TABLE OF CONTENTS

GET READY FOR TMS 2007
Advance Registration Ends January 29

SESSION AND PANEL DISCUSSION SHED LIGHT ON AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING ISSUES . . .
. . . at TMS 2007 Annual Meeting

FROM OUR SPONSOR: KEYENCE
Digital Microscope Offers Advanced Performance for Materials Applications

TMS E-LIBRARY PROVIDES ACCESS TO 37 TITLES VALUED AT MORE THAN $2,000 . . .
. . . to All TMS Members

U.S. MEMBERS: WRITE TO YOUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS
A Call to Action from the TMS Public & Governmental Affairs Committee

SPOTLIGHT ON . . .
. . . the Aluminum Committee

TECHNICAL COMMITTEES SEEK NEW FACES AND IDEAS
Attend a Committee Meeting at TMS 2007 to Get Involved in Committee Activities

HOW TO . . .
. . . Renew or Subscribe to TMS Archival Journals

E-PARTNERSHIP OFFERS ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL JOURNALS . . .
. . . Through U.K.'s IOM³

YOU OUGHT TO KNOW . . .
. . . Reminders and Announcements for January

Advance Registration Ends January 29

The TMS 2007 Annual Meeting begins February 25 in Orlando, Florida. Here's how to prepare for your trip:

1. Register this week: The advance registration deadline for TMS 2007 is January 29 (that's Monday). Not only will registering in advance spare you the hassle of on-site paperwork, it will save you about $100.

2. Book your housing: Rooms are filling up at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotel, where the meeting will be held, but some rooms are still available through TMS for surrounding hotels. Make plans for your accommodations as soon as possible to get the best rooms at the best rates.

3. Make Visa and Passport Preparations: For those attendees who are traveling from outside the United States, visa and passport preparations should also be considered. TMS posts a visa letter on its web site that can be filled out and submitted with your visa application. Nachman & Associates, an immigration & nationality law firm, also publishes a newsletter on immigration law that offers helpful tips on preparing for a trip to the United States. In addition, as of January 23, all persons traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport.

4. Make an Itinerary: If you like to plan your trips down to the last detail, use the TMS Personal Conference Scheduler to create a schedule of presentations you'd like to hear and events you'd like to attend. The on-line schedule-making tool lets you select any item from the TMS technical program or calendar of events and gives you the flexibility to add your own items as well.

See you in Orlando!

. . . at TMS 2007 Annual Meeting

Car recycling is somewhat of a stealth operation in North America, less so in Europe and Japan, where the topic is regularly in the news. Six speakers have been invited to bring the issue to the forefront at Automotive Recycling, Global Challenges and Opportunities, a special session of the Recycling and Waste Processing symposium at the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting in Febraury. The session will be followed by a panel discussion at noon.

Worldwide about 45 million cars are taken out of service annually. Over 95% of those end of life vehicles (ELVs) go to a scrap yard where first fluids are collected and subsequently all easily removable parts and valuable materials are taken out (partial dismantling). The remainder goes to the car shredder, where iron and steel are separated magnetically leaving the shredder residue containing light and heavy non-ferrous metals, stainless steel, polymers, rubber, glass, wood, rocks, coins, etc.

This session hopes to spark the required energy to bring this issue to the prominence it deserves, like aluminum beverage can recycling did in the 1970s. Two of the invited speakers are sponsored by Metaullics, a division of Pyrotek, to support this endeavor. The session will be held Tuesday, February 27, from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. in the Dolphin Hotel.

Conference attendees interested in recycling issues should also consider attending the meeting of the TMS Recycling and Environmental Technologies Committee to discuss future programming on recycling technologies at TMS conferences. The committee will meet on Sunday, February 25, at noon in the Walt Disney World Swan hotel.

