  A coronagraphic imaging survey of 65 nearby stars was conducted using the
Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) on the Hubble Space
Telescope by the Instrument Definition Team. Using these guaranteed time
observations we searched for very low mass stellar and substellar (extra-solar
giant planet and brown dwarf) companions to young main sequence and late M
dwarf stars. Nineteen additional stars, similarly observed in our circumstellar
disk program, were also examined for evidence of companions. We discuss the
large depth and dynamic range of these surveys which have given rise to several
putative and confirmed detections. Using follow-up spectrographic observations
obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) we have begun to
characterize the physical nature of the objects found in the companion search
program.
