Aiming at a BreakthroughPresent and Future Views of the Division ofMaterials Science and Crystal Technology
Yoshihisa FUJISAKIChief, Division of Materials Science and Crystal Technology
Japan Society of Applied Physics
To grow large, highly pure single crystals has
been the dream of human beings since the Egyptian era. Of course in ancient times, the technology primarily focused on jewelry. Today, we still
appreciate beauty, just as scientists did long ago.
People who are involved in the Materials Science and Crystal Technology(MSCT) division, in particular, will never forget the dream and will always
be fascinated by the beauty of crystals.
The MSCT division originated in 1956 from a small research groupcalled the Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate (ADP) society. Therefore,MSCT has developed of the course of about 50 years. In 1970, MSCT wasofficially approved as a division of the Japan Society of Applied Physics(JSAP). The MSCT division started with about 100 members. At that time,the main focus was on the growth of LiNbO3, GMO, and garnets. In otherwords, we grew new oxide crystals using the Czochralski method and often discussed their optical and/or magnetic properties. Today, the MSCT division is an organization with 550 members.
The most impressive thing that happened during the past 35 years was
the wide and rapid development of electronics, in terms of both technology and business field. Crystal growth technologies have supported thisdynamic movement by advancing the technologies required to grow large
and defect-free bulk crystals. In the 1970s, the diameter of defect-free Sibulk crystals was only 4 inches, but today we can produce crystals of up
to 12 inches. As a result, senior members who joined MSCT at the beginning remain interested in these bulk growth technologies. Now, modern
semiconductor devices are manufactured by using a variety of materials
and technologies. In particular, thin films and the techniques to manipulate ultra-thin films have become increasingly important. Initially, many of
our younger members tend to be more interested in thin films and epitaxial
technologies. However, through the activities of MSCT, many of them havebegun to take more of an interest in bulk materials.
The MSCT division holds five meetings a year, mainly for members
though nonmembers can take part as well. In addition to these meetings, we hold one or two symposiums in conjunction with the JSAP annualmeetings. The symposiums are open to all participants in the JSAP meetings.
The most unique and important point of all these meetings is theMSCT school, which attracts and encourages developing engineers andscientists. It is a two-day seminar that includes 11 lectures, and more than
100 young people participate in it every year. The themes of the lectures
include basic theories for crystal growth, X-ray analysis, electron diffraction, reciprocal lattice space, Fourier analysis, epitaxial growth, band theory,the optical and electrical evaluation of crystals, and so forth. Some of theselectures are followed by exercises that help the participants to understandthem.
We have another tutorial program, called the “MSCT seminar”, that
includes more application-oriented talks. This year, we held a seminar entitled “How to Choose Analytical Techniques Suitable for Solving Your
Problem”. In the seminar, we will first give some basic technological back-ground, followed by some actual applications of the techniques.
We will also hold two meetings for particularly hot topics, in both theTokyo and Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto) areas. This year the themes were; “ZnOfor Semiconductor Applications” (Tokyo) and “Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for Power Devices, from Bulk Crystals to Device Technologies” (Kyoto).
To explore the next generation key technologies related to crystal andmaterials science, we have also planned a short (half-day) meeting during
the Christmas season. This will be held after a famous lecture by Michael
Faraday entitled “The Chemical History of a Candle” (1860). This year, thetheme of this Christmas meeting, to be held in Yokohama, is “Science in
Cosmetic Nano-Crystals.”
At the same site as the JSAP spring meetings, we will have a luncheon
meeting to report our annual activities and balance the MSCT members’
budget. We typically invite special speakers, who describe unique applications of crystals. This year, Professor N. Takahashi of Shizuoka University
gave a talk entitled “Bonsai Crystals: Nano-Flowers Made by InN Crystals”
in Tokyo.
In addition to these meetings, we publish a journal called the “CrystalLetters”. We publish and deliver three newsletters to MSCT members eachyear. These newsletters include, technical papers, meeting reports, laboratory introductions, technical notes, and a reader comment called “CoffeeBreak”.
We are now planning to have a 50th anniversary meeting in December 2005. We would like to invite all of our colleagues who are interested
in crystal technologies and materials science to the meeting. We will also
publish a special commemorative issue of Crystal Letters, in which we will
review the history and development of the MSCT division. Soon, we willcall for papers related to the memorable events that have happened during
the past 50 years, such as the development of bulk growth technologies,
epitaxial technologies, device technologies, evaluation technologies, simulations, and so on.
At present, all MSCT activities are organized by 19 MSCT members
forming the management staff. Needless to say, the huge amount of planning and organization required to efficiently run MSCT would be impossible without the dedication and hard work of these people. As mentioned
earlier, we still have a great deal of work to do in preparation for the 50th
anniversary events scheduled for next year. Therefore, we plan to add two
additional staff members to our management team. We would appreciate
the understanding and cooperation of all MSCT members in accomplishing
this. We would also like to thank all of our members for their help and support over this past year.
In the future, materials science and crystal technologies will become
more and more important, especially for nano-technologies and the biochemical fields. In these areas, the symmetry of nano-scale materials will
be required to develop new functions and applications, which will impact
both electronic and non-electronic devices. We would like to be prepared
for these new demands through our meetings and discussions. We greatly
appreciate help, advice and comments from all members and researchers
who are interested in materials and crystals.

JSAP International No.11 (January 2005)

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