Minsk, Belarus was the site of the NATO ARW on Wide Band-Gap electronic Materials May 3 through 6,1994; 143 participants and observers from 15 countries met for the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Wide Band-Gap Electronic Materials (NATO ARW). The meeting was marked by a remarkable free exchange between east and west on these topics by revealing technical achievements not widely known or available in the west because ofpast political climate or present economic realities in the Newly IndependentStates. The topics ranged from electron doping of diamond, n-type diamond, negative electron affinity ofdiamond, applications of aluminum nitride, doping ofboron nitride, wideband gap electronic applications, to nanophase diamond. Of the many high-lights during the scientific meetings, an energy sub band due to defects in the diamond lattice was described. These defects areresponsible for the light emission from a diamond Light Emitting Diode (LED) which was demonstrated at the NATO ARW. This diamond LED can emitred, green, and blue light. The potential for "high tech" nanostructure electronic devices such as quantum transistors was described which mightsome day revolutionize electronics.
The prospectsofaluminum nitride for acusto devices,piezodevices, and electroluminescencedevices were discussed.