Preface

This special volume contains papers presented at the 6th International Conference on the Formation of Semiconductor Interfaces (ICFSI-6) held in Cardiff, UK on 23-27 June 1997, hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wales Cardiff. The conference has previously been held in Marseille, France (1985), Takarazuka, Japan (1988), Rome, Italy (1991), Jiilich, Germany (1993) and Princeton, USA (1995). This series of conferences is aimed at providing a forum for state-of-art reviews of the various experimental and theoretical activities on the science of semiconductor interfaces.

The Conference concentrated on semiconductor surfaces and interfaces, epitaxial growth, growth and optical properties of quantum dots, strained layer systems, growth on patterned substrates, novel probes, scanning tunnelling microscopy and wide band gap semiconductors.

The Conference was attended by 191 scientists from 23 countries. A total of over 220 presentations were made, including 15 invited talks, 39 contributed talks and approximately 170 poster sessions. The quality of the oral and poster presentations was extremely high, and gave rise to many interesting and lively discussions.

It is interesting to see how the content of these Conferences has gradually evolved over the years. In the early Conferences of this series, the main interest was focussed on obtaining an understanding of the physical mechanisms determining the Schottky barrier and band-offsets at heterojunctions. The basic behaviour of these interfaces appears now to be well understood, although a number of details need to be resolved, and consequently work presented in this area has diminished. In recent Conferences, the research areas addressed have expanded considerably, with the introduction of many new areas, which will doubtlessly receive increased attention in following Conferences. A wider range of material systems is being studied, with much work being done on quantum well and superlattice structures and other material systems, such as GaN, due to their important applications in light-emitting diodes and lasers. The contribution of theoreticians has also seen a steady increase, and at this meeting there was a good and healthy balance between the theoretical and experimental studies.

Among the highlights of this meeting were the presentations on: wide-band gap semiconductors (particularly GaN); organic semiconductors; the application of the STM and its related technique of BEEM to the fabrication of nanodevices and high resolution studies on interface and surface structures; and the epitaxial growth of high quality strained layer structures. Much of the study in these areas is driven by technological application, but an understanding of the underlying physics remains the primary aim of our community. The quality of both the oral and poster presentations at this Conference, and the active participation of so many scientists from all over the world, demonstrates the continued need for the ICFSI meetings.

The next meeting in the series will be held at Chalmers University of Technology in G~3teborg, Sweden, chaired by Per-Olof Nilsson.

We wish to thank all those involved in ensuring the smooth running success of the conference in a friendly atmosphere. All the Organising, Programme and Advisory Committees contributed greatly to the success of the Conference. Particular thanks are due to the Conference Coordinator, Emyr Macdonald, and to Glenda Bland and her colleagues at Global Meeting Planning. Finally, we gratefully thank our financial sponsors, listed on page x who enabled this Conference to take place.

November 1997 Martin Elliott, Fernando Flores and Clarence Matthai