Introduction

This conference was part of the SPIE's 2001 Symposium on Micro/MEMS, held at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, Adelaide, Australia on December 17-19, 2001. Three other parallel conferences were held as part of this symposium: (i) BioMEMS and Smart Nanostructures (ii) Electronics and Structures for MEMS and (iii) Design, Characterization and Packaging for MEMS and Microelectronics.

The papers represent some of the latest research issues in device and process technologies for MEMS and microelectronics. The topics broadly cover material, processing, device, system application and reliability issues, with focuses on fabrication and process technologies. It was a pleasure to see a wide range of papers, not only on advanced fabrication techniques and device architectures, but also on practical applications and system impacts.

In order to comply with the requirements of some institutions, the authors were able to have their manuscripts reviewed by the international technical committee. Review was judged on the basis of originality, substance, technical quality and significance.

Authors were invited to submit extended papers to the IOP's Smart Materials and Structures Journal to be published in a special issue that will appear later in 2002.

A big thanks is due to the Symposium Chairs, Derek Abbott (Adelaide University, Australia) and Vijay K. Varadan (Pennsylvania State University, USA), for their splendid work. Special appreciation goes to Co-Chairs Lorenzo Faraone, (University of Western Australia, Australia), Barry Harrison, (Griffith University, Australia), Andrei Shkel (University of California – Irvine, USA), and the Program Committee for their wonderful support and labors.

Finally, our appreciation must go to the authors for sharing their work, the attendees for their stimulating questions, and both the authors and attendees for their enthusiasm. The resulting interaction made this a most productive and enjoyable conference.

Jung-Chih Chiao (University of Hawaii – Manoa; Chorum Technologies)