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It was becoming evident that the Working
Group or Steering Committee structure of
the STDwas having difficulty in encouraging
and developing those disciplines in the
national societies of the Union that depend
on vacuum. This fact was recognised
by the President, A. Venema (NL), and
with his encouragement these matters
were addressed at the 31
st
Executive
Council meeting held in London, UK,
on 1 April 1977. At this meeting, one of
the Councillors, A. van Oostrom (NL),
presented a report, ECM 31.3, proposing
a divisional structure for the IUVSTA. The
better part of the day was spent discussing
the details of what form the structure should
take. While all details were not finalised at
this meeting, it was agreed that the Union
should proceed with the formation of
divisions within the Union. A. van Oostrom,
C. J. Todd (GB) and L. Holland (GB) were
asked to write recommendations that the
EC could present to the 1977 General
Meeting in Vienna. The proposal presented
to that General Meeting was worded in
general terms suggesting the formation
of scientific divisions within IUVSTA. It
required no change in the Union statutes
and was of a provisional form valid only
until the next General Meeting. In particular,
it recommended the establishment of
a Surface Science Division with the
Chairman reporting to the Executive
Council on its activities. The Division
would retain autonomy with respect to
its scientific activities but was subject to
the EC in matters of finance and general
policies. The proposal also presented a set
of internal statutes regarding the election of
a Division Committee that was to serve as
a guide for the formation of other divisions
and, in principle although not in detail, for
major changes that were to be made later
in the IUVSTA statutes. The proposal was
unanimously approved, thus permitting the
formation of a number of divisions during
the next triennium.
In 1977, President L. Holland (GB) directed
that the STD Scientific Director and
Secretary should assume responsibility
for supervising the formation of these new
divisions. During his administration (1977-
1980) several divisions were created in the
form of Divisional Steering Committees
under the tutelage of the STD Officers,
L. E. Preuss (USA) and H. Ottosson (S).
These were constituted into fully-fledged
Divisions at the General Meeting in Cannes
in 1980. The organisation of divisions is
flexible. Divisions can be created, fused
(for example by merging several existing
divisions) or can change their name so
as to better reflect the ongoing activities.
A current list of IUVSTA Divisions is given in
Table IV, complete with the original Chair(s)
and the year in which the Division was
ratified at a General Meeting.
The Thin Film Division had its roots in the
former International Thin Film Committee
(ITFC) founded by the late Klaus Behrndt
(USA) at Boston in 1968, on the occasion
of the International Conference on Thin
Films. Chairmen after Behrndt were
C. A. Neugebauer (USA), M. Auwärter (A)
and F. Abeles (F). It was at the International
Conference on Thin Films at Loughborough
in 1978 that Auwärter resigned and the ITFC
elected Abeles as the new Chairman who
subsequently became Chairman of the new
Thin Film Division of the IUVSTA. At the time of
its formation, the Division Committee co-opted
the former members of the ITFC as a result of
negotiations between Auwärter and Preuss.
Under the Union’s present statutes, the
Divisions are one of the four organs of
the Union responsible for prescribed
areas within the Union’s general field
of scientific and technical interest.
Initially each Division developed its own
statutes. However, in the lead-up to
the General Meeting in Birmingham in
1998, the STD supervised the drafting
of a common set of statutes for the
Divisions, although special clauses
could be included for policy which was
specific to any one Division.