Digital Microscope Offers Advanced Performance for Materials Applications

The Keyence VHX-500, an advanced digital microscope, offers performance and functions exceeding those of high-end optical systems. 3-D surface profiling with color topographic displays and an extraordinary depth-of-field 20x greater than conventional microscopes set new standards in microscope performance. 3-D Image Composition and on-screen measurements extend the system's benefits. A Multi-Angle Viewing Stand incorporates an 18 mega-pixel CCD camera which can be used in handheld mode for convenient inspection of large targets. Download catalog.

. . . to All TMS Members

As part of an on-going initiative to increase the availability of technical resources to its members, TMS has opened the entire contents of the TMS e-Library, powered by Knovel, to all TMS professional members as a benefit of membership. That's 37 titles valued at more than $2,000. TMS members will now have complete access to this technical library of databases and on-line collections of engineering reference books, along with the capability to easily analyze and manipulate the data through analytical tools. This capability, powered by Knovel's intuitive technology, includes sorting, filtering, and exporting data from "live" tables, equations, and graphs; capturing values from existing graphs; and performing "what if" experiments on the data.

TMS members can access all of these resources by logging in to the TMS Members-Only web site. First-time users will be required to register with Knovel before they can access the TMS e-Library. This is a one-time process, and no fee is involved for TMS members.

At the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting, the society will be unveiling even more technical resources for members. Keep your eye on future issues of e-News for more information . . .

A Call to Action from the TMS Public & Governmental Affairs Committee

Dear TMS Colleague,

This is an urgent call to action for all of us who currently enjoy federal funding for research or education projects. A killer case of Congressional gridlock for the fiscal year (FY) 2007 budget threatens to produce draconian cuts for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which will be down 800 grants or 13%, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, which will be down 10%. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "the federal investment in basic and applied research is almost certain to fall in FY2007 for the first time in at least three decades." These deep cuts are not getting press attention because of all of the uproar over the first 100 hours of action of the new House of Representatives and the critical debates about the Iraq War in the Senate.

In the last Congress, only 2 of the 11 appropriations (actual funding) bills that are needed to supply money for all of the FY2007 actions of government were passed and signed into law. Everything else is on a "Continuing Resolution" that limits spending to FY2006 levels, in spite of inflation and program growth and in spite of the new major increases in spending that were authorized (promised priorities) for FY2007 for NSF and the DOE Office of Science, in particular. The promised major increases in FY2007 for these two primary funding agencies for the materials science and engineering community were part of the long awaited (and desperately needed) American Competitiveness Initiative (from the President) and the Democratic Innovation Agenda.

Now, it looks like the "worst-case" scenario of a year-long extension of the nine un-passed appropriations bills at the FY2006 levels will happen, unless a large uproar comes from the public (i.e., you and me). The new Congress has until February 15, when the current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires, to decide whether to amend the year-long CR to include increased appropriations, most critically to science and engineering research. Science and engineering coalitions including the Federation of Materials Societies, of which TMS is a member, are urging all concerned citizens (this means you, even if you don't usually want to be involved) to contact their senators and representatives now. Please alert them to the situation and urge them to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. David Obey (D-WI, new House Appropriations Committee Chair) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV, new Senate Appropriations Chair) to open the CR to add new science and engineering funding.

Below, you will find a link to a sample "skeleton" letter that you should modify to your particular situation, including the numbers of your students and staff that will be affected at your own institution by these "stealth" budget cuts. Please make every effort to send your letters ASAP, as the clock is ticking toward February 15 much too fast! Thanks.

Best regards,

Iver E. Anderson
Chair, TMS Public and Governmental Affairs Committee

. . . the Aluminum Committee

The TMS Aluminum Committee is one of the most active TMS technical committees, producing consistently popular programming at TMS Annual Meetings, publishing topics in JOM four times a year, producing annual editions of the popular Light Metals proceedings series, and regularly offering continuing education opportunties.

The TMS Aluminum Committee, part of the TMS Light Metals Division, provides an international forum for the presentation of technical, production, and economic information on the aluminum industry from bauxite mining through the processing of aluminum and its alloys.

