Microprocessor development has evolved from low volume specialty products to high volume process drivers. The requirements of microprocessor technology are unique from other high volume semiconductor products (multilevel metal, high pin count, power requirements, design tools, compatibility, etc.). These requirements have necessitated new and different techniques for technology development and manufacturing capability. This presentation will trace the history of microprocessor development, stress the current differences between microprocessor and other volume semiconductor products and project future trends for this important product.

The paper considers bargaining between a trade union and a firm, with a fixed time horizon. If an agreement is reached initially, then the contract is for the full time horizon. If no agreement is reached, then there is a stoppage of a fixed lenght after which negotiations start again. After renegotiation, if an agreement is reached, then the contract is for the length of the time horizon minus the stoppage period, but otherwise, the firm is disbanded. A solution is given for this two-stage game and its generalizations, using the concept of Nash solution and ‘working backwards’.

We investigate the structure of fuzzy aggregation rules which, for every permissible profile of individual preferences, specify a fuzzy social ordering. It is shown that all fuzzy aggregation rules which have non-narrow domains and which satisfy the fuzzy counterparts of independence of irrelevant alternatives and Pareto criterion are characterized by a distribution of 'veto' power which would be generally considered undesirable.

The effects of environment and grain size on the steady-state creep and creep rupture properties of a Ni-6 pct W solid solution are examined by testing in vacuum and commercial purity argon at 5000 psi and 900�C. The steady-state creep rate is found to decrease with increasing grain size at small grain sizes, both in vacuum and argon, owing to the effects of grain boundary sliding. At large grain sizes the creep rate is independent of grain size in vacuum and increases with grain size in argon. It is suggested that the increase in creep rate with increasing grain size is associated with fact that large-grained samples tested in argon do not reach steady-state before rupture occurs.