Brian Ridley facts for kids

Brian Kidd Ridley, born on March 2, 1931, is a British physicist. He is known for his work on semiconductors. These are special materials used in computers and electronics. He is a retired professor from the University of Essex.

His School Days

Brian Ridley studied at the University of Durham in England. He earned his first degree in physics in 1953. He then continued his studies and completed his doctorate in 1957.

His Career

Brian Ridley started his career as a research physicist in 1956. He worked at the Mullard Research Laboratories in Redhill, Surrey. In 1964, he joined the University of Essex. He began as a physics lecturer.

Over the years, he became a senior lecturer in 1967. He was then made a reader in 1971. Finally, he became a full professor of physics in 1984. He retired from the university in 2008.

Professor Ridley also worked at many other famous universities. He was a visiting professor at Cornell University and the Danish Technical University. He also did research at places like Princeton University, Stanford University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

His Discoveries

Professor Ridley did important research on semiconductors. He studied how electrons move inside these materials. He looked at things like "negative differential resistance" (NDR). This is a special way materials behave.

In the early 1960s, he made a big discovery. He helped find the "electron transfer mechanism." This is also called the Ridley–Watkins–Hilsum theory. This discovery helped create Gunn diodes. These are devices used to make microwaves.

He also found a new way that NDR happens. He showed it existed in a material called germanium. He was the first to explain what happens when NDR becomes unstable. This leads to special patterns called "dipole domains." These patterns have been seen in many different solids.

His work on "acoustoelectric instabilities" was also very important. This led him to invent something like a "microsonic laser." He also helped explain how electrons move inside solids. This included how they scatter off impurities. His book, Quantum Processes in Semiconductors, is used by many students.

Professor Ridley also wrote popular science books. These books explain science to everyone. His book Time, Space and Things (1976) was translated into many languages. He also wrote The Physical Environment (1979) and On Science (2001).

Awards and Honours

Brian Ridley has received many important awards. In 1994, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.

In 2001, he received the Dirac Medal. The Institute of Physics gave him this award. It was to recognise his four decades of work. His research greatly influenced the theory of semiconductors.