American Vacuum Society

Dates

June 24, 1953 – present

Authorized Form of Name

Additional Forms of Names

AVS

AVS, the Science and Technology Society

Institutional History

Abstract

A professional society formed in 1953 to promote communication among people interested in high vacuum technology through symposia and publications. Originally formed as the Committee on Vacuum Techniques and mandated to initiate a symposium and develop programs for education and recommend standards. Name changed at 1957 symposium to American Vacuum Society, the society became an affiliate member of the American Institute of Physics in 1963, and a full member in 1976.

Past Presidents

1953-54, Joseph B. Merrill.

1954-55, Rudy A. Koehler.

1955-56, John R. Bowman.

1956-57, Andrew Guthrie.

1957-58, Medard W. Welch.

1958-59, A. John Gale.

1959-60, Wilfrid G. Matheson.

1960-61, Benjamin B. Dayton.

1961-62, Luther E. Preuss.

1962-63, Donald J. Santeler.

1963-64, Charles H. Bachman.

1964-65, George H. Bancroft.

1965-66, Hans A. Steinherz.

1966-67, Hubert W. Schleuning.

1967-68, Paul A. Redhead.

1968-69, James M. Lafferty.

1969-70, William J. Lange.

1970-71, Rointan F. Bunshah.

1971-72, Daniel G. Bills.

1973, Maurice H. Francombe.

1974, Dorothy M. Hoffman.

1975, Lewis W. Hull.

1976, N. Rey Whetten.

1977, Richard W. Hoffman.

1978, Leonard C. Beavis.

1979, Charles B. Duke.

1980, John L. Vossen.

1981, Theodore E. Madey.

1982, John A. Thornton.

1983, John R. Arthur.

1984, Edward N. Sickafus.

1985, Donald M. Mattox.

1986, Jack H. Singleton.

1987, Paul H. Holoway.

1988, John W. Coburn.

1989, Joseph E. Greene.

1990, David W. Hoffman.

1991, Lawrence L. Kazmerski.

1992, James S. Murday.

1993, H. Frederick Dylla.

1994, John R. Noonan.

1995, John H. Weaver.

1996, William D. Sproul.

1997, Gary E. McGuire.

1998, Jerry M. Woodall.

1999, Stephen M. Rossnagel.

2000, Paula J. Grunthaner.

2001, Bruce Sartwell.

2002, Rudolf Ludeke.

2003, Dawn A. Bonnell.

2004, Robert A. Childs.

2005, David Aspnes.

2006, Christie R. K. Marrian.

2007, Neal D. Shinn.

2008, John N. Russell.

2009, Gregory J. Exarhos.

2010, David G. Castner.

2011, Angus A. Rockett.

2012, Alison A. Baski.

2013, Susan B. Sinnott.

2014, Steven M. George.

2015, Ivan G. Petrov.

Important Dates

June 18, 1953Fifty-six people of diverse technical backgrounds gathered to consider the need for a forum on vacuum technology, New York (N.Y.).

June 24, 1953Committee on Vacuum Techniques was formally organized, New York (N.Y.).

1954 – 1963Transactions of the annual symposia published.

June 16, 1954 – June 18, 1954First symposium was held and attended by 295 registrants.

1957Membership changed the name to the American Vacuum Society, Inc.

1961Vacuum Metallurgy division was organized.

1961Revised Constitution and By-Laws were addopted establishing current procedures.

1962First regional chapter created, the Pacific Northwest section.

1963Became affiliate member of the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

1964Thin Films division was organized.

1965Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology first published.

1967Moved headquarters from Boston to the American Institute of Physics (AIP) building, New York (N.Y.).

1968First short course presented at an annual meeting in conjunction with the Instrument Society of America.

1968Surface Science division was organized.

1969Medard W. Welch Award established to recognize and encourage outstanding research in the fields of interest to AVS.

1970Vacuum Technology division was organized.

1976Became Member Society of the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

1977Gaede-Langmuir Award established to recognize and encourage outstanding discoveries and inventions in the sciences and technologies of interest to AVS.

1979Peter Mark Memorial Award established to recognize outstanding theoretical or experimental work by a young scientist or engineer.

1979Electronic Materials and Processing division was organized.

1980Fusion Technology division was organized.

1983Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology split into two sections: A - devoted to Vacuum, Surfaces and Films, and B - devoted to Microelectronics, Processing and Phenomena.

1985AVS Conference Series began to be published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP).

1985Applied Surface Science division was organized.

1986Fusion Technology division became Plasma Science and Technology division.

