Alec Broers, Baron Broers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Broers FRS FMedSci FREng
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
In office 1996–2003
Chancellor	The Duke of Edinburgh
Preceded by	David Glyndwr Tudor Williams
Succeeded by	Alison Richard
Personal details
Born	(1938-09-17) 17 September 1938 (age 86) Calcutta, British Raj
Alma mater	Geelong Grammar School Melbourne University University of Cambridge
4th Master of Churchill College, Cambridge
In office 1990–1996
Preceded by	Sir Hermann Bondi
Succeeded by	Sir John Boyd

Alec Nigel Broers, Baron Broers (born 17 September 1938) is a famous British electrical engineer. He is known for his important work in making tiny electronic parts.

In 1994, he became an international member of the National Academy of Engineering. This was because of his work with electron beams and microscopes. He also led the way in making very small devices.

Early Life and Education

Alec Broers was born in Calcutta, India. He spent parts of his childhood in Australia and the UK.

He went to school at Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Later, he studied at Melbourne University in Australia. He also attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, in England.

A Career in Engineering

After finishing his studies, Broers worked for IBM in the United States. He spent 19 years there, doing research and development.

In 1984, he returned to Cambridge, England. He became a Professor of Electrical Engineering. He also became a Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Broers is a pioneer in a field called nanotechnology. This is about creating and working with materials at a super tiny scale.

Leading at Cambridge

From 1990 to 1996, he was the Master of Churchill College, Cambridge. He also led the Cambridge University Engineering Department.

From 1996 to 2003, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University. This is like being the head of the entire university.

Public Service and Recognition

In 1998, he was made a Knight by the Queen. This means he could use "Sir" before his name.

In 2004, he became a life peer in the House of Lords. This means he became a member of the UK Parliament for life. He was then known as Baron Broers.

From 2004 to 2007, Lord Broers led the Science and Technology Committee in the House of Lords. He also served as President of the Royal Academy of Engineering from 2001 to 2006.

In 2008, Lord Broers became the chairman of the Diamond Light Source. This is a very large and important scientific facility in the United Kingdom.

Awards and Honours

Lord Broers has received many awards and honorary degrees. These come from universities and scientific groups around the world.

He is a member of important academies in the US, China, and Australia. In 1985, he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is also an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge.

Key Moments in His Career

• 1938: Born on September 17 in Calcutta, India.
• 1959: Earned his Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in physics from Melbourne University, Australia.
• 1965: Received his PhD from the University of Cambridge. His research was on using ion beams in microscopes.
• 1965: Began working as a researcher at IBM in the USA.
• 1977: Named an IBM Fellow, a special honor for top scientists at IBM.
• 1984: Returned to the University of Cambridge as a Professor of Electrical Engineering.
• 1990: Became Master of Churchill College.
• 1996: Appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
• 1998: Knighted for his contributions to education.
• 2001: Became President of The Royal Academy of Engineering.
• 2004: Granted a Life Peerage, becoming Lord Broers.
• 2005: Presented the Reith Lectures for the BBC, sharing his ideas on technology.
• 2008: Became Chairman of Diamond Light Source Ltd.

His Research: Making Things Super Small

Alec Broers started his research at the University of Cambridge in 1961. He worked on studying surfaces using a special microscope called a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

He improved the SEM to make it see even smaller details. He also used its electron beam to draw tiny patterns. Then, he used a process called ion etching to create structures as small as 40 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter – that's incredibly small! These were some of the first man-made nanostructures. They helped open the door for making electronic circuits much, much smaller.

Working at IBM

At IBM, Broers continued his work on making things tiny. He developed new electron guns for microscopes. These guns helped create clearer images and allowed for even smaller designs.

He and his team used these new electron beam methods to make the first silicon transistors that were micron-sized. A micron is one millionth of a meter. This showed that electronic devices could be made much smaller than people thought possible at the time.

Broers loved his research at IBM. He spent 16 years building new microscopes and equipment to create miniature components. He was given the freedom to explore his ideas, pushing the limits of what was then called "microfabrication."

Pioneering Nanofabrication

To make things even smaller, Broers and his colleague invented a thin membrane. This membrane helped them create metal structures smaller than 10 nanometers. Because these sizes were now in single nanometers, they started calling this process "nanofabrication." This term is now widely used for making things at the nanoscale.

When he returned to Cambridge, Lord Broers set up a new lab. He wanted to continue making things on an atomic scale. He modified a powerful microscope to create a tiny beam, about 0.3 nanometers wide. He used this system to build some of the smallest and fastest transistors ever made. His work helped pave the way for the tiny, powerful electronic devices we use today.

See Also

• Nanotechnology
• University of Cambridge

External sources

• The Reith lectures, 2005 were given by Lord Broers
• Interview with Lord Broers, Ingenia Magazine, March 2005
• Profile of Lord Broers
• Lord Broers on the triumph of technology, March 2005