Meet the man who made the digital world we live in possible

His idea was a radical one. All the semiconductor laser research of the time focussed on achieving a perfectly matched crystal lattice to make a high quality laser. In a quantum well laser there is an extremely thin layer of semiconducting crystals in which the laser light is generated. Alf's eureka moment - which came to him while he was walking on a beach at Bournemouth in 1986 - was that if the crystal lattice of this layer was grown in a way which put it deliberately under strain, it could be 'squashed' into a certain shape, producing a more controlled, concentrated beam of light while making more efficient use of electricity. The result, tested out in practice in the labs at the University of Surrey, is much higher data capacity using less electrical energy. Alf's idea of actively putting lasers under strain was met by scepticism from other researchers as it flew against the conventional wisdom of the time. So when he went out to British firms to tell them about the potential for the increased power and performance of strained layer lasers, no-one wanted to take the risk of backing the idea. Alf found support overseas, gaining interest from electronics firm Philips in Eindhoven. The R&D team there were immediately stunned by the difference in performance generated by Alf's approach. CD players were suddenly viable for a mass market, much smaller and cheaper, and the larger data capacity meant fast-processing of images, leading eventually to the development of DVDs and Blu-Ray. It's fair to say that the majority of all lasers being used around the world are now Alf's invention. They are everywhere, billions of them, around five in every home it's estimated. I was fortunate to study for my PhD under Alf, working with him on strained layer lasers during the 1990s to prove how much more effective the technology could be. My impression was of an extremely clever man, particularly in his ability to think around problems, to sit and stare and come up with something no-one had ever considered before. He's still active and in and out of the department, and that ability to use lateral thought to cut through conventional thinking is still clearly evident. Apart from the science, Alf was mainly interested in how his ideas could be applied and to develop something useful. His story is just one example of how work by universities on ground-breaking practical elements of technology can be taken for granted. Alf was quite deservedly made a Fellow of the Royal Society and worthy of wider recognition. Many people might despair at the thought of a lost fortune but he's well-known internationally within his field, had a brilliant and enjoyable career, and that's been immensely satisfying for him. The work begun by Alf has plenty more potential. At the Advanced Technology Institute we are now looking to find even faster and more efficient lasers. The biggest challenge currently is dealing with the consequences of the sheer success of Alf's work. The Internet currently consumes more than 1% of the world's total energy consumption, which is vast in itself, but the rise in demand for Internet services is exponential. The next generations of strained layer laser technology are already becoming available which will significantly reduce energy consumption and the environmental impact of the Internet, meaning more work in a UK university lab which should make life better for everyone. There's also work on strained layers for low energy lighting, portable environmental pollution monitoring sensors, and for beaming solar energy from space back to Earth. Now of course, the commercial partners are already on-board. Author profile Stephen Sweeney is Professor of Physics, Head of Photonics and EPSRC Leadership Fellow at the University of Surrey. Professor Alf Adams will present his research at an Inaugural Lecture at the Royal Society in London on Monday 27 February 2012, as part of Celebrate Surrey.