ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate the role of vacua in a selection of technological products and scientific investigations. It is a rather arbitrary selection. The first four topics, vacuum-insulated panels, vacuum deposition of thin film coatings, microelectronic fabrication, and flat panel displays, are about products and processes that underlie technological accomplishments in the world around us. The subsequent five, the very large telescope, synchrotron radiation sources, controlled nuclear fusion, gravity wave detection, and lastly, the LEP and LHC in particle physics, are exciting scientific activities whose pursuit would not be possible without the expert knowledge and skills that vacuum scientists, engineers, and designers bring to each of them. In each of the nine examples, I have tried to introduce the subject and deal with the basic underlying physics in a reasonably thorough way before going on to outline the aspects of vacuum technology that are involved.
