The year 1992 is very special for Spain: 500 years have passed since the discovery of the American continent. That discovery helped make Spain the most powerful country in the world in the 16th century. In time, though, Spain lost its influence to England, and materials processing played a surprising role in this transfer. It has been shown that one of the main reasons Spain's “Invincible Armada” was defeated by the English Navy was that the Spanish ships used faulty cannon balls. The balls were of such poor quality that, once fired, they disintegrated before they could damage enemy warships. Faulty material technology—low compactness or degree of sintering—caused the disintegration.

As we approach the 21st century, the Spanish scientific community has reached a high level of expertise in materials science. A decade ago, Spain's R&D activities were poorly funded and research was carried out without the necessary infrastructure. In 1986, the government established a national R&D strategy which included a dedicated Program for New Materials. In addition, the Regional Communities (Autonomias) have reinforced these nationally planned and funded R&D activities. And as a member of the European Community (EC), Spain has also begun integration into European R&D. After three years, Spanish scientists are already achieving success in the Brite/Euram Program at a level comparable to more scientifically and technologically advanced countries. Figure 1 shows the Spanish government's total R&D budget in materials science from 1985 to 1991, and additions from the EC since 1989. Clearly, financial support for materials science has increased dramatically in the last few years.

The Spanish National Microelectronics Center (Centra Nacional de Microelectrónica or CNM), a nonprofit R&D institute, was established in 1985 through the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Science (Ministry of Education) and the General Directorate of Electronics and Computer Science (Ministry of Industry and Energy).

As a scientific research center, the CNM belongs to the Spanish Science Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifícas, CSIC), but differs from other CSIC centers in two ways. CNM is a direct spinoff of a nationwide scientific and technological research program (Programa Nacional de Microelectrónica), and it has its own board of trustees with representatives from different ministries (Education, Industry and Energy, Defense, and Communications); from the local governments of Catalonia, Andalusia, and Madrid; and from microelectronics-related industries.

CNM's activities are channeled toward promoting microelectronics in Spain through scientific and technological research on the design and fabrication of integrated circuits, electronic devices, and related materials, while providing technological support for industry and university research groups. The global objectives are as follows:

∎ Establishment of stable quasi-industrial technologies in technological niches that permit good interaction between CNM and industry. Among those niches, fixed by Spain's national industrial policy, are application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), power devices, semiconductor sensors, and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technologies and associated devices.

∎ Startup of precise technological processes or new IC design techniques through cooperative research projects with industry and/or university groups that involve carrying out research and technology development tasks, renewing established technologies, and the continuing training of researchers.