This special volume of the Crystal Research and Technology is devoted to the collection of papers presented at the Italian Crystal Growth Symposium held during the AIC Annual Conference in Rome. The Symposium provided an interdisciplinary forum in a stimulating environment for an interesting exchange of results among scientists of different areas of crystal growth. 45 contributions, distributed among oral (9) and poster (36) presentations were presented to the Symposium and almost all of them were submitted for publication after review in this issue. The standard of the presentations and posters was very high, showing the enthusiasm of the participants for their subject.
The "Italian Crystal Growth-2004" proceedings are a proof of the vitality of the AIC's growing up Crystal Growth Section, which intends to promote the crystal growth science among young researchers and to avoid the modern trend to an extreme specialisation of the growth process leading to a progressive loss of the fundamental concepts of this scientific area. More than 65% of the contributions were presented by young researchers demonstrating again the success of these aims. Moreover, several contributions came from industrial researchers whose presence stimulates new research fields to the university counterparts.
This volume contains 34 selected reports which were grouped into four sections: nanocrystal growth, epitaxial layers and thin films, device growth and characterisation, bulk crystal growth and characterisation. The preparation and characterisation of epitaxial films, multilayers and nanocrystals was addressed to a variety of materials from Si, to III-V and II-VI semiconductor compounds. Furthermore growth and characterisation of devices were presented, mostly on solar cells applications based on different compounds. The bulk section included Si, CdTe, along with contributions on magnetic compounds.