Zhores Ivanovich Alferov

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Zhores Ivanovich Alferov (also Alfyorov) (Russian: Жоре́с Ива́нович Алфёров) (born March 15, 1930) is a Russian physicist who contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics.

Alferov was born in Vitebsk, Belarus, in a Belarusian - Jewish mixed family. In 1952 he graduated from V. I. Ulyanov (Lenin) Electrotechnical Institute in Leningrad (abbreviated to LETI). Since 1953 he has worked in the Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (Russian Academy of Sciences since 1991). From the Institute he earned several scientific degrees: a Candidate of Sciences in Technology in 1961 and a Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics in 1970. He has been director of the Institute since 1987. He was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1972, and a full member in 1979. From 1989 he has been Vice-President of the USSR (Russian since 1991) Academy of Sciences and President of its Saint Petersburg Scientific Center. Since 1995 he is a member of the State Duma representing the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

[edit] Research area

Since 1962 he has been working in the area of semiconductor heterostructures. His contributions to physics and technology of semiconductor heterostructures, especially investigations of injection properties, development of lasers, solar cells, LED's, and epitaxy processes have led to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics.