Electronics and Materials Processing Division

The Electronics and Materials Processing Division (EMPD) was founded in 1978  after a proposal to the Board of Directors by Charlie Duke and Bill Spicer. 

Charlie Duke recalled the formation of EMPD. 

“Charlie was to become president of the AVS the following year and the formation of the EMPD was the initial action in his initiative to bring electronics materials processing into the AVS in order to make the AVS the home of the basic science underlying the microelectronics industry, as described in his president's address [C. B. Duke, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 17, 1 (1980)]. Bill Spicer was appointed the first chair in August, 1978 and served through 1979. The division commenced operation in 1979 with an emphasis on sponsoring topical conferences on electronic materials and devices.  By 1980 it already was negotiating sponsorship of conferences on High-Speed Digital Technologies, Optical Characterization of Thin Films, The Physics of Compound Semiconductor Interfaces ("PCSI"), Ion, Photon and Electron Beans ("Three Beams"), HgCdTe,  and the MBE workshop.  At its inception, it had 715 charter members, tied with the Vacuum Technology Division  to be the second largest division in the AVS, after the Thin Film Division which had over 900 members.” 

The Division also sponsored a number of other conferences, including the “International Topical Conference on the Physics of MOS Insulators” and the “2^nd Int Conference on Bubble Memory Materials and Processes” in 1981. 

The Division provided travel support for students to present papers at the 1984 National Symposium.

Up to date information is provided by the Division’s web page, which states: 

“The Electronic Materials and Processing Division (EMPD) serves as a bridge between basic science and technology to further the understanding of all aspects of electronic, optical, and magnetic materials, including their synthesis, processing, characterization and application.  

Common themes include in-situ process control, process chemistry and physics, nucleation, growth, epitaxy, and materials and device issues in micro- through macro-opto electronics.” 

The Division Chairs were:

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