An Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Measurement and Standards Laboratories, Fiscal Year 1998 (1998) / Chapter Skim
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6 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
6 Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
Pages 121-148
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From page 122... ...
Submitted for the panel by its Chair, lames E Nottke, this assessment of the fiscal year 1998 activities ofthe Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory is based on site visits by individual panel members, a formal meeting of the panel on March 19-20, 1998, and documents provided by the laboratory.
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From page 123... ...
appeared to be targeted at measurement methods, Standard Reference Materials, or Standard Reference Data for materials users and suppliers. The laboratory works with various members of the supply chains to assist them in making the best use of advances in standards and measurement technology in the area of materials.
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From page 124... ...
NIST-STRS, 31.4 31.1 excluding Competence Competence 0.2 0.0 ATP 3.4 2.7 Measurement Services I.0 0.7 (SRM production) OA/NFG/CRADA 6.6 5.6 Other Reimbursable 0.6 0.4 Total 43.2 40.5 Staffing for the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory currently includes 209 fulltime permanent positions, of which ~ 74 are for technical professionals.
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From page 125... ...
The Ceramics Division's mission statement parallels the LIST mission. Moreover, the activities within the division are consistent with and accurately reflected by its mission statement, as the division strives to provide measurement methods, SRMs, and Standard Reference Data for materials producers and users.
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From page 126... ...
If this is a general result, it could have significant implications in a number of important applications of thin films, primarily in the electronics area. Most of the other programs in the Ceramics Division were not evaluated in as great a depth this year.
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From page 127... ...
The potential of these simulations as a methodology for materials design will certainly aid in the development of high-temperature structural components and in the use of functional inorganics in device technology. In addition, NIST's continued work on the important task of establishing mechanical properties standards is widely appreciated by the technical community.
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From page 128... ...
Although achieving this position is certainly a formidable task, NIST's charter as a technical information provider makes this a goal of paramount importance. To illustrate some of the issues discussed above, some specific comments on the Ceramics Division Web pages are offered.
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From page 129... ...
imaging facility, beam lines on the LIST reactor, beam lines on synchrotron light sources, and a host of state-of-the-art mechanical testing equipment. Staffing for the Ceramics Division currently includes 62 full-time permanent positions, of which 53 are for technical professionals.
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From page 130... ...
Technical Merit and Appropriateness of Work The pane} found that the projects undertaken in the Materials Reliability Division generally have high technical merit. These efforts include the extension of ultrasonic measurement technology to the characterization of material microstructure features such as texture, grain size, strain, dislocations, and recrystallization; the use of electron microscopy for nanoscale measurement of electronic packaging and thin film flaws; and the development of the measurement technologies required for the real-time control of the processing of structural materials.
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From page 131... ...
Division Resources below: Funding sources for the Materials Reliability Division (in millions of dollars) are presented Fiscal Year 1997 Fiscal Year 1998 (estimated)
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From page 132... ...
Staffing for the Materials Reliability Division currently includes 3 ~ full-time permanent positions, of which 27 are for technical professionals. There are also nine nonpermanent and supplemental personnel, such as postdoctoral fellows and part-time workers.
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From page 133... ...
notes that the range of potential computational work in the polymers area is almost unlimited, so some careful selection of topics and priorities will be needed. The Electronic Packaging, Interconnection, and Assembly Program has recently come under new leadership and has articulated two objectives: to develop and deliver measurement tools, standards, and data for materials and materials processing in semiconductor packaging and electronic interconnection; and to establish fundamental understanding of polymer structure and properties at or near interfaces.
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From page 134... ...
The Polymer Characterization Program refines current measurement methods to characterize polymer properties and also develops new techniques. Primarily, the thrusts of this group include preparation and calibration of SRMs to be used on instruments in industry, institutions, and academic laboratories; assessment and development of advanced techniques of characterizing polymers in the solid and melt states; and measuring and modeling polymer physical and mechanical properties.
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From page 135... ...
