The 1998 Spring meeting concluded with six symposia conducting sessions in the morning. Symposium H, Hydrogen in Semiconductors and Metals, had a series of talks on hydrogen in carbon and carbon-like materials. Carbon nanotubes are a very new material form, and Michael Heben of NREL discussed the effects of hydrogen in these nanotubes.The physical adsorption of hydrogen which can be stabilized within the nanotubes was studied and hydrogen storage densities were determined to be ~5-10 wt%, using TEM. Karen Rutledge (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) discussed hydrogen distribution and content in CVD Diamond films, studied using various characterization techniques.

A fully self-aligned amorphous silicon thin-film-transistor technology developed at Philips research labs (UK) for use as large area image sensors and active-matrix displays was described by C. Glasse in symposium A. Following that talk, Bohm (Universitat-GH Siegen, Germany) described image sensors using thin film optical detectors on top of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). This technology married together the very good photoelectric properties of amorphous silicon devices with the high performance of crystalline silicon integrated circuits. Several prototypes of imagers were discussed including future directions. Alan Howling (Switzerland) discussed dust particle disgnostics in RF plasmas used for the deposition of silicon and silicon oxide films. This is important for determining limits for particle free deposition. In addition, these plasmas can also be used to produce particles and nonometer range clusters useful in various applications.

The 1998 Spring meeting came to a successful conclusion. The range of symposia represented an eclectic selection of important and cutting-edge materials research, particularly for electronic materials. An example is symposium B on flat-pane display materials. It was clear that several new technologies will come into force in the very near future offering a choice in flat-panel displays and increasing their widespread usage. Symposium I on advanced interconnects similarly represented a snapshot of present interconnects technologies, including copper interconnects. Symposium CC on biomaterials and tissue engineering represents the increasing importance and interest in biomaterials and also included the Outstanding Young Investigator talk given by Anne Mayes on tailoring polymer surfaces for controlled cell behavior. The plenary talk was an exceedingly interesting one given by Volcanologist John Lockwood on volcanoes as a source of terrestrial materials and was very well received by the audience. Symposium X, with a special focus on Historical Themes in Semiconductor Materials and Devices, contained a good mix of talks ranging from historical perspectives to scientific and industrial developments of semiconductors. Overall, the meeting was a big success from a scientific standpoint again attesting to the popularity and acceptance of the format of MRS meetings, and the 1998 spring meeting chairs, John Emerson (Sandia), Ron Gibala (Univ. of Michigan), Caroline Ross (MIT) and Leo Schowalter (Rensselaer Polytechnic) must be commended for doing an outstanding job in this regard.