This committee is organized a bit differently than other TMS technical committees. Members must be formally nominated and approved to be added to the committee's official roster; however, all members of TMS interested in supporting the objectives of the committee are encouraged to attend committee meetings and otherwise provide suggestions and support.

Get Involved
At the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting in Orlando, all TMS members interested in the Aluminum Committee's various activities are invited to attend the committee's meeting, which will be held on Sunday, February 25, from 3:00–4:30 p.m. in the Pelican 1 room at the Walt Disney World Swan hotel. For more information, contact the committee chair.

Attend a Committee Meeting at TMS 2007 to Get Involved in Committee Activities

At the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting, many of the TMS technical committees will gather to discuss plans for future programming and publications in various technical areas. This is an ideal opportunity for new volunteers to become involved in TMS activities. TMS has more than 30 technical committees in five technical division areas.

In 2006, the Extraction & Processing Division restructured to streamline and revitalize its activities. Former members of some of these disbanded committees should consider attending the meeting of one of the division's current five technical committees, which cover much of the same subject matter, but in a way that allows the division to operate more effectively. A listing of these committees can be found on the TMS Committee Home page web site.

Committee leaders in all divisions, however, are always happy to see new faces, hear new voices, and find fresh volunteers to help with committee activities. In return, volunteers can make valuable professional connections with leaders in their respective fields. Visit the TMS Personal Conference Scheduler to find the dates and times of committee meetings taking place at TMS 2007 and plan on attending the one that best suits your interests.

. . . Renew or Subscribe to TMS Archival Journals

For those individuals who have not yet renewed their subscriptions or who wish to subscribe to the TMS archival journals—Journal of Electronic Materials (JEM) and Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A and B—subscriptions must now be filled through science and technology publisher Springer. As before, TMS members receive a significant discount on both of these journals. In addition, subscribers will now also, as part of their subscription fee, receive electronic access to related journals from Springer's library and can purchase other Springer publications at a discounted rate. All subscriptions include both a print and electronic subscription to the journal (unless otherwise specified) and include on-line access to articles in advance of print publication.

Readers located in the Americas can contact Springer at journals-ny@springer-sbm.com to subscribe or renew a subscription. Those outside the Americas should contact Springer at sdc-journals@springer-sbm.com. Additional ordering information can be found in the Journal Subscriptions section of the TMS Document Center.

. . . Through U.K.'s IOM³

Another option available to TMS members to increase their access to technical resources is to become an e-partner with the U.K.'s Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (IOM³). For a reduced fee, TMS members can gain electronic access to a variety of technical resources from IOM³.

The greatest benefit is gaining on-line access to 15 of the institute's journals, which cover a broad array of topics in materials science and engineering. E-partners will have electronic access to such journals as International Materials Reviews, which publishes peer reviewed critical assessments of the literature on all aspects of materials science and engineering; Energy Materials, a forum for the discussion of materials needs for future energy applications; Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (Trans IMM C), which is devoted to the scientific, engineering, and economic aspects of the preparation, separation, extraction, and purification of ores, metals, and mineral products; and Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, a journal of science and human affairs that aims to set contemporary and historical developments in science and technology in their wider cultural context.

To become an e-partner, or to browse additional journals available through the partnership with IOM³, click on the links below.

. . . Reminders and Announcements for January

Deadline Extended for PRICM-6 Conference
In November, TMS will co-sponsor the Sixth Pacific Rim International Conference on Advanced Materials and Processing (PRICM-6) in Jeju Island, Korea. This conference, which provides an opportunity for TMS members to interact with the global materials science and engineering community, has extended its abstract submission deadline to January 31. So far, approximately 1,800 abstracts have been submitted to the conference, but organizers are still seeking submissions from the global materials community.

Electronic Materials Conference Abstracts
Organizers of the 2007 Electronic Materials Conference, to be held June 20–22 at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, will accept abstracts through Friday, February 2. Visit CMS-Plus to submit your abstract on-line. The 2007 Electronic Materials Conference is the premier annual forum on the preparation and characterization of electronic materials.

