Zhores Alferov

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanovich and the family name is Alferov.
Zhores Alferov
Жорес Алфёров
Alferov in 2016
Member of the State Duma (Party List Seat)
In office
17 January 1996 – 1 March 2019
Succeeded byMikhail Berulava
Personal details
BornZhores Ivanovich Alferov
(1930-03-15)15 March 1930
Vitebsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Died1 March 2019(2019-03-01) (aged 88)
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Party
  • NDR (1995–1999)
  • CPRF (1999–2019)
SpouseTamara Darskaya
Children2
Alma mater
Known for
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsSolid-state physics
InstitutionsIoffe Institute
ThesisГетеропереходы в полупроводниках (1970)
Notable students

Zhores Ivanovich Alferov[a] (15 March 1930 – 1 March 2019) was a Russian[2][3] applied physicist who contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics. In 2000, Alferov shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of the semiconductor heterojunction for optoelectronics.[4] He also became a politician in his later life, serving in the State Duma as a member of the Communist Party from 1999.

Early life and career

Zhores Ivanovich Alferov was born on 15 March 1930 in Vitebsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union, the son of Ivan Karpovich Alferov and Anna Vladimirovna.[5]

In 1952, Alferov graduated from the Electronics Department of V. I. Ulyanov Electrotechnical Institute in Leningrad. The following year, he joined the staff of the Ioffe Institute, becoming its director in 1987. He obtained his Candidate of Sciences in Technology in 1961 and his Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics in 1970, both from the Ioffe Institute.[6]

Alferov was elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union in 1972, and a full member in 1979. From 1989, he was Vice-President of the USSR Academy of Sciences and President of its Saint Petersburg Scientific Center.[6]

Research

Alferov worked with a group led by Vladimir Tuchkevich, who became director of the Ioffe Institute in 1967, on planar semiconductor amplifiers for use in radio receivers.[7]: 125–128  These planar semiconductor amplifiers would be referred to as transistors in the present day. His contribution included work on germanium diodes for use as a rectifier.

In the early 1960s, Alferov organized an effort at Ioffe Institute to develop semiconductor heterostructures. Heterojunction transistors enabled higher frequency use than their homojunction predecessors, and this capability plays a key role in modern mobile phone and satellite communications. Alferov and colleagues worked on GaAs and AlAs III-V heterojunctions. A particular focus was the use of heterojunctions to create semiconductor lasers capable of lasing at room temperature. In 1963, Alferov filed a patent application proposing double-heterostructure lasers; Herbert Kroemer independently filed a US patent several months later.[8][9] In 1966, Alferov's lab created the first lasers based on heterostructures, although they did not lase continuously. Then in 1968, Alferov and coworkers produced the first continuous-wave semiconductor heterojunction laser operating at room temperature.[7]: 163–167  This achievement came a month ahead of Izuo Hayashi and Morton Panish of Bell Labs also producing a continuous-wave room-temperature heterojunction laser.[10]

It was for this work that Alferov received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Herbert Kroemer "for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics."[11][12][13]

In the 1960s and 1970s Alferov continued his work on the physics and technology of semiconductor heterostructures in his lab at the Ioffe Institute. His investigations of injection properties of semiconductors and his contributions to the development of lasers, solar cells, LEDs, and epitaxy processes led to the creation of modern heterojunction physics and electronics.[11] The development of semiconductor heterojunctions revolutionized semiconductor design, and had a range of immediate commercial applications—including LEDs, barcode readers, and CDs.[11] Hermann Grimmeiss of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards Nobel Prizes, said: "Without Alferov, it would not be possible to transfer all the information from satellites down to the Earth or to have so many telephone lines between cities."[14]

Alferov had an almost messianic conception of heterostructures, writing: "Many scientists have contributed to this remarkable progress, which not only determines in large measure the future prospects of solid state physics but in a certain sense affects the future of human society as well."[15]

