David Gilbert Thomas
David Gilbert Thomas (born August 4, 1928 in London - † May 9, 2015 in Torrington (Connecticut) ) was a British-American chemist and physicist who dealt with solid-state physics.
Thomas attended Harrow School and a school in Vermont, studied chemistry at Oxford University with a bachelor's degree in 1949 and a master's degree in 1950 and received his doctorate in 1952 at Oxford. As a post-doctoral student he was at the Royal Military College in Kingston (Ontario) and from 1954 he was at Bell Laboratories , where he stayed until his retirement in 1992. Initially, he dealt with the chemistry of semiconductors. In 1962 he became head of research on semiconductor electronics there. In 1969 he became Executive Director of the Department of Electronic Devices and Materials and their Manufacturing. In 1976 he became Executive Director of the Transmission Systems Department, which developed various fiber optic systems (also in 1988 for underwater telephone cables between Europe and the USA). After retiring, he moved to Dallas.
He dealt in particular with the optical properties of semiconductors. In the 1960s he was involved in the development of light-emitting diodes made from gallium phosphide at Bell Laboratories. One of his seven patents (held with Willard S. Boyle) was important in the development of the semiconductor injection laser.
In 1969 he and John Hopfield received the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize for research on the optics of semiconductors ( excitons, among others).
In 1960 he became a US citizen.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thomas, David Gilbert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British-American chemist and physicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th August 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 9, 2015 |
| Place of death | Torrington (Connecticut) |