ICDS-24

The 24th International Conference on Defects in Semiconductors (ICDS-24) will be held July 22-27, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. . A tutorial day will be held on Saturday, July 21. The Conference will begin with a welcome reception on Sunday, July 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, followed by a special session featuring lectures by David Lang and Manuel Cardona. Technical sessions will be held Monday, July 23 through Friday, July 27. The official language of the Conference will be English. The Conference is open to the public; advance registration is encouraged.

Conferences in this series are currently scheduled every two years. Their goal is to provide a forum where researchers studying defects in semiconductors can share their most recent findings with colleagues and thereby advance understanding in this technologically and scientifically important field. For those considering whether or not to attend, we recommend consulting proceedings from the past three conferences in Physica B: Condensed Matter; vols. 308-310 (2001), 340-342 (2003), and 376-377 (2005).

To secure IUPAP sponsorship, the organizers have provided assurances that ICDS-24 will be conducted in accordance with IUPAP principles, as stated in the ICSU-Document "Universality of Science" (sixth edition, 1989), regarding the free circulation of scientists for international purposes. In particular, no bona fide scientist will be excluded from participation on the grounds of national origin, nationality, or political considerations unrelated to science.

The scope of ICDS-24 will include basic and applied research on point and extended defects, dopants, shallow and deep impurities including magnetic impurities in bulk materials as well as defects in organic semiconductors, low-dimensional and nanoscale structures, and oxide layers. Materials of current interest include, but are not limited to, group-IV semiconductors: c-C, Si, Ge, SiC, SiGe, and their alloys; III-V semiconductors including GaP, GaAs, as well as the III-nitrides: AlN, GaN, InN, and alloys; II-VI semiconductors such as ZnO; organic and magnetic semiconductors. Scientists studying defects in these materials are encouraged to attend and discuss their most recent findings with their colleagues.

Since Albuquerque was established in 1706 as a Spanish settlement along the Camino Real (del Tierra Adentro), it has grown to become the largest city in New Mexico with a population of over 550,000. Located in the Southwestern section of the United States at an elevation of about 5000 ft (1500 m) above sea level, the climate of Albuquerque is arid, with average high and low temperatures in July of 92°F (33°C) and 65°F (18°C), respectively. There are numerous interesting places to visit near Albuquerque, including archaeological sites, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the Rio Grande Zoological Park, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the Albuquerque Museum, and the capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe.   The Hyatt Regency Hotel is located in downtown Albuquerque. There are many restaurants within walking distance of the Hyatt and the original Spanish settlement (Old Town) is located approximately two miles (3 km) from the Hyatt.

The Conference begins with a welcome reception on Sunday, July 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Hors d'oeuvres and alcoholic beverages* will be served. The reception will be followed by a special session (8:00 to ~9:30 pm) featuring lectures by David Lang and Manuel Cardona.

There will be 6 plenary, 20 invited, and 48 contributed talks. The length of the talks (+ time allotted for questions and discussion) will be as follows:
            Plenary       40 minutes (+5)
            Invited       30 minutes (+5)
            Contributed       20 minutes (+5)
We urge the speakers to time their presentations accordingly.

There will be three poster sessions, each lasting three hours. They are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons. Each session includes up to 65 posters (plus 6 Corbett Award finalists).

Standard overhead projectors and (Microsoft-Windows) computers connected to LCD projectors will be available for use when giving oral presentations. The computers will have Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Reader software. Presenters who wish to use the computer /LCD projector should bring their presentation on either a memory stick or a CD/DVD, and provide this to the computer support technician before the beginning of their session. Presenters may also connect their own laptop computers to the LCD projector.

The space for posters will measure 4 ft (122 cm) high by 8 ft (244 cm) wide. Posters may be put up on the morning of the session and should be removed by the end of that day

Abstracts were due on or before April 1, 2007.   Late abstracts should be submitted by email to stefan.estreicher@ttu.edu in accordance with this Microsoft Word template , and upon acceptance will be added to a poster session.

