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GHB (Robin) Thompson
George Horace Brook Thompson, or Robin to friends and colleagues, was born on 02 March 1928 and is a British physicist and pioneer in the field of semiconductor lasers.

Robin's contributions to the understanding of semiconductor lasers over the past 60 years enabled Standard Telecommunications Laboratories (STL), an engineering company based in Harlow, UK, and its parent company Standard Telephones and Cables (STC), to become an international leader in the field of optical fibre communications.

Early Life and Education
Robin was born on 02 March 1928, in Bromley, Kent, United Kingdom, to Marjorie Thompson (née Sherrard), and Robert Denton Thompson, an Anglican Vicar. After leaving Sedbergh School, Robin attended Queen's College, University of Cambridge, UK and graduated with a degree in Natural Sciences Tripos in 1949. Later in 1967, Robin received a D.Phil in Physics from the University of Oxford, UK.

Semi Conductor Lasers
Following the completion of a D.Phil focusing on semi conductor lasers in 1967, Robin became part of a World class team at STL which developed many commercially successful devices and systems, including the first transatlantic optical cable.

In 1970, Robin invented the five-layer separate confinement hetero-structure (SCH), which is viewed as a global pivotal point impacting our daily lives. He observed that by separating the functions of confinement of electrons and the optical wave in laser structures, devices could be optimised for lower operating current, as well as higher output power, thus allowing more efficiency into fibers. This now forms the basis of 95% of semiconductor lasers - they are present in thousands of devices and applications, ranging from every day use in computers and DVD's to more sophisticated uses such as autonomous cars and facial recognition technology.

The global laser diode industry is worth $9 billion, and forecast to rise to $11.95 billion by 2029.

Semi Conductor Lasers and Optical Communications
Robin collaborated with Charles Kao (Nobel prize for Physics 2009) by providing accurate insight and more importantly foresight into laser technology, assisting Kao in the founding of the field of optical communications. The current success of optical communication owes as much to the development of semiconductor lasers as it does to optical fibers.

Notable Achievements and Awards

 * Intellectual property of and contributions to 110 papers and 40 patents
 * 1970 - inventor of the five-layer separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) which today forms the structural basis for 95% of all laser diodes
 * 1979 - awarded J.J Thomson Award for the publication "Deep proton isolated lasers and proton range data for InP and GaSb"
 * 1980 - author of the book The Physics of Semiconductor Laser Devices
 * 1981 - awarded J.J Thomson Award for the publication "Temperature dependence of threshold current in (GaIn) (AsP) DH lasers at 1.3 and 1.5μm wavelength"
 * 1992 - awarded Institute of Engineering and Technology J J Thomson Medal for Electronics

Personal Life
Robin shares his life with his wife Rosaleen, his six children and fourteen grandchildren. His hobbies include skiing, swimming, hill walking and gardening.