Registration Open for Microalloying 2007
In March, TMS will co-sponsor the conference Microalloyed Steel: Emerging Technologies and Applications in Kolkata, India. This conference will provide a forum for technical exchange and a critical review of developments on microalloyed steels and emerging technologies for newer applications and product development to meet the increasing demand of different industries. Registration for the conference is now open.

ABOUT e-NEWS

TMS e-News is a monthly e-mailed newsletter that provides information on The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society's membership, meetings, publications, and other activities of interest.

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News Editor:
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EDITORS' CHOICE

The editors of TMS publications select the must-read papers from the latest editions:

JANUARY JOM: " Tip Dilation and AFM Capabilities in the Characterization of Nanoparticles " by Ch. Wong, P.E. West, K.S. Olson, M.L. Mecartney, and N. Starostina
Scanning-probe microscopy has been routinely employed as a surface characterization technique for more than 20 years. Tip deconvolution, the longest-standing problem associated with particle image analysis in atomic force microscopy (AFM), can be solved by scanning a pre-characterized nanosphere prior to imaging unknown particles. This article appears on the JOM web site in html format and includes links to additional on-line resources. No subscription is required to view the on-line article. [READ]

JANUARY JOM: " The Physical Properties of Electronic Materials as Determined by EMF Measurements " by Adolf Mikula
The measurement of the electromotive force (EMF) of a suitable galvanic cell is one of the most accurate methods to obtain thermodynamic information of alloys. For a chemist, all chemical reactions are, in a sense, electrochemical reactions since all chemical interactions at the atomic level are electrical interactions. Therefore, every chemist and material scientist should be familiar with EMF measurements. This article reviews EMF measurements and the advantages and disadvantages of liquid and solid electrolytes. [READ]

JANUARY JOM: " Mechanical Property Optimization via Microstructural Control of New Metastable Beta Titanium Alloys " by N. Clément, A. Lenain, and P.J. Jacques
Beta-titanium alloys are increasingly used thanks to their high mechanical properties resulting from a clever choice of processing parameters. The effects of heat-treatment conditions on the microstructure of two recent beta-metastable titanium alloys are investigated in this study, along with the resulting mechanical properties. [READ]

DECEMBER JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS: " Thickness Determination of Ultrathin Oxide Films and Its Application in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions " by J. Joshua Yang, et al.
In this study we propose a method for utilizing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), a surface sensitive technique, coupled with a wedge-shaped sample to determine the thickness of an ultrathin aluminum oxide tunnel barrier layer (~2 nm) in a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The uncertainty of the measured thickness is analyzed and the factors affecting the accuracy of this measurement are discussed as well as the advantages over the use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Using this approach, we were able to quickly optimize the thickness of an aluminum oxide layer in a fabricated MTJ, yielding a high magnetoresistance ratio. In addition to XPS, one can also use Auger electron spectroscopy to determine the thickness of the oxidized tunnel barrier layer. This method can also be applied to other tunnel barrier materials such as the nitrides. [READ]

DECEMBER JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS: " Cathodoluminescence Study of Micro-Crack-Induced Stress Relief for AlN Films on Si(111) " by G. Sarusi, et al.
Spatially, spectrally, and depth-resolved cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements were performed for high-quality thin AlN films grown on Si(111). CL spectra exhibited a sharp peak at 5.960 eV, corresponding to the near-band-edge excitonic emission of AlN. Depth-resolved CL analysis showed that deep level oxygen and carbon impurities are localized primarily at the AlN/Si interface and AlN outer surface. Monochromatic CL imaging of the near-band-edge emission exhibits a spotty pattern, which corresponds to high concentrations of threading dislocations and thermally induced microcracks in the thin layers. We have examined relief of the thermal stress in close proximity to single microcracks and intersecting microcracks. Local CL spectra acquired with a focused e-beam show blue-shifts as large as ~82 meV in the AlN nearband edge excitonic peaks, reflecting defect-induced reductions in the biaxial thermal stress, which has a maximum value of ~47 kbar. [READ]