The NIST group must rapidly define its natural position within these national efforts and make contributions that are uniquely possible at NIST. Timeliness is perhaps more critical for this group than any other part of the Polymers Division because of the rapid changes that occur in the industry.
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From page 136... ...
~ Total 9.5 8.9 Staffing for the Polymers Division currently includes 46 fi~-time permanent positions, of which 40 are for technical professionals. There are also ~ ~ nonpermanent and supplemental personnel, such as postdoctoral fellows and part-time workers.
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From page 137... ...
Overall, the technical merit of the projects performed in the Metallurgy Division is excellent. Work in this division occurs within five groups Electrochemical Processing, Magnetic Materials, Materials Performance, Materials Structure and Characterization, and Metallurgical Processing-although project teams can often consist of staff drawn from more than one group.
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From page 138... ...
The phase diagram modeling work conducted to support the Lead-Free Solder Consortium and the Consortium on Casting of Aerospace Alloys is outstanding. Although both of these programs are scheduled to conclude shortly, in the panel's view, phase diagram modeling is a core competency of NIST.
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From page 139... ...
This work, done in concert with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and an industrial consortium, was very successful and spawned the Solder Interconnect Design Team, which works on models for predicting behavior of small-scale solder joints. The software developed by the scientists in the Metallurgy Division and the CTCMS is distributed via the Internet and has been adapted by several industrial customers, including Motorola, to assist in the design and fabrication of circuit board assemblies.
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From page 140... ...
~ Total ~ I.6 10.9 Staffing for the Metallurgy Division currently includes 53 full-time permanent positions, of which 48 are for technical professionals. There are also ~ ~ nonpermanent and supplemental personnel, such as postdoctoral fellows and part-time workers.
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From page 141... ...
In this context, the recent elevation of this organization to the status of a center within the MSEL is timely and appropriate, according to its director, and confers a level of responsibility commensurate with the NCNR's status as a major national resource. Technical Merit and Appropriateness of Work The LIST research reactor, with its associated instrumentation and scientific and technical stag, is an outstanding and unique resource for the national and international research communities.
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From page 142... ...
The staff of the NCNR, with their unique expertise in cold neutron instrumentation, should play a vital role in these discussions. Reactor and Research Facility Operations.
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From page 143... ...
Existing instruments in both the guide hall and confinement building are continually upgraded and maintained. In particular, the two instruments3 constructed with support from the NSF under the auspices of the Center for High-Resolution Neutron Scattering (CHRNS)
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From page 144... ...
Residual stress measurement experiments with industrial and government collaborators examined helicopter and aircraft materials, welds, railroad rails, thermally sprayed coatings, and infrastructure components. Measurements on reference samples provided by the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards will be used to prepare a draft standard for neutron residual stress measurements.
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From page 145... ...
The fine resolution of the cold neutron reflectometer with polarized beam option (Iocated at NO- ~ ) has allowed researchers to characterize diffuse scattering of magnetic domains in cobalt thin films and to observe the destruction of such domains by a magnetic field.
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From page 146... ...
Notable examples this year include the studies of exchange biasing in ferro-/antiferromagnetic layers, which may have considerable impact on magnetic storage technology, and investigation of the kinetics of the setting and hardening of Portland cement, research supported by the Department of Transportation. NCNR Resources follows: Funding sources for the NIST Center for Neutron Research (in millions of dollars)
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From page 147... ...
Staffing for the NIST Center for Neutron Research currently includes 84 full-time permanent positions, of which 78 are for technical professionals. There are also 14 nonpermanent and supplemental personnel, such as postdoctoral fellows and part-time workers.
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From page 148... ...
Good progress has been made on the three new high-resolution spectrometers in the guide hall, and the beginning of the upgrades for the thermal neutron instruments is also commendable. The subpane} supports the planning that has been started on a new subthermal triple-axis spectrometer and on a versatile biological structure instrument, which would provide support for new competence in biological science.
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