To The Overseas Members of MRS-J

■Material and Engineering Materials

Dr. Shoji TANAKA, General Director, Superconductivity Research Laboratory, Vice President, International Superconductivity Technology Center

"Material" is simply a scientific word, and it is different from materials for industrial usage : engineering materials, even though the compositions of the main part are the same. From discovery of a new material, it usually takes about 20 years to reach real applications. In this paper, a case of the high temperature superconducting material is quoted, and compared with the case of the transistor technology, which needed 25 years to reach DRAM and MPU. These must be good lessons for new materials which could be discovered in the future.

■Growth and Characterization of High Quality ZnO Epitaxial Films for Device Applications

Dr. Shigeru NIKI, Group Leader, Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Group, Photonics Research Institute and Thin Film Solar Cells Group, Energy Electronics Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

We have developed a new generation of optical and electronic material based upon oxide semiconductors in a collaborative work with ROHM Co. Ltd. As a result of the research efforts, the epitaxial growth of semiconductor-grade ZnO films on sapphire substrate has been achieved. The ZnO epitaxial films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy using high purity elemental zinc and an oxygen radical source (O*) as source materials. The ZnO epitaxial films with residual electron concentrations in the 1016 cm-3 range and carrier mobilities of more than 120cm2V-1s-1 have been demonstrated. This successful fabrication of high quality ZnO thin films will provide a technology base for many kinds of new optical and electronic devices.

■Power Electronics Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Dr. Kazuo ARAI, Director, Power Electronics Research Center

The 15 Laboratories of former Agency of Industrial Science and Technology in MITI have been reorganized since April 2001 to become National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Independent Administrative Organization) including 23 research centers with specified mission. Power Electronics Research Center (PERC) has been launched for the development of innovative power devices based on wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC and GaN and technology to application. The present status of 'R&D of Ultra-Low Loss Power Device Technologies' and the future plan of the center are presented.

■MRS-Japan Academic Symposium

The annual academic symposium and the annual business meeting of the MRS-J will be held from December 20 - 21, 2001, at the Kanagawa Science Park, Kanagawa-shi. The meeting includes 10 symposia. Proceddings will be published in the Transaction of the MRS-J.