2011 Chairman's Message

On behalf of the Symposium organizing committee, the IEEE Electron Devices Society, the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, and the Solid-State Circuits Society, we invite you to be a part of the 2011 IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (CSICS). This will be the 33rd year that the IEEE CSICS (originally GaAs IC Symposium) has been held.  We have chosen to locate this year’s Symposium at the beautiful Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii.    

 The CSIC Symposium has always been the top international forum on developments in integrated circuits using compound semiconductors such as GaAs, InP, GaN, SiGe and other III-V and II-VI materials. It also covers high-speed and high frequency silicon technologies such as SiGe and RF/mmw CMOS, which compete in the same applications as compound semiconductors.  It covers all aspects of the technologies, from material issues and device design and fabrication, to device modeling, through IC design and testing, high volume manufacturing, and system applications.

 The high-speed, low-noise, wideband, high power capabilities of compound semiconductors have allowed them to obtain a dominant position in personal communications, aerospace, defense, and the test and measurement equipment that supports those industries.  It is difficult to imagine that 32 years after the 1st GaAs IC Symposium that GaAs would be a mainstream commercialized semiconductor.  What started as an exotic, high-speed semiconductor for digital applications morphed into a major player in analog defense electronics and has now become a fully commercialized multi-billion dollar industry.  Along the way, government and corporate sponsorship enabled substantial research on GaAs and related III-V compounds that led to advances in materials growth, device characterization, device physics and higher levels of integration. As GaAs technology matured, other III-V material systems were explored in depth, as well as some advanced device structures.  As a result, the Symposium changed its name to IEEE Compound Semiconductor IC Symposium (CSICS) in 2004 to reflect the evolution of the III-V industry and the interests of its participants.

 There are several social events that allow our attendees to interact in a relaxed setting. These include the Sunday Evening Opening Reception, the Technology Exhibition Luncheon, and the Tuesday evening Theme Party.  This year’s Theme Party provides a classic Hawaiian Luau.  We also offer daily breakfast and AM/PM coffee breaks Monday through Wednesday.

 The IEEE CSICS will offer two short courses this year.  The first will be “Radar Fundamentals, Systems and Circuits” covering an important application for compound semiconductors.  The second will be “Stability Analysis for Microwave Circuit Design”, covering an analysis of critical importance for first pass success in IC designs. In addition, we offer our “Primer Course” on the basics of semiconductor ICs which is an excellent tutorial presented within the context of our Symposium technical program. All three courses will be offered on Sunday Oct. 16th, 2011.

Please join us on the “Crest of the Wave” for the latest in Compound Semiconductor IC’s!