Edison 16

Abstract

On behalf of the organizing committee we welcome all participants to the 16thInternational Conference on Electron Dynamics In Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Nanostructures (EDISON).Since the first meeting, organized in 1973 in Modena (Italy), this internationalconference has been regularly organized mostly each two years, and after 28 yearsEDISON is back to Montpellier for its 16th edition.This conference was previously known as ‘Hot Carriers In Semiconductors’(HCIS). For some years the name was changed into ‘Nonequilibrium Carrier Dynamics in Semiconductors’ (keeping the acronym HCIS). Then, during the lastmeeting of the international advisory committee in Tokyo, the decision was takento find a new denomination that should be more adapted to the latest evolutions inthe domains covered by the conference. After several discussions and a vote withinthe committee, the new acronym of EDISON was chosen. Therefore EDISON 16can be considered as the last of a long series of conferences and, at the same time,the first of a new cycle of conferences.The primary focus of EDISON is to provide an international meeting place todiscuss the latest progress in the field of nonequilibrium classical and quantumcarrier dynamics, from semiconductor bulk materials up to advanced structuresand nanometric devices. This includes: classical incoherent transport, as well ascoherent transport, usually analyzed by means of ultrafast electrical and opticalexcitations. To accompany the newest developments, TeraHertz phenomena, witha special attention to quantum cascade lasers, have been added to the list of topics. More recently new subjects have been included such as spintronics, transportin organic materials, graphene and carbon nanotubes. This list of topics is regularly modified and updated at each edition of the conference to represent but alsoanticipate the latest scientific evolutions.The distinctive features of EDISON are: A long-lasting history of 36 years. A fruitful interplay between fundamental and applied science due to a balanced participation of physicists and engineers. Emphasis is put on the physics of future devices rather than on the optimization of existing devices. A balance between theoretical and experimental contributions characterizesthe scientific program. The scientific and advisory committees are composed by well-recognized scientists. This year the scientific program was composed by more than 200 contributionsdivided into 60 oral presentations and 2 poster sessions. To keep a high scientificlevel, two independent referees have reviewed all submitted abstracts. We arehappy to have drawn attendance from more than 30 different countries.We hope that EDISON 16 has been an excellent opportunity for you to meetwith colleagues from all over the world in an informal atmosphere, create an opportunity for networking, sharing of scientific and technical information and thebuilding of trust relationships internationally.Luca Varani Christophe Palermo Gérald Bastard EDITORS