9502360 Dougherty This award provides funding under the "Self-Sufficient Partnership for Research" Program for one year to the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Dielectric Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. The Center was founded in 1983 to do research on ceramic dielectric materials that serve as the technological basis for vital components used in electronic circuits. The Center's aim is to improve the fundamental understanding of the synthesis, processing, and properties of dielectric materials used in electronic devices. The Center derives financial support from industrial members who use the results of the Center's research to guide their industrial development of products of technological interest. At present there are fifteen corporate members. The research emphasizes the study of multilayer ceramic dielectrics to include the problems of putting diverse materials together into a single integrated ceramics package that contains capacitors, interconnects, thick and thin films, sensors, and polymers. The Center conducts research to improve basic scientific understanding and techniques that will serve as the basis for future generations of products, while industrial members develop the generic advanced technologies used to manufacture and test advanced dielectric devices. These devices are critical to the electronics, communications, and computer industries. The Program Manager recommends Pennsylvania State University be awarded $21,500 for one year.