Scientific administration

In 1987, Alferov became the fifth director of the Ioffe Institute. In 1989, Alferov gained the administrative position of chairman of the Leningrad Scientific Center, now referred to as the St. Petersburg Scientific Center. In the Leningrad region, this scientific center is an overarching organization comprising 70 institutions, organizations, enterprises, and scientific societies.[7]: 196 

Alferov worked to foster relationships between early educational institutions and scientific research institutions to train the next generation of scientists, citing Peter the Great's vision for the Russian Academy of Sciences to be organized with a scientific research core in close contact with a gymnasium (secondary school).[7]: 199  In 1987, Alferov and colleagues at the Ioffe Institute established a secondary school in Saint Petersburg, the School of Physics and Technology, under the umbrella of the Ioffe charter. In 1997 Alferov founded the Research and Education Center at the Ioffe Institute and in 2002, this center officially became the Saint Petersburg Academic University after gaining a charter to award masters and PhD degrees.

In the 2000s, through his role in academic administration and in parliament, Alferov advocated for and worked to advance Russia's nanotechnology sector. The primary research charter of the Saint Petersburg Academic University, which Alferov founded, was the development of nanotechnology.[16] Alferov provided a consistent voice in parliament in favor of increased scientific funding. In 2006, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov announced the creation of a federal agency, Rosnanotekh, to pursue nanotechnology applications.

Political career

Alferov meeting President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, 2000.

Alferov was elected to the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, in 1995 as a deputy for the political party Our Home – Russia, generally considered to be supportive of the policies of President Boris Yeltsin.[17] In 1999, he was elected again, this time on the list of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. He was re-elected in 2003 and again in 2007, when he was placed second on the party's federal electoral list behind Gennady Zyuganov and ahead of Nikolai Kharitonov, even though he was not a member of the party.[18]

Non-profit service

Alferov served on the advisory council of CRDF Global.[19]

Personal life

His wife was named Tamara Darskaya. Together they had two children; a son, Ivan, and a daughter, Olga.[20]

Alferov was an atheist and expressed objections to religious education.[21] He was one of the signers of the open letter to President Vladimir Putin from members of the Russian Academy of Sciences against clericalization of Russia.[22]

Death

Since November 2018, Alferov suffered from hypertensive emergency. He died on 1 March 2019 in Saint Petersburg at the age of 88.[23][20]

Recognition

With Dmitry Medvedev, 15 March 2010

International awards

Year Organization Award Citation Ref.
1971 United States Franklin Institute Stuart Ballantine Medal "For the double-heterostructure injection laser." [24]
1978 Switzerland European Physical Society EPS Europhysics Prize "For heterojunctions." [25]
2000 Sweden Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Nobel Prize in Physics[b] "For developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics." [4]
2000 United States Optical Society of America Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award "For his original investigations of heterostructure injection lasers and cw room temperature semiconductor lasers." [26]
2001 Japan Inamori Foundation Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology[c] "A Pioneering Step in the Development of Optoelectronics through Success in Continuous Operation of Semiconductor Lasers at Room Temperature." [27]
2002 United States SPIE SPIE Gold Medal [28]
2005 Russia Global Energy Association Global Energy Prize[d] "For research and practical contribution to creation of semi-conductor energy converters for use in solar and electrical energy applications." [29]

Russian awards

Year Institution Award Citation Ref.
1999 Demidov Science Foundation Demidov Prize "Outstanding contributions to the physics of semiconductors and semiconductor quantum electronics" [30]
2001 Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of the Russian Federation State Prize of the Russian Federation "Fundamental research into the processes of formation and properties of heterostructures with quantum dots and developing lasers based on them" [31]

Memberships

Year Organization Type Ref.
1990 United States National Academy of Sciences International Member [32]
1990 United States National Academy of Engineering International Member [33]
2001 United States Optical Society of America Optica Fellow [34]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Russian: Жорес Иванович Алфёров, pronounced [ʐɐˈrɛs ɨˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ɐlˈfʲɵrəf]
  2. ^ Awarded jointly with Jack Kilby and Herbert Kroemer.
  3. ^ Awarded jointly with Izuo Hayashi and Morton Panish.
  4. ^ Awarded jointly with Klaus Riedle.

