Chalcogenides has its origin in chalkos, a Greek word for bronze, assigned to copper-bearing minerals: chalcocite, chalcopyrite, etc. Over time, chalcogenides have come to signify compounds of metals with group-VI elements. Many of these are naturally-occurring crystals that are born as semiconductors: chalcocite (Cu2S), pyrite (Fe2S), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), chalcostibite (CuSbS2), herzenbergite (SnS), galena (PbS), etc. They also include materials that are under widespread investigation for devices: MoS2 and WSe2 for logic devices, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 and Cu2ZnSnS4 for photovoltaics, (Hg,Cd,Zn)Te for detectors and photovoltaics, Bi2Se3  for topological computing, etc. Chalcogenide opto-electronic materials exhibit a wide range of functions, dielectric and passivating layers, to ordering phenomena such as ferroelectricity and density waves, to transport in reduced dimensions. Understanding, controlling, and harnessing these phenomena requires a thorough understanding of the science and device implications of chalcogenide electronic materials.

There  have  been  conferences  in  the  past  devoted  to  chalcogenide  electronic materials, but over the years the theme has splintered into many subthemes. Researchers in this theme share an awareness of the challenges involved in the material preparation and characterization and a passion for their wide range of applications. Chalcogenide Semiconductor Research and Application (CSRA) symposia are intended to organize and serve the needs of this growing community. The Symposium is organized to be held in August 2017 in Cancun. Successful completion of the plans proposed is likely to encourage follow-up symposia in other MRS venues such as MRS Boston and E-MRS.

CSRA  symposia  will  emphasize  work  on  sulfide,  selenide,  and  telluride  electronic  materials.  Work on oxides will be included as it relates to chalcogenides more broadly. For instance, CSRA would be an appropriate home for work on anion alloys Zn(O,S) and Cd(O,S) that are studied as tunable carrier selective contact layers for solar cells.

A limited number of funds are available on a competitive basis for partially supporting expenses of students who plan to present their work at the conference. Applications including short CV/LOP, letter of recommendation PhD advisor, and presentation abstract should be submitted to the Symposium organizer no later than March 17, 2017.

Symposium Topics

  • Chalcogenide Semiconductor  Materials I – Thin films and 2D materials
  • Chalcogenide Semiconductor  Materials II – Nanoparticles
  • Chalcogenide Semiconductor Materials III - Bulk materials and materials processing
  • Chalcogenide Semiconductors – Theory and Computation
  • Applications of Chalcogenide Semiconductors
  • Chalcogenide Semiconductor Perspectives

Confirmed invited participants

  • Ritesh Agarwal (University of Pennsylvania)
  • Stacey Bent (Stanford)
  • Simon Clarke (Oxford)
  • Prashun Gorai (Colorado School of Mines)
  • Juejun Hu (MIT)
  • Guy Makov (Ben Gurion)
  • Zhiqiang Mao (Tulane)
  • David Mitzi (Duke)
  • Jiwoong Park (Chicago)
  • Jayakanth Ravichandran (University of Southern California)
  • Joan Redwing (Penn State)
  • David Scanlon (UCL)
  • Robert Simpson (Singapore University of Technology and Design)
  • Andriy Zakutayev (NREL)