9603429 Melngailis This award supports the participation of American scientists/engineers in a U.S.-Japan seminar on Formation of Ion Nanobeams and Applications to Materials Processing to be held in Nara, Japan from November 16-21, 1997. The co- organizers are Professors John Malngailis of the University of Maryland and Kenji Gamo of Osaka University in Japan. This seminar will address a broad range of topics related to ion beams and their application to materials processing, including ion sources and optics, ion beam irradiation effects, nanofabrication, application of focused ion beams to maskless device processing, and the use of ion beams for microanalysis. %%% Focused ion beams are now widely used in the integrated circuits industry for precisely sectioning individual components in integrated circuits during failure analysis, for rewiring integrated circuits during the prototyping phase, and for repair of masks. As minimum dimensions in integrated circuits shrink, significant advances will be needed for ion microbeams to continue to serve these functions. In addition, present research may lead to new applications in micromachining and semiconductor devise fabrication. The main practical developments in the area of finely focused ion beams have occurred in the United States and Japan. This seminar brings together researchers from both universities and industry. The exchange of ideas and data with Japanese experts in this field will enable U.S. participants to advance their own work, and will set the stage for future collaborative projects. ***