The procedure used for submission of abstracts for the Corbett Award is described in a separate section.

As indicated above, ICDS-24 is organizing a tutorial day on Saturday, July 21. The objective is to give students and newcomers to the field a chance to attend a series of introductory lectures on key topical areas given by experts in the field. Except for costs associated with lodging, participation in the tutorial day is free for students and young or new scientists who have registered and paid their registration fees for ICDS-24. The number of participants is limited to 50. Coffee breaks, lunch, and dinner on Saturday will be provided. The program of the Tutorial Day will be as follows:

The Corbett Award will recognize one (or two) outstanding young researchers at ICDS-24. It consists of a certificate signed by the Conference Chairs and a check for U.S. $500. The Award is named in memory of James W. Corbett, one of the pioneers in the field of defects in semiconductors, who always helped and encouraged young researchers. The candidates must be less than 35 years of age on the first day of the conference. They must be the main contributors to the research presented on their posters, in terms of ideas and actual execution of the research. Please click here to see the details of the competition and the award.

Conference proceedings will be published and the manuscripts will be refereed during the conference. The manuscripts are expected to include some new (unpublished) material, even if this material consists of preliminary results. Manuscripts that simply reproduce, review, or summarize previously published results will not be given serious consideration unless a review has been explicitly requested by the Editors. The conference proceedings will be published as a special issue of Physica B:Condensed Matter. The Guest Editors will be S.K. Estreicher, M.W. Holtz, C.H. Seager and A.F. Wright.   Please click here for full information concerning Manuscripts and Proceedings.

The Hyatt Hotel will have available a limited number of rooms on the nights of Friday July 20^th and Saturday July 21^st.   It will provide 250 rooms on the nights of Sunday July 22^nd through Thursday July 26^th. The price per room will be $70 plus tax, for single or double occupancy, a remarkably low price for a four-star hotel. Although there are numerous other hotels in the area, we found no comparable price/quality ratio. We encourage all the participants to ICDS24 to take advantage of this unusual offer. Reservations should be made by the participants directly to the Hotel.

For such reservations, please go to http://albuquerque.hyatt.com/groupbooking/albuqdfsc2007 on the internet, or telephone to 505-842-1234 from within the USA or to +1-800-633-7313 from outside the USA.

We encourage the participants to make their Hyatt Hotel reservations as early as possible, since the number of rooms at the conference rate is limited. The deadline for obtaining the conference rate is June 21, 2007, regardless of the occupancy at the time.

U.S. and New Mexico laws define the minimum legal drinking age to be 21, and this law will be enforced for U.S. as well as for non-U.S. citizens. In the Hyatt Regency Hotel, non-U.S. citizens will need to have their passports available to verify their age. Alcohol that is served in the Hotel may not be taken outside. Alcohol is not permitted anywhere on the campus of the University of New Mexico, including in the dormitories.

Neither the organizers, not Texas Tech University, nor Sandia National Laboratories are responsibile for injury or damage involving persons or property during the conference. The participants are expected to have their own health insurance.

Several banks are within walking distance from the conference headquarters, with opening hours Monday-Friday 9:30-4:00. However, few banks in the U.S. provide on-site foreign currency exchange as they do in Europe for example. Foreign currency exchange is best handled at airports in the international departure and arrival areas.

Albuquerque is served by the Albuquerque International Sunport located approximately five miles (8 km) from the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Transportation to and from the airport is available by rental car, taxi service, or shuttle service.

Most major U.S. car rental agencies operate at the airport and their representatives are located on the lower level of the airport, across from the baggage claim area.

Taxi service is available on the lower level of the airport, outside the baggage claim area. The fare for a one-way taxi ride between the airport and the hotel is approximately $16 for the first passenger and $1 for each additional passenger sharing the taxi. For reservations, call the Albuquerque Cab Company at 505-883-4888. In order to receive that rate, you must mention ICDS-24 when making your reservation; otherwise the rate will be higher.

Shuttle service is available from either Airport Shuttle or Sunport Shuttle . The fare for a one-way trip from the airport to the hotel is $12 per person and $22 per person round trip. If conference attendees are traveling together, the fare is $12 for the first person and $5 for each additional person. In the event that round-trip tickets are purchased, the same people must travel together both ways. To make a reservation, either call 505-765-1234 or send an email to airportshuttlenm@aol.com . When emailing, you will receive a confirmation with instructions on where to meet the shuttle and how to check in. Sunport Shuttle: The fare for a one-way trip from the airport to the hotel is $9 per person and $16 per person round trip. In the event, conference attendees are traveling together, the rate is $9 for the first person ($16 round-trip) and $5 each way for each additional person. The same people must travel together both ways. To make your reservation, call 505-883-4966 or 866-505-4966 (24-hour advance notice), or send an email to reservations@sunportshuttle.com (72 hour advance notice). You can also fax your reservations to 505-883-3243. Visit the Sunport Shuttle web site for the reservation form. You will check in at the Sunport Shuttle Check-in Counter located on the baggage claim level inside the airport across from Baggage Carousel #3 to receive your ticket. In order to receive this rate, you must mention ICDS-24 when making your reservation; otherwise the rate will be higher.

Citizens from the 27 Visa Waiver Program countries can enter the U.S. without a visa provided that they have a machine-readable passport. Otherwise, a non-immigrant visa is required. A visa is also required for citizens of countries which do not have a Visa Waiver Program. Obtaining a visa can take several months. We urge foreign participants to review your visa status and find out if you need a U.S. visa or a renewal. If so, you need to plan for an interview at the Embassy or Consulate, which normally includes a quick fingerprint scan. Upon request, the Secretary of ICDS24 (icds24@sandia.gov) will send you a letter of ‘invitation to participate’ at the conference. This invitation is meant to help with visa application, but it is not a commitment from the organizers to provide financial support or acceptance of an abstract. Note that ICDS24 is registered with the U.S. Department of State. The list of registered meetings is shared with the DoS Visa Services and disseminated to U.S. consular officers worldwide.

Up-to-date information on the Visa Waiver Program, visa classifications, and wait times is at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/temp_1305.html Additional information on international visitors attending scientific conferences in the U.S.A. is provided by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/index.html

An (optional) excursion for attendees and accompanying persons is planned for the afternoon of Wednesday, July 25th. The fee is U.S.$58.00 per person. Three options are offered:
      1. Santa Fe via The Turquoise Trail .
      2. The Gran Quivira site at The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument . This replaces the "Acoma Pueblo" excursion previously listed.
      3. Los Alamos and The Bandelier National Monument .
Details about each excursion are given at the "Destination-SouthWest" web site below. Persons wishing to participate in an excursion should reserve space early, since seating for some of the tours may be limited.

To reserve your excursion place, go to http://www.destinationsouthwest.com, click on "Registrations", then on "ICDS - 24 TOUR REGISTRATION". Reservations and payment must be made directly on that site.

The Accompanying Persons Program will include admission to the Opening Reception and the Conference Banquet; lunches on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; a conference handbag; and afternoon excursions on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

The Monday excursion will consist of a trip to Old Town, Albuquerque on the Old Town Trolley . A volunteer tour guide will be available to speak about the history of Old Town and assist persons in purchasing jewelry from Native American artisans.

The Tuesday excursion will consist of a trip to Old Town, Albuquerque on the Old Town Trolley . and visits to any of four museums located nearby: the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum , the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science the Albuquerque Museum, and the National Atomic Museum .

The Thursday excursion will consist of a ride up the Sandia Peak Tramway and sightseeing or short hikes at the Sandia Peak. Note that the Sandia Peak is about 10500 feet (4960 m) above sea level. People with respiratory problems should not take this excursion. It is recommended that persons make use of sun protection, wear suitable footwear if they intend to hike, and bring a sweater or coat since it can be cold even in the Summer.