The 16th Course of the International School of Solid State Physics was intended to break artificial barriers between disciplines, and to gather people dealing with the properties and applications of silicides, regardless of their fields or practical goals. The Course assembled investigators concerned with theory as well as applications, and involved not only in electronics but also in the use of silicides for thermoelectric devices, and in structural applications, for example in jet engines.

This is the proceedings of a workshop which brought together researchers from universities and research institutes who work in the fields of (semiconductor) surface science, epitaxial growth, materials deposition and optical diagnostics relevant to (semiconductor) materials and structures of interest for present and anticipated (spin) electronic devices. The workshop assessed the capabilities of state-of-the-art optical techniques in elucidating the fundamental electronic and structural properties of semiconductor and metal surfaces, interfaces, thin layers, and layer structures, and examined...