1. 1st International Symposium on Transparent Conducting Oxides, 22-26 October 2007, Heraklion, Greece [...details]

Deadline extented to August 30, 2006.

The range of topics selected to be included in the present symposium are listed below. They are not exclusive and have been proposed in order to be as broad as possible so as to provide a platform for a large number of contributions, maximizing the impact of this 1st multi-disciplinary focused symposium on Transparent Conductive Oxides.

• Fundamentals
  • TCOs and their structure
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Carrier dynamics
  • Electrical, mechanical and optical properties
  • Piezoelectric, magnetic and ferroelectic TCOs
• Fabrication, Processing, Characterization
  • Physical techniques (PLD, sputtering, etc)
  • Chemical techniques (CVD, PE-CVD, MOCVD, ACG, Spray pyrolysis, spin coating etc.)
  • Direct writing and pattering
  • New tools and equipment
• Applications
  • TCO sensors (environmental / food / medical)
  • TCO transparent electrodes and device fabrication
  • TCO photovoltaic devices
  • Protective and active coatings using TCOs
  • Wavelength-selective devices based on TCOs

2. FSRM courses:

• Course: Glass Microfabrication, September 4-5, 2006 in Lausanne, Switzerland [...details]

The course aims to give the attendants a basic knowledge about the different existing techniques for the microfabrication of glass. Starting from the microscopic mechanisms which are at the basis of glass micromachining, one will describe the processes to realize glass microstructures. Besides various etching techniques, replication of glass from liquid precursor materials using moulding techniques will be discussed, as well as techniques for the bonding of glass. A number of applications of glass microstructures will be discussed.

Content:

- Glass as a material
- Microstructuring techniques for glass: Wet etching, dry etching, ultrasonic machining, Electrical Discharge Machining, laser structuring, powder blasting, photosensitive glass
- Replication of glass microstructures: The sol-gel process (spin-on-glass), photosensitive spin-on-glass, the replication process
- Bonding of glass: Anodic bonding, fusion bonding, pressure-assisted bonding, chemical bonding, glass-metal bonding
- Applications of glass microstructures

• Course: CMOS Image Sensors, September 7-8, 2006 in Zurich, Switzerland [...details]

The course aims to give the attendants a basic knowledge about the state of the art of CMOS image sensors. In the first part of the course, the main accent will be placed on the fundamentals of the imaging function : starting from the basics of the photodiode and photogate (in which the incoming photons are converted into electrons), till the digital signal out (being the actual video output of the sensor), the complete image sensing process will be covered. Part of the course will be taught by means of hands-on exercises.

Content:

- Basics of photon sensing by means of a photodiode and a photogate
- Image sensors characteristics
- Differences between CMOS image sensors and CCD devices
- Artefacts of CMOS imagers
- Compromises on specifications
- Reading and understanding a specification sheet
- How to measure the characteristics of CMOS imagers

Registration deadline: Thursday, August 31.

• Course: Lithography and Electroplating for Microfabrication, September 19-20, 2006 [...details]

The course emphasizes the lithographic and electroplating techniques used for the production of micro parts. Following an introduction to fundamentals, technologies, and equipment, the advantages and limitations for some process steps as well as for special process lines and applications are discussed in detail. After the course, the participants will be able to select the adequate lithographic and electroplating techniques for typical processes and devices and will have some ideas for improving existing processes.

Content:

• Lithography for microfabrication:
  overview and applications;
  fundamentals : physics and chemistry (imaging, characteristic curve, contrast and sensitivity, resolution);
  technology and equipment for photolithography (masks, resist coating, including spinning and spraying), exposure, development, stripping, alignment, including double sided alignment);
  photoresist systems : chemistry, processes, applications, devices for important resists (such as novolak-based, expoxy-based (SU-8), polyimide-based resists, PMMA)
• Electroplating for microfabrication:
  overview and applications;
  electrochemical fundamentals, technology and equipment (e.g. Nickel, Gold)
• Some typical process lines: lithography – electroplating
• Concentration on special topics (group work):
  depending on participants (e.g. novolak-based-resists, SU-8, X-ray-lithography, photolithography, LIGA-process lines (UV-, X-ray, E-beam-

Registration deadline: Monday, September 11.