Pioneering research and skills
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Legacy of light Ground-breaking research into strained layer quantum well lasers by Professor Alf Adams in the 1980s helped shape the modern world as we know it – and helped lay the foundations for several multi-billion pound industries. Supported by funding from EPSRC’s predecessor, SERC, Professor Adams’ research at the University of Surrey paved the way for a host of low-cost and low-power commercial and industrial products – from DVD and Blu-ray devices to supermarket barcode scanners. Research underpinned by this technology continues to this day. The internet, for example, relies on strained layer lasers. Rather than seek his fortune in industry, Professor Adams has remained in academia.
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