1989John A. Thornton Memorial Award/Lecture established to recognize outstanding research or technological innovation in the areas of interest to AVS, with emphasis on the fields of thin films, plasma processing, and related topics.

1991Journal of Vacuum Society and Technology B the cope expanded to include nanometer-scale science and technology with a subtitle change to Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures.

1992Surface Science Spectra first published.

1992Nanometer-Scale Science & Technology division was organized.

1993Moved headquarters to its location on 45th Street, New York (N.Y.).

1993Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology first offered on CD-ROM.

1994Manufacturing Science and Technology Group (MSTG) was organized.

1999Vacuum Metallurgy division became Advanced Surface Engineering division.

1999Magnetic Interfaces & Nanostructures division was organized.

1999The Science of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) Technical Group was organized.

2003Biomaterial Interfaces division was organized.

2003Technology for Sustainability Technical Group (TSTG) was organized.

2006Biointerphases first published.

2007 – July 2008Purchased space on the 15th floor of 125 Maiden Lane and moved in July 2008, New York (N.Y.).

Places

Formation

New York (N.Y.)

Headquarters

Boston (Mass.)

New York (N.Y.)

Subjects

Physics -- Publishing.

Physics -- Societies, etc.

Vacuum technology.

Citations

From AVS History website.

Relationships

People

Employees & Officers

Arthur, John R.

President.

Aspnes, D. E.

President and received 1998 Medard W. Welch Award.

Bachman, Charles Herbert, 1908-

President.

Bancroft, George H.

President.

Baski, Alison A.

President.

Beavis, Leonard C.

President.

Bills, Daniel G.

President.

Bonnell, Dawn A.

President.

Bowman, John R. (John Randall)

President.

Bunshah, R. F. (Rointan Framroze)

President.

Castner, David Gordon

President.

Childs, Robert A.

President.

Coburn, John W.

President.

Dayton, Benjamin Bonney

President.

Demuth, Joseph, 1946-

Program Chairman and Chairman, Surface Science Division and Executive Board Member.

Duke, Charles B.

President and Member, Board of Directors.

Dylla, H. F.

President.

Exarhos, Gregory J.

President.

Francombe, Maurice H.

President.

Gale, A. John

President.

George, Steven M.

President.

Greene, J. E. (Joseph E.)

President.

Grunthaner, Paula J.

President.

Guthrie, Andrew, 1915-

President.

Hoffman, David W.

President.

Hoffman, Dorothy M., -1996

President.

Hoffman, Richard W., 1927-2002

President.

Holloway, Paul H.

President.

Hull, Lewis William Halsey

President.

Kazmerski, Lawrence L.

President.

Koehler, Rudy

President.

Lafferty, J. M. (James Martin), 1916-

President.

Lange, William J., 1930-

President.

Ludeke, R.

President.

Madey, Theodore E.

President.

Marrian, Christie R. K.

President.

Matheson, Wilfrid G.

President.

Mattox, D. M.

President.

McGuire, G. E.

President.

Merrill, Joseph B.

President.

Murday, James S., 1942-

President.

Noonan, John R.

President.

Petrov, Ivan G.

President.

Preuss, Luther E.

President.

Redhead, P. A.

President.

Rockett, A. (Angus)

President.

Rossnagel, Stephen M.

President.

Russell, John N.

President.

Santeler, Donald J.

President.

Sartwell, Bruce D.

President.

Schleuning, Hubert W.

President.

Shinn, Neal David

President.

Sickafus, Ed. (Edward), 1931-

President.

Singleton, Jack H.

President.

Sinnott, S. B. (Susan B.)

President.

Sproul, W. D.

President.

Steinherz, H. A.

President.

Thornton, J. A. (John Alexander), 1933-

President.

Towse, Yvonne

Managing Director.

Vossen, John L.

President.

Weaver, J. H. (John Herbert)

President.

Welch, Medard W.

President.

Whetten, N. Rey

President.

Woodall, Jerry M.

President.

Associates & Members

Bauer, E. (Ernst), 1928-

Received 1992 Medard W. Welch Award.

Chabal, Yves Jean, 1952-

2012 Medard W. Welch Award Recipient.

Ford, Kenneth William, 1926-

Hellman, Frances

Kilby, Jack S. (Jack St. Clair), 1923-2005

Koch, Herman William, 1920-

Slack, L. (Lewis), 1924-

Tersoff, J.

Awarded Medard W. Welch Award in 2007.

Instrument Society of America.

Co-sponsored education programs and short courses at AVS annual meetings.

Resources

Archival Resources