes laboratory experience. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4410 Welding Processes and Metallurgy Fundamental principles, primary variables, and metallurgical changes associated with both fusion and nonfusion welding processes. Energy sources, rates and modes of energy transfer to the work, and distribution of energy in the work as these affect plastic softening or melting, plastic flow or solidification, post-solidification transformations, heat-affected zone microstructures, residual stresses and distortion, defect formation, and resultant properties; attention to the effects of weldment material, joint design, process, and procedural variables. Physical metallurgy is emphasized throughout. Practical examples highlight theory. Hands-on laboratory exercises complement lectures. Prerequisite: ENGR-2010 or ENGR-1600. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4420 Joining of Advanced Materials Individual joining processes including mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, welding, brazing, soldering, thermal spraying, and variants or hybrids of these. Advantages and disadvantages, mechanisms for attaining joint strength, various specific methods and procedures, joint design and analysis, expected properties, practical issues in production, safety, and economics, and special problems with each process. Joining of similar and dissimilar combinations of metals and alloys, intermetallics, ceramics, glasses, polymers, and composites, with special attention to attaining optimum properties. Team term project. Prerequisites: ENGR-1600 and ENGR-2010. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4450 Materials Synthesis and Processing II Emphasis is on materials processing, with four instruction modules drawn from aspects of casting and molding, deformation processing, powder processing, joining and additive processes, cutting and removal processes, and annealing/heat treatment processes. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisite: MTLE-4400. Spring term annually. 4 credit hours |
| MTLE-4630 Composites Laboratory Fabrication and characterization of composite materials and structures. Characterization techniques include strength, stiffness, adhesive shear strength, coefficient of thermal expansion, and differential thermal analysis. A short design project involving a composite structure is carried out. Laboratory sessions are complemented by a weekly lecture. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600. Spring term. 3 credit hours, 5 contact hours |
| MTLE-4910 Design in Materials Engineering Basic design concepts and the underlying structure-property-process-performance interaction. Engineering materials, structures and properties, principles and process of materials selection, generation of materials performances indices, assessment and optimization of performance, processing routes and manufacturing issues, role of reverse engineering and failure analysis in design are covered. Generic design against yielding, fracture, flexure, buckling, fatigue, creep, corrosion, and wear are addressed, as opposed to design of specific products or in specific areas. A semester-long team design project is a principal focus. Team-building and leadership skills are developed. Non-technical issues of environmental impact, cultural and societal impact, safety and health, ethics, and cost are discussed. Writing assignments and oral reports develop communication skills. Enrollment for MS&E majors is restricted to seniors or graduates. Prerequisite: ENGR-1500 and ENGR-1600 or ENGR-2010. Fall term annually. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-4920 Applications of Materials A capstone experience to afford seniors in MS&E the unique and invaluable opportunity to participate as a vital member of a truly multidisciplinary design team (comprised of engineering students from other disciplines, as well as MBAs) and function just as they will as professionals in practice, in preparation for practice. The course revolves totally around a design project, focusing on the structure-property-process-performance interaction underlying all design, with no homework or exams; just memos on progress, individual and group meetings with the instructor, conceptual design report, project notebook or journal, and final report. Prerequisite: satisfactory completion of MTLE-4910. Spring term annually. 2 credit hours |
| MTLE-4960 Topics in Materials Engineering Spring term annually. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6010 Defects in Solids Point defects, nonstoichiometry, diffusion and defects, electronic defects, elastic properties of dislocations, dislocation-point defect interactions, dislocation arrays, grain boundaries, stacking faults, phase stability, twin boundaries, epitaxial interfaces. Prerequisite: MTLE-2100 or equivalent. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6030 Advanced Thermodynamics Review of classical thermodynamics. Development of basic concepts of statistical thermodynamics. Application of both classical and statistical techniques to the determination of phase and chemical equilibrium in real systems. Prerequisite: MTLE-4100 or equivalent. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6040 Principles of Crystallography and X-Ray Diffraction Symmetry operations, point groups and space groups, X-ray and electron diffraction techniques, reciprocal lattice, Ewald sphere, mathematics of diffraction, crystal chemistry, crystal structure-property relationships. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6060 Kinetics of Materials Reactions I Diffusion and phase transformations: solutions to the diffusion equation, moving boundaries, concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient, interdiffusion, nucleation, crystal growth from the vapor and solution, solidification. Precipitation: general, cellular, and G-P zones. Allotropic and martensitic transformations. Grain growth. Sintering. Prerequisite: MTLE-4100 or MTLE-6030 or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6080 Electron Microscopy of Materials Introduction to electron optics, electron diffraction contrast mechanisms, specimen preparation, and microanalysis. Theory and operating fundamentals of the SEM, TEM, STEM, and the electron microprobe. Analysis of images from crystalline materials using kinematical and dynamical theories of electron diffraction. Prerequisite: MTLE-2100 or MTLE-6040. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6100 Advanced Electron Microscopy The theory and practice of image interpretation in transmission electron microscopy, including kinematical and dynamical theory of electron diffraction, contrast analysis of defects, lattice and structure imaging, convergent beam diffraction. Prerequisite: MTLE- 6040 or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6110 Diffusion in Solids The diffusion process in metals and alloys. Solution to Fick’s law. Self-diffusion. Effect of temperature upon diffusion. Grain boundary and surface diffusion. Solution and diffusion of gases in metals. Diffusion in carburizing, the austenite transformation, powder metallurgy, and the scaling of metals and alloys. Fall term alternate years. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6150 Fracture of Solids Review of elasticity and plasticity theory. Calculation of theoretical cohesive strength of crystalline solids; influence of stress concentrations on fracture strength. Fractography. Theory and applications of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Fracture testing. Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics. Dislocation theories of cleavage fracture. Phenomenology and theories of stress corrosion cracking, creep rupture, fatigue. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6220 Advanced Semiconducting Materials and Processing Discussion of selected advanced and emerging topics in microelectronics materials and fabrication. These may include metallization, thin film deposition, interconnection technology, microlithography, plasma etching and processing. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6300 Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory Theory and practice of IC fabrication in a research laboratory environment. Test chips are fabricated and the resulting devices and circuits evaluated. Processes and fabrication equipment studied and used include oxidation/diffusion, CVD reactors, photolithography, plasma etching, vacuum evaporator, ion implantation, etc. Instruments used in process monitoring and final testing include thin film profilometer, ellipsometer, resistivity probe, scanning electron microscope, capacitance-voltage system, etc. The fundamentals of hazardous material handling and clean room procedures are studied. (Cross listed as ECSE-6300. Students cannot obtain credit for both this course and ECSE-6300.) Prerequisite: ECSE-4250 or equivalent. Spring term annually. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6350 Composite Materials Introduction to fiber-reinforced composites: atomistic basis for ultimate properties of solids; flaws and flaw distributions; shear-lag model for fiber/matrix stress transfer; predictions of composite strength and toughness as related to real material behavior. Preparation, advantages, and limitations of fiber reinforcements, and of polymer, metal, and ceramic matrix composites are discussed. Anisotropic continuum representations as well as test and characterization methods are introduced. Prerequisites: graduate standing in materials or consent of instructor. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6400 Vacuum Techniques Principles and practice of producing, measuring, and using pressures from atmospheric down to 10-15 atmospheres. Gas kinetics and flow of gases at low pressures. Basic vacuum system calculations. System design and leak detection. Physical and chemisorption of gases. Generation of clean surfaces and study of reactions on them. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6420 Surface Phenomena The thermodynamics and reactivity of surfaces. Classical thermodynamics of surfaces. Atomistic models of the crystal surfaces. Electron diffraction from surface layers. Surface diffusion. Physical and chemisorption of gases, chemical reactions at surfaces. Nucleation of surface and bulk phases. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6430 Materials Characterization Principles and applications of current techniques for the chemical, structural, and morphological characterization of engineering materials, with an emphasis on materials used in the microelectronics industry. Techniques studied include various electron and ion spectroscopies, electron microscopies, and diffraction techniques. Fall term odd-numbered years. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6450 Melting and Solidification Thermodynamics, kinetics, and morphologies of solid-liquid interfaces. Heat flow phenomena in casting and crystal growth. Structure of molten systems. Physical chemistry of vacuum processing. Mechanics of solidification of metals under equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions. Nucleation and growth phenomena. Solute redistribution during freezing. Metal transport during freezing. Grain size control. Application of theory to production of engineering alloys. Fall term alternate years. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6610 Deformation Processing Mechanical metallurgy and mechanics of the classical metal-working operations. Analytical techniques. Friction and lubrication. Workability. Effects on as-worked properties. Technological discussions of forging, rolling, extrusion, drawing, and other unit operations. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6750 Special Topics in Ceramics A course in physical ceramics, the content of which will be modified in accordance with current interests and technology. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6830 Deformation of Materials and Rheology A course intended to acquaint the student with the phenomenological description of constitutive equations for solids and melts. The necessary background material on stress tensors, strain tensors, rate-of-deformation tensors, invariants, principal axes, and isotropic and deviatoric tensors is fully developed. Specific applications include the linear elastic solid, the anisotropic elastic solid, the nonlinear elastic solid, the viscoelastic solid, creep, relaxation, yielding, viscoelastic fluids, and viscometric flows. The required mathematics background is a course in linear algebra (matrices) or equivalent. Fall term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6840 Polymer Engineering Survey and engineering analysis of industrial processes and commercial polymers. Topics include introductory fluid mechanics, non-Newtonian fluids, molecular theory of viscoelasticity, analysis of extrusion and other selected processes. Open to all graduate students majoring in polymer science and engineering. Spring term. 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6900 Graduate Seminar Fall and spring terms annually. 0 credit hours |
| MTLE-6930 Literature Study A special course assignment open to graduate students working toward a master’s degree. Applicable where a student cannot reasonably arrange to submit a thesis. A written report on the study must be submitted and defended before a committee of the faculty. 1 to 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6940 Materials Engineering Project 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6960 Topics in Materials Engineering 3 credit hours |
| MTLE-6980 Master’s Project Active participation in a master’s-level project under the supervision of a faculty adviser, leading to a master’s project report. Grades of IP are assigned until the master’s project has been approved by the faculty adviser. If recommended by the adviser, the master’s project may be accepted by the Office of Graduate Education to be archived in the Library. Grades will then be listed as S. 1 to 9 credit hours |
| MTLE-6990 Master’s Thesis Active participation in research, under the supervision of a faculty adviser, leading to a master’s thesis. Grades of IP are assigned until the thesis has been approved by the faculty adviser and accepted by the Office of Graduate Education to be archived in a standard format in the library. Grades will then be listed as S. 1 to 9 credit hours |
| MTLE-9990 Dissertation Active participation in research, under the supervision of a faculty adviser, leading to a doctoral dissertation. Grades of IP are assigned until the dissertation has been publicly defended, approved by the doctoral committee, and accepted by the Office of Graduate Education to be archived in a standard format in the library. Grades will then be listed as S. Variable credit hours |
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