History and highlights, a chronicle of IPRM

Although there was some keen scientific interest in InP in the 70´s, to a large extent IPRM signaled the “coming of age” of InP. IPRM was born because of a pent-up need to share the abundance of stimulating science and puzzling physics inherent in an emergent and exciting materials system. InP-based technology had potential for both new commercial markets and stringent military requirements. Scientific curiosity not withstanding, a significant, initial driving force for this new compound semiconductor system was the promise of very high-speed, broad-band communications using glass fibers that required compound semiconductor lasers. For the commercial market this meant orders of magnitude higher information throughput for less cost while for the military, secure, lightweight, broadband, EMI-free data links was the `carrot´. Rapid advances in glass purification and extrusion techniques yielded impurity-free optical fibers with attenuation and dispersion minima that moved the optimum data transmission window from the GaAs-based 0.85 nm to 1300 nm and 1550 nm, the sole regime of InP and its alloys. Long-haul optical systems were clearly on the horizon and telecommunications companies worldwide began to seriously consider adopting InP-based technology as a standard. Although opto-electronics applications was the initial driver, the evidence for superior electronic devices was quickly established. IPRM´s role in this complex technology saga was to provide a focal point for technologists. It provided an open, truly international, workshop-like forum that fostered technology exchange while catalyzing the growth of the infrastructure so crucial to any fledgling venture. The fact that we are here in 1998 is ample evidence that IPRM has been an important factor in the development of InP and related materials. Beyond the flood of worldwide scientific journal publications heralding our new breakthroughs in InP, an assortment of new businesses have emerged, academic dynasties were created and existing ventures found IPRM a fertile breeding environment for maturation and new business directions