Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that this year IVEC and IVESC will be collocated and combined into one joint conference. Electron sources form the heart of vacuum electron devices and IVEC has historically included numerous sessions on cathodes and guns. Inclusion of IVESC will provide an expanded presence in this key area of device technology and will provide additional depth and scope to the breakthroughs in source technology that are happening every day.

For systems developers, IVEC and IVESC should provide a unique snapshot into the state of the art in vacuum electron devices. These devices continue to provide power and performance for advanced electromagnetic systems especially at higher frequency. Rapid technological advances in the vacuum electron device area, plus new and improved devices, are making possible systems having reliability and capabilities well beyond any fielded today.

We invite you to submit papers to IVEC and IVESC to report on your work and experiences in vacuum electronics and electron sources. The meeting will be configured to maximally disseminate useful information to device users, manufacturers, academics, and students. We encourage submission of papers from each group.

The joint conference will be held at the Portola Plaza Hotel in Monterey, California. On the first morning, there will be a plenary session with speakers covering subjects of broad interest. This will be followed by two and a half days of technical presentations, both oral and poster. The special IVEC Award for Excellence and Student Paper Award will be granted at the conference, and the conference banquet will be held at the beautiful Monterey Bay Aquarium. As in past conferences, the meeting and social events will provide a unique opportunity to renew friendships with colleagues and friends, interact with customers, and meet students.

We hope to see you all at IVEC 2006.

Sincerely,

The IVEC/IVESC 2006 Organizing Committee