Autumn brings with it an end to summer, but also a slew of trade shows and conferences that tradionally carry significant content for RF and microwave engineers. Just a glance at the "Meetings" section below reviews some of the shows. For example, later this month, and previewed in the September issue of Microwaves & RF, European Microwave Week kicks off in the La Defense section of Paris (at CNIT). This has become a "week" because it is actually an exhibition and four conferences together, including the European Microwave Conference, a radar conference, a microwave-integrated-circuit (MIC) conference, and a wireless conference. Early next month, those working with defense customers will surely want to visit Atlanta for this year's annual Association of Old Crows (AOC) conference and exhibition.
As vital as these and other events are this fall, it is difficult to underestimate the importance of the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) scheduled for December 6-8, 2010 at the San Francisco Hilton in Union Square. This long-running IEEE event is one of the few showcases for both vacuum-tube devices and semiconductor devices. In fact, it is a showcase for perhaps the widest range of device technologies found in any technical/engineering conference, covering such topics as compound semiconductor devices, microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) devices, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, and display devices. These technologies touch all application areas, from commercial and industrial to medical and military, showing solutions for even the latest applications, such as energy harvesting and fourth-generation (4G) wireless communications. When it comes time to check on the state of device technology, don't forget the 2010 IEDM.