DECEMBER JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS: " Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Novel Rare Earth-Containing Pb-Free Solders " by M.A. Dudek, et al.
Sn-rich solders have been shown to have superior mechanical properties when compared to the Pb-Sn system. Much work remains to be done in developing these materials for electronic packaging. In this paper, we report on the microstructure and mechanical properties of La-containing Sn-3.9Ag-0.7Cu alloys. The addition of small amounts of La (up to 0.5 wt.%) to Sn-Ag-Cu refined the microstructure by decreasing the length and spacing of the Sn dendrites and decreased the thickness of the Cu₆Sn₅ intermetallic layer at the Cu/solder interface. As a result of the change in the microstructure, Sn-Ag-Cu alloys with La additions exhibited a small decrease in ultimate shear strength but significantly higher elongations compared with Sn-Ag-Cu. The influence of LaSn₃ intermetallics on microstructural refinement and damage evolution in these novel solders is discussed. Our results have profound implications for improving the mechanical shock resistance of Pb-free solders. [READ]

Programs, on-line registration, and more:

5th International Conference on Advanced Materials and Processing (ICAMP-5)
Harbin, China
September 3-6, 2008

2008 International Hydrogen Conference: Effects of Hydrogen on Materials
Moran, Wyoming
September 7-10, 2008

11th Intl. Symposium on Superalloys (Superalloys 2008)
Champion, Pennsylvania
September 14–18, 2008

3rd Global Foundry Sourcing Conference 2008
Qingdao, China
September 16-17, 2008

The 13th National Conference & Exhibition on Titanium
Luoyang, China
September 17-18, 2008

10th CNS International Conference on CANDU Fuel
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
October 5-8, 2008

Materials Science & Technology 2008 Conference and Exhibition (MS&T'08)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 5-9, 2008

2008 Global Symposium on Recycling, Waste Treatment and Clean Technology (REWAS 2008)
Cancun, Mexico
October 12-15, 2008

2008 Fourth International Conference on Multiscale Materials Modeling (MMM-2008)
Tallahassee, Florida
October 27-31, 2008

Processing Materials for Properties-III (PMP-III)
Bangkok, Thailand
December 7-10, 2008

2nd International Conference on Thermomechanical Simulations and Processing of Steel (SimPro'08)
Ranchi, India
December 9-11, 2008

TMS 2009 Annual Meeting
San Francisco, California
February 15-19, 2009

5th International Materials Symposium (MATERIAiS 2009)
Abstracts due: 10/31/2008
Lisbon, Portugal
April 5-8, 2009

International Deep Drawing Research Group Conference 2009 (IDDRG 2009)
Abstracts due: 12/1/2008
Golden, Colorado
June 1-3, 2009

Electronic Materials Conference (EMC 2009)
University Park, Pennsylvania
June 24-26, 2009

European Metallurgical Conference 2009 (EMC2009)
Innsbruck, Austria
June 28 - July 1, 2009

Conference of Metallurgists (COM 2009) Nickel-Cobalt 2009
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
August 23-26, 2009

14th International Conference on Environmental Degradation in Nuclear Power Systems
Virginia Beach, Virginia
August 23-27, 2009

Thermec 2009: Sixth International Conference on Advanced Materials and Processes
Abstracts due: 11/7/2008
Berlin, Germany
August 25-29, 2009

2009 International Symposium on Liquid Metal Processing and Casting
Abstracts due: 1/15/2009
Sante Fe, New Mexico
September 20-23, 2009

5th International Conference on Science and Technology of Ironmaking (ICSTI'09)
Abstracts due: 10/31/2008
Shanghai, China
October 19-22, 2009

Materials Science & Technology 2009 Conference and Exhibition (MS&T'09)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 25-29, 2009

TRANSFAC '09 - International Conference on Innovative Solutions for the Advancement of the Transport Industry
Detroit, Michigan
October 31 - November 3, 2009

TMS 2010 Annual Meeting
Seattle, Washington
February 14-18, 2010

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