Symposium 2000 on Tantalum and Niobium drew a record crowd to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco, October 22nd to October 25th 2000. In all, over 320 people took part, with almost 270 participants registered for the technical sessions - a resounding success for the tantalum-Niobium International Study Center.

Mr Charles Culbertson II, of Kemet Electronics, completed a dynamic year as President of the T.I.C., with this remarkable Symposium as its highlight. Mr Thomas Odle of Cabot Performance Materials will succeed him as President.

Presentations spanned the industry from raw material supply to end-uses: titles and speakers are shown below. A plant tour to Flextronics and Intel in Silicon Valley rounded off the programme, together with a splendid reception sponsored by Kemet, and a dazzling gala dinner offered by H.C. Starck, on the social side.

The Proceedings of the Symposium are available as a hard cover book, price US$200 per copy, including postage and packing. Please contact the T.I.C. to place your order (see 'Publications' on this web site).

Technical presentations

• Tantalum and Niobium - A Review of Worldwide Industry Statistics by C. Edward Mosheim, Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center
• Tantalum Raw Materials, by John Linden, Sons of Gwalia
• The Use of Tantalum and Niobium in the Manufacture of Superalloys, by John M. Eridon, Cannon-Muskegon Corporation
• Technical Review of Tantalum High CV Powder for Capacitors, by Tomoo Izumi, Yoshikazu Noguchi, Yuziro Mizusaki, Isayuki Horio, Showa Cabot Supermetals KK
  Presented by Tomoo Izumi
• Development of Niobium Capacitors using Conductive Polymer, by Toshihiko Nishiyama, Katuhiro Yoshida, Tadamasa Asami, Masaki Fujiwara, Yoshihiko Saiki, NEC Corporation
  Presented by Toshihiko Nishiyama
• Advances in electrolyte chemistry for valve metal capacitors, by Brian Melody, Tony Kinard, Kemet Electronics
  Presented by Brian Melody
• Recent Developments in Solid Electrolytic Capacitors, by W.A. Millman, T. Zednicek, Z. Sita, J Gill, AVX
  Presented by William A. Millman
• Metallurgical Factors Affecting the Sputtering Performance of Tantalum, by Christopher A. Michaluk, Cabot Performance Materials
• A New Process for the Production of Tantalum and Niobium Powders from Oxides, by L. Shekhter, L. Lanin, T. Tripp, H. Goldberg, H.C. Starck Inc., K. Reichert, R. Wolf, C. Schnitter, H.C. Starck GmbH & Co KG
  Presented by Howard Goldberg
• Uses of Niobium in the Chemical Process Industry, by David Rowe, Special Metals Fabrication
  Presented by Bob Desburg
• Recent Developments of Niobium-based Alloys for Corrosion Applications, by R. Henson, Oremet Wah Chang
• Latest developments in the world of niobium, by Harry Stuart, Reference Metals
• Recent Development in the Manufacture of Niobium Products, by Clovis Antonio de Faria Sousa, Antonio Telhado Pereira, Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração
  Presented by Clovis Antonio de Faria Sousa
• Application of High Purity Niobium for Superconducting TESLA Cavities, by W. Singer, H. Kaiser, D. Proch, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
  Presented by Waldemar Singer
• Recent Advancements in the Production of Tantalum for Sputtering Targets, by Prabhat Kumar, Peter Jepson, H.C. Starck Inc.
  Presented by Prabhat Kumar
• PDA Market: 'Today and Tomorrow, by Patrick McGivern, Palm
• Development of New Nb3Al Multifilamentary Superconductor, by K. Inoue, T. Takeuchi, Y. Iijima, A. Kikuchi, N. Nakagawa, G. Iwaki, H. Moriai, National Research Institute for Metals
  Presented by Kiyoshi Inoue
• Niobium-base Superconductors for the Next Generation High Energy Physics Colliders, by R.M. Scanla, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Niobium-based Refractory Metals, by A. Kasama, H. Tanaka, Y. Tan, C.L. Ma, K. Sakamoto, H. Tanahashi, M. Fujikura, R. Tanaka, Japan Ultra-high Temperature Materials Research Institute (JUTEMI)
  Presented by Akio Kasama
• Industrial-scale Development of Gamma Titanium Aluminides for Specific Products in Advanced Aircraft Engines, by Edward A. Loria, Tadeu Carneiro, Reference Metals Company
• A New Platform Technology for Orthopaedic Implant Surgery: Hedrocel Trabecular Metal, by J. Dennis Bobyn, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, and Joseph R. Vargas, Implex Corp.
  Presented by Joseph R. Vargas
• Adjusting Micromorphology of Sodium-reduced Tantalum Powders to Achieve High Performance, by He Ji Lin, Pan Lun Tao, Lu Zhen Da, Shi Wen Feng, Shu Yong Chun, Zeng Fang Ping, Ningxia Non-ferrous Metals Smelter
  Presented by Zeng Fang Ping
• Statistical Modeling of the Effect of Nitrogenation on the Electrical and Physical Properties of Tantalum, by Donald J. Clancy, Cabot Performance Materials
• Battle for High CV Tantalum Capacitors, by Yuri Pozdeev-Freeman, Vishay-Sprague
• Where the Computer Market is Heading in the Next Two to Five Years, by Michael Lauri, IBM
• Role of the Contract Manufacturing Supplier in Today's Electronics Market, by Dave Otterness, Flextronics
• Tantalum Capacitors - Today and Tomorrow, by Josef Gerblinger, Epcos
• The Effects of Nitrogen on the Performance of Tantalum Capacitors, by Terrance B. Tripp, H.C. Starck Inc.
• The history of conductive polymer capacitor and future trend, by Yoshihiko Saiki, Kazuo Watanabe, Toshihiko Nishiyama, Takasi Fukaumi, NEC Corporation
  Presented by Yoshihiko Saiki
• MAT (Multiple Anode Tantalum) Ultra-low ESR Capacitors, by Erik Reed, Jim Marshall, Kemet Electronics