The following press conference at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting will take place in room 516 of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The newsroom itself will be room 517, where the phone numbers are 213-743-6237 and -6238; the fax number is 213-741- 3924.

MAKING SMOOTH SURFACES WITH CHEMISTRY.

Wednesday, March 18, 11:30 AM. In traditional computer-chip manufacturing techniques, the chemicals used to clean dust and other contaminants from various layers of the silicon-based devices are often very corrosive, creating pits and depressions that would mean death for nanometer-scale electronic devices that scientists envision. For example, if the boundaries between silicon and silicon dioxide layers in these devices are too rough, it can affect the movement of electrons through silicon and increase resistance to undesirable levels. A group led by Melissa Hines of Cornell (607- 255-3040) has devised new chemical methods to make extremely smooth surfaces and has identified some chemical pitfalls that can occur, such as the development of deep, triangular- shaped pits caused by the interaction between chemicals and an atomic-scale defect. Yves Chabal and Marcus Weldon, Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies. (Session M5)