References

  1. ^ "Physics Tree - Zhores I. Alferov". academictree.org. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  2. ^ Meissner, Dirk; Gokhberg, Leonid; Saritas, Ozcan (2019). Emerging Technologies for Economic Development. Springer International Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-3-030-04368-1.
  3. ^ Petrova-Koch, Vesselinka; Hezel, Rudolf; Goetzberger, Adolf (2020). High-Efficient Low-Cost Photovoltaics: Recent Developments. Springer. p. 11. ISBN 978-3-030-22864-4.
  4. ^ a b "Nobel Prize in Physics 2000". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  5. ^ "Zhores Alferov – Biographical". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Zhores I. Alferov". old.ioffe.ru. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d Josephson, Paul R. (2010). Lenin's Laureate: Zhores Alferov's Life in Communist Science. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-29150-7.
  8. ^ Popov, Yuri (2004). "On the history of the invention of the injection laser". Physics-Uspekhi. 47 (10): 1068–1070. doi:10.1070/PU2004v047n10ABEH002077. S2CID 250760666.
  9. ^ Casey, Horace Craig; Panish, M. B. (1978). Heterostructure lasers: Fundamental principles. Academic Press. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-12-163101-7.
  10. ^ Hecht, Jeff (2004). City of light : the story of fiber optics (Rev. and expanded ed.). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford Univ. Press. pp. 151–155. ISBN 9780195162554.
  11. ^ a b c "The Nobel Prize in Physics 2000". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  12. ^ Alferov, Zhores I. (July 2001). "Nobel Lecture: The double heterostructure concept and its applications in physics, electronics, and technology". Reviews of Modern Physics. 73 (3): 767–782. Bibcode:2001RvMP...73..767A. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.73.767.
  13. ^ Kroemer, Herbert (July 2001). "Nobel Lecture: Quasielectric fields and band offsets: teaching electrons new tricks". Reviews of Modern Physics. 73 (3): 783–793. Bibcode:2001RvMP...73..783K. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.73.783.
  14. ^ "Russian and Americans share hi-tech Nobel". BBC News. 10 October 2000. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
  15. ^ Lib.semi.ac.cn Archived 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
  16. ^ "Fondazione Alferov Italia". 19 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  17. ^ Meissner, Dirk (2019). Emerging technologies for economic development. New York, NY: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. ISBN 978-3-030-04368-1.
  18. ^ Communists, Patriots Name Their Leaders Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Kommersant, 7 September 2007.
  19. ^ "Dr. Zhores I. Alferov". CRDF Global. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  20. ^ a b Mellow, Craig (2 March 2019). "Zhores Alferov, 88, Dies; Nobel Winner Paved Way for Laser Technology". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "Prominent Russians: Zhores Alferov". RT (TV network). Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  22. ^ ""Великий по всем меркам": умер Жорес Алферов". Газета.Ru. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Умер нобелевский лауреат Жорес Алферов" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  24. ^ "Zhores I. Alferov". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  25. ^ "EPS Europhysics Prize". www.eps.org. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  26. ^ "Nick Holonyak, Jr. Award". www.optica.org. Archived from the original on 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  27. ^ "Zhores Ivanovich Alferov". www.kyotoprize.org. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  28. ^ "Gold Medal of the Society". SPIE. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  29. ^ "Laureates". globalenergyprize.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  30. ^ Лауреаты Демидовской премии (in Russian). Russian Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  31. ^ Указ Президента РФ от 05.08.2002 № 831 (in Russian). Government of the Russian Federation. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  32. ^ "Zhores I. Alfërov". www.nasonline.org. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Dr. Zhores I. Alfërov". www.nae.edu. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  34. ^ "Zhores Ivanovich Alferov". www.optica.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhores_I._Alferov