PREFACE

The rapid development of electronics in the last quartet of the previous century is taken for granted by modern humans.
This is more comprehensible to the professionals of the sector, to the students of electronics schools and of course to their tutors. What is not fully comprehensible, even by a portion of the experts is the growth rate of the science and technology of electronics. The realization of three major reasons led to completing this text.
First, the knowledge achieved from the era of the triode (1906) until 1985 worldwide in the electronics sector, was equally produced from 1985 until 1990. That is something unfamiliar in the history of sciences and indicates the hard to understand growth rate of electronics.
The theoretical knowledge in every sector of science is necessary; its implementation though, in order to be successful, requires the corresponding know-how. In electronics, this task is assumed by the “technology of electronic components”. The need for a modern “technology” is obvious. This text aspires to offer towards this direction.
This volume covers the passive components and if you just skim the material, you will be crabbed, as it describes “many” topics and some of them are perhaps unnecessary. It’s also a fact that despite the development of electronics nowadays, in 1993 almost 70% of electronic components in use worldwide were passive. This is the second reason, which may surprise even the experts, in anticipation for an inverted relationship between passive and active components.
The third and last reason is their presentation by the Greek –at least- bibliography. There are for instance components which were introduced in 1976 in the market universally and after 20 years they are quite unknown. Not one book is covering those.
There has been made great attempts to update this book with the most newly introduced components which are manufactured by all companies. It addresses to students of electronics of all stages and to professionals as it is a useful tool.
Students or their tutors who is meant to teach this course, is provided with the ability to adjust the context according to the needs and the curriculum of each stage.
Diagrams, pictures of many components, even of variations and tables of elements were considered essential for their complete presentation and are included.
I would like to acknowledge now whoever helped in the achievement of this text: SEMICON, Mr. M. Voutsinos of POULIADIS & ASSOCIATES, Mr. G. Raktivan of PHILIPS HELLAS S.A., Mr. A. Pagonis and especially the publisher, Mr. G. Papasotiriou for the trust he showed.