This book is devoted to the study of the properties of materials that can be in a crystalline and glassy state. Its central focus is the physics of solids, whose structure is disordered, since the existing theories of solids are based on crystal structures. The approach adopted here is based on the comparison of data for crystals and glasses formed by the same atoms, paying particular attention to the under-explored glass-forming crystals. The book will be of interest to graduate students, solid states researchers, glass technologists, and young scientists beginning research in the field of experimental physics.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Erice, Italy, April 8-20, 2000

This comprehensive book covers the everyday use and underlying principles of radiation dosimeters used in radiation oncology clinics. It provides an up-to-date reference spanning the full range of current modalities with emphasis on practical know-how. The main audience is medical physicists, radiation oncology physics residents, and medical physics graduate students. The reader gains the necessary tools for determining which detector is best for a given application. Dosimetry of cutting edge techniques from radiosurgery to MRI-guided systems to small fields and proton therapy are all addressed. Main topics include fundamentals of radiation dosimeters, brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy dosimetry, and dosimetry of imaging modalities. Comprised of 30 chapters authored by leading experts in the medical physics community, the book: Covers the basic principles and practical use of radiation dosimeters in radiation oncology clinics across the full range of current modalities. Focuses on providing practical guidance for those using these detectors in the clinic. Explains which detector is more suitable for a particular application. Discusses the state of the art in radiotherapy approaches, from radiosurgery and MR-guided systems to advanced range verification techniques in proton therapy. Gives critical comparisons of dosimeters for photon, electron, and proton therapies.

"Amorphous Chalcogenide Semiconductors and Glasses" describes developments in the science and technology of this class of materials. This book offers an up-to-date treatment of chalcogenide glasses and amorphous semiconductors from basic principles to applications while providing the reader with the necessary theoretical background to understanding the material properties technology of this class of materials. This book offers an up-to-date treatment of chalcogenide glasses and amorphous semiconductors from basic principles to applications while providing the reader with the necessary theoretical background to understanding the material properties. Chalcogenides form a special class of materials, which have one or more of the elements from the chalcogen group, Group VI in the Periodic Table (S, Se. or Te) as a constituent; the chalcogen is mixed with other elements to form various "new" compounds and alloys. Chalcogenides are noncrystalline solids because their structure is "amorphous" or "glassy". Such structures have totally different properties than crystalline solids. Chalcogenide glasses have a number of very interesting and useful properties, which have been already exploited in the commercialization of new devices.

One of the directions of nanotechnology is the production of nanopowders (NPs). Nanopowders, according to the currently widely used classification of nanomaterials, belong to zero-dimensional systems in which the limitation of wave functions occurs in all three directions. Biological methods are considered the most environmentally friendly way to synthesize NPs, but the possibility of biological contamination with mutated microorganisms cannot be ruled out. This book presents a new method for producing simple and complex metal oxide and fluoride NPs, based on the “evaporation-condensation” process using pulsed electron beam evaporation. It presents the results of more than 10 years of study of the characteristics of NPs produced using the aforementioned method. This eco-friendly method ensures the production of clean NPs, which are mesoporous and suitable for use in various applications such as medicine, spintronics, optoelectronics, dosimeters, photocatalysis, semiconductors, and ultraviolet and blue lasers. Importantly, these NPs have the potential to be used as a drug delivery system and in the creation of new nanostructures that do not contain noble metals. The book will be useful for the researchers in macromolecular science, nanotechnology, chemistry, biology, and medicine, especially those with an interest in drug delivery or cancer therapy.

Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Material Science covers significant advances in the technological aspects and applications of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques used in the Earth and Materials Sciences. The current volume compliments the now classic Volume 18, Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology, which became an essential resource to many scientists and educators for the past two decades. This volume updates techniques covered in Volume 18, and introduces new techniques available for probing the secrets of Earth materials, such as X-ray Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy. Other important topics including Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) are also covered.

The CRC Concise Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology sets the standard against which all other references of this nature are measured. As such, it is a major resource for both skilled professionals and novices to nanotechnology.The book examines the design, application, and utilization of devices, techniques, and technologies critical to research at the

Silicon dioxide plays a central role in most contemporary electronic and photonic technologies, from fiber optics for communications and medical applications to metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. Many of these applications directly involve point defects, which can either be introduced during the manufacturing process or by exposure to ionizing radiation. They can also be deliberately created to exploit new technologies. This book provides a general description of the influence that point defects have on the global properties of the bulk material and their spectroscopic characterization through ESR and optical spectroscopy.

Tutorial lectures given by world-renowned researchers have become one of the important traditions of the Nano and Giga Challenges (NGC) conference series. 1 Soon after preparations had begun for the rst forum, NGC2002, in Moscow, Russia, the organizers realized that publication of the lectures notes would be a va- able legacy of the meeting and a signi cant educational resource and knowledge base for students, young researchers, and senior experts. Our rst book was p- lished by Elsevier and received the same title as the meeting itself—Nano and Giga 2 Challenges in Microelectronics. Our second book, Nanotechnology for Electronic 3 4 Materials and Devices, based on the tutorial lectures at NGC2004 in Krakow, 5 Poland, the third book from NGC2007 in Phoenix, Arizona, and the current book 6 from joint NGC2009 and CSTC2009 meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, have been published in Springer’s Nanostructure Science and Technology series. Hosted by McMaster University, the meeting NGC/CSTC 2009 was held as a joint event of two conference series, Nano and Giga Challenges (Nano & Giga Forum) and Canadian Semiconductor Technology Conferences (CSTC), bringing together the networks and expertise of both professional forums. Informational (electronics and photonics), renewable energy (solar systems, fuel cells, and batteries), and sensor (nano and bio) technologies have reached a new stage in their development in terms of engineering limits to cost-effective impro- ment of current technological approaches. The latest miniaturization of electronic devices is approaching atomic dimensions.