| Marc A. Kastner | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1945 Toronto, Canada |
| Residence | United States |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Fields | Physicist |
| Institutions | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Known for | Single electron transistor |
Marc A. Kastner (born November 20, 1945) is an American physicist and Donner Professor of Science and Dean of the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Kastner was born in Toronto, Canada on November 20, 1945. He completed his B.S. in Physics in 1967, M.S. in 1969 and Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Chicago.
Kastner was a Harvard Research Fellow from 1972 to 1973. He joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. He became Donner Professor of Science at MIT in 1989. He was appointed Department Head in February 1998. He became Dean of the School of Science at MIT in July 2007.
Kastner was a researcher on amorphous semiconductors. His early research focused on the relationship between chemical bonding and the electronic structure of defects in glasses.
In 1990, his group at MIT discovered the single electron transistor. It is a device in which electrostatic fields confine electrons to a small region of space inside a semiconductor. Single electron transistors turn on and off again every time one electron is added. In an interview, he said that the discovery that a transistor could turn on and off again every time an electron was added to it was one of the most astounding and exciting experiences of his life.
His recent research focused on the electronic properties of nanometer-size semiconductor structures and on the physics of high temperature (Tc ) superconductivity.