REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Reviewers' Comments

"This is he best text I'm aware of for teaching the introduction to Electronic Materials and Devices. Its strengths are that it is application oriented and has a number of practical examples. Most current books are very physics oriented and usually result in courses that rehash quantum physics and introduce elementary device principles. This book keeps the focus on devices and allows an instructor to truly cover the dielectric, magnetic and optical properties. I also am able to have focus in my courses on passive (RLC) and active devices."

Professor Joel Dubow
University of Utah



"I believe that this book represents a significant contribution to the principles of electronic materials and devices and is a necessary requirement for undergraduate students, scientists and engineers. It serves as an excellent reference manual for experienced semiconductor device engineers and solid state scientists. I recommend this book to any scientist who wishes to gain a view of this field."

Professor M. Henini
(University of Nottingham, UK)
Microelectronics Journal Vol. 33 (2002), 681


"While in-depth detail is not intended, the author injects a wonderful semi-quantitative level of description in the text. Concepts presented with many detailed illustrations and superb writing are presented in a way to convey the physical ideas with a minimum of mathematics. Unlike many college level texts, there are more than 130 worked-out examples to reinforce learning and understanding. There are over 470 professionally prepared illustrations and a CD, included with the book, contains all the figures in color PDF and PowerPoint formats, making it easier for overhead or electronic presentations."

John J. Shea
IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine
May/June 2002, Vol. 18, No. 3


"This book fills an important need for a text for an undergraduate electrical engineering course dealing with the electrical properties of materials. Approximately the first half of the book is given to discussions of basic principles, such as the structure of crystalline solids, electrical and thermal conductivity in solids, quantum physics, and band theory. The second half of the book presents chapters on particular classes of materials, including semiconductors and semiconductor devices, dielectric materials and insulation, and magnetic properties and superconductivity. This book is unique in covering these topics in one place and from the perspective of the electrical engineering student."

K.F. Schoch, Jr.
IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine
May/June 1997, Vol. 13, No. 3


"Overall I think this is the strongest book on the market covering the badics of materials science and electronic materials. I very much appreciate the balance between initial concepts and the more detailed ideas in the latter chapters. It's a book that challenges the best students without loosing the bulk of the students in the course. I like the website, and use it for examples and practice problems to go over in class during problem solving periods."

Professor David Bahr
Washington State University


"This book covers the topics of electronic materials and devices broadly and thorougly. I am using this book for my course now"

Professor Long Lee
San Diego State University


"Dr. Kasap's approach is original and effective. Many texts cover similar materials, but most of them follow a well-worn, standard description of the topics. In this book, however, the approach does not follow the pattern, instead emphasizing an intuitive understanding without excessive mathematical derivations. At the same time, the coverage is accurate and complete, and thereby prepares the reader well for further study.

This is an approach to the subject that I favour because I have found that undergraduates who are not specializing in electronic materials and devices find such a practical pedagogy more stimulating and interesting. I believe, as Dr. Kasap clearly does, that a sound intuitive grasp of the subject should come before a full abstract mathematical treatment."

Professor Richard Hornsey
University of Waterloo


"Well written text and long overdue."

"Writing style is appropriate and clear. The references to diverse things such as the human eye and the atmosphere of Jupiter add colorful interests. I also particularly like the historical photographs."

"The figures and examples are very well done. I particularly like the use of real data for real materials in the demonstrations."

Professor D.L. Parker
Texas A&M University


"Kasap has the right approach in general.This text takes out much of the frustration over the (previous) lack of suitable texts for "materials and electronic devices." I am no longer planning on writing my own text!"

Professor John Sanchez
University of Michigan


"The quality and quantity of example problems is excellent. (The lack of worked examples is a common criticism from students about Solymar's book.)"

Professor David Cahill
University of Illinois


"The author's approach is excellent. The explanations of difficult concepts are excellent, very readable, and provided at an appropriate level for undergraduates but without sacrificing accuracy. Fundamental concepts are covered, and examples and homework problems that use empirical data and real applications make the theory very useful for engineering problems. This textbook is far superior to any other textbook I've seen or tried to teach with in the area of electronic materials to undergraduates."

"I have been using Kasap's book since it became available, It is far superior to any other textbook for undergraduates in this area. Most texts written for electrical engineering students cover only semiconductors and do not have a broad enough coverage to be useful for a course in electronic materials; most texts written for materials science students are too advanced and do not have the breadth of coverage and excellent examples and problems as this book does."

Emily L. Allen
San Jose State University, California


"I think the book's primary strength is its comprehensiveness. It provides the student with not only a sound fundamental basis on the wide spectrum of electrical phenomena, but also a valuable insight into the application of these phenomena in today's devices."

"Also important is the authors pedagogical approach (some authors on this subject lean towards physics, some lean towards electrical engineering, this book has found the best of both). Lastly, I believe that in these times of rising textbook costs, having a book which may be useful for more than one class is a big selling point. Beyond that, I believe students will keep this textbook as a reference book well after graduation."

Professor David Cann
Iowa State University


"The book's primary strength is definitely all the solved problems that exist intermixed with the text. These break up the text, making it easier to read. The students can verify they understand what is going on by seeing the work applied. The problems also help to give the students a sense of the units and magnitude of variables and to see practical applications of the theory."

"I like the book a lot. I would highly recommend it. Its strengths are definitely its worked problems, clear figures, and interesting extended topics and applications."

Professor Stacy Gleixner
San Jose State University, California


"The worked and homework problems are the best I have seen in any book of any kind. They are extremely well chosen and highly practical."

Professor Michael Kozicki
Arizona State University


"The illustrations have really sold me on this text.......These are among the best illustrations that I have seen in a technical book. They clearly depict the concept that is being presented. Truly, Professor Kasap must have put a lot of thought into these. They are excellent."

Professor Linda Vanasupa
California Polytechnic State University


"The scientific development sustaining current engineering materials is very much based on quantum mechanics and solid state physics and therefore does not belong to the standard curriculum of an electrical engineer. Professor Kasap has genuinely succeeded in explaining the properties of engineering materials with a truly original approach with the right balance of physically appealing analogies, a clear text and a rich set of illustrative examples and homework problems. The formulas are well explained and discussed and the required tables of data are plentiful."

"This book will be extremely useful not only to the students but also to the practitioners and I recommend it wholeheartedly."

"Le developpement scientifique actuel qui entretient le genie des materiaux est base, en grande partie, sur la Mecanique Quantique et la physique des solides. Etant donne que ces matieres ne figurent pas au cursus ordinaire de l'ingenieur electricien, il y a un probleme. Mr. Kasap a reellement reussi a expliquer les proprietes des materiaux de l'ingenieur grace a une approche originale en utilisant un amalgame bien dose d'analogies physiques, un texte tres clair et un ensemble vraiment riche d'exemples et de devoirs illustratifs. Les formules donnees sont bien expliquees et commentees et les tableaux de constantes et de valeurs experimentales requises sont donnes genereusement."

"Ce livre sera tres utile non seulement aux etudiants mais aussi aux professionnels qui travaillent dans ce domaine et je le recommande tres vivement."

Professor C. Tannous
Laboratoire D'Etude Des Materiaux, Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, France


"The six chapters that I have read are well written, at the right level for our students and well presented.......... Examples and practical problems are written in such a way to enhance the understanding of the theory and I am sure both lecturers and students will benefit from them."

"It is nice to see that a lot of effort has gone into producing excellent diagrams and there are so many of them. I think this book should be published as soon as possible and I am positive that it will quickly find many readers."


Dr F Ghassemlooy, Associate Book Review Editor
International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education


"The book is full of beautiful examples and homework problems. These are refreshingly different from other similar texts. I am impressed by the author to come up with so many interesting problems. The worked examples are solved nicely with enough explanation."

" There are plenty of illustrations to explain all the important ideas. This is another strong point of this book."

Professor Furrukh S. Khan
Ohio State University


 

The Textbook "The Principles of Electrical Engineering Materials and Devices" is a real winner for three reasons. Firstly, the author has provided the reader with clear illustrations that have not been simply rehashed from previous books. These are some of the best illustrations I have seen. Secondly, there are numerous worked examples in the text to keep the undergraduate student interested in the subject and to put the concepts into perspective. Thirdly, many difficult concepts (such as the Johnson noise, skin effect, drift mobility vs temperature behavior, MOS devices, dielectric properties, piezoelectricity, ferromagnetism, superconductivity etc.) have been presented in a semiquantitative way, without being bogged down by the mathematics, to be understandable at the undergraduate level. Many usual graduate level topics have been simplified down to the undergraduate level which makes the book almost unique. The text will find good use in many electrical engineering and materials science departments and I recommend it most highly.

Professor Harry Ruda
Electronic Materials, University of Toronto


"Simply an excellent text."

"This is one of the best textbooks I have seen in this field. The text has some of the best illustrations and problems that have seen. A near perfect book at the undergraduate level. Instructors will have access to beautiful overhead diagrams that were previously not available. All instructors teaching electronic materials should have a copy at least as a reference."

"Tout simplement un excellent ouvrage"

"C'est un des meilleurs manuels que j'ai rencontrés dans ce domaine. Le texte est accompagné par les meilleurs exercices et figures que j'ai vus pour un livre dans ce domaine. Un livre presque parfait pour le niveau sous-gradué. Les enseignants auront à leur disposition des illustrations sur transparent qui n'étaient pas disponibles auparavant. Tous les professeurs qui enseignent les dispositifs électroniques devraient au moins en posséder une copie comme référence."

Professor C. Aktik
University of Sherbrooke, Quebec


"Important Terms - Simply put, keep it!!! The knowledge of terminology may be one of the few things that students reliably take from a course and will definitely help them in "life long learning" situations. I think you have done a great service to the reader by including this section at the end of the chapters. The terms are well defined, and the coverage of the terms used in the text seems complete."

Dr. Bruce A Ferguson
University of Portland


"The number of example problems is the strongest part of the text."

"The Important Terms section is useful and well written."

"The questions and problems seem well thought out."

Professor Hilary Lackritz
Purdue University


"There is no doubt that the worked examples and problems given in the text by Prof. Kasap consist of real treasure which cannot be found in other texts old or new in this field."

" This text is very close to a perfect book in this field for the audience quoted in the title. The author has succeeded in bringing together a wealth of examples along with the theory showing a deep knowledge and understanding of the physical and engineering principles underlying semiconductor theory and devices"

Professor Aaron Peled
Center for Technological Education Holon, aff.Tel-Aviv University


"When the book is published as an electronics engineering educator I shall rush to buy a copy for myself as well as urging our library to purchase reference copies for students' use."

"The chapters are self-contained in that students are not often referred to other chapters within the book and they can bypass a chapter."

Dr. S M Vaezi-Nejad
Reader in Electronic Materials, University of Greenwich


"The book is full of excellent illustrations which portray the physical ideas in a very clear way. There are many worked examples and solved problems from very simple concepts to sophisticated design problems. Both the author and the publisher have done a wonderful job. I feel certain that students, whether they are in engineering schools, or taking physics in a liberal arts colleges, will certainly enjoy reading this book and will benefit enormously from its educational resources. It is recommended most highly as a course text in electronic materials, or as a reference source at college libraries"

Dr. K.W. Cheah
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong