The discovery of high-temperature superconductors has given the tremendous influence on the growth technique of oxide thin-film materials. Since the great amount of research resources has been input into this field within a quite short period, remarkable progress in the growth techniques and skills has been achieved, and consequently, we can easily buy a growth machine specially designed for oxide thin films. We never ignore the contribution of Japanese researchers toward the progress in oxide thin-film research, by which we can upgrade the growth technique of oxide materials formerly regarded as `setomono' ceramics to the level of semiconductor materials where the crystal structure is artificially designed in an atomic-layer scale. These developments are now widely applied not only to superconductors but also to magnetic, ferroelectric, thermoelectric, and optic oxides. In this symposium, we survey the contemporary growth techniques of oxide thin films, and discuss various applications of these techniques to create a new functional material. We hope that not only the specialists of high-Tc superconductors but also those who are interested in thin-film growth will join this symposium.

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