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Paris, January 11, 2007

The 2007 Japan Prize awarded to the french physicist Albert Fert

The 2007 Japan Prize has been awarded to Albert Fert, Professor at the University of Paris-Sud 11, Scientific Director at the CNRS/Thales Joint Physics Unit (associated with the University of Paris-Sud 11), and winner of the CNRS Gold Medal in 2003. It rewards his discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and his contribution to the development of spin electronics, or spintronics. GMR was in particular at the origin of high-performance magnetic read heads, which are today used in all hard drives. The prize was also awarded to Peter Grünberg, who with his team in Jülich, Germany, obtained similar experimental results at almost exactly the same time.

Catherine Bréchignac, Head of CNRS, Dominique Vernay, Technical Director at Thales and Anita Bersellini, President of the University of Paris-Sud 11 are delighted and honored by this award, which reflects the quality of French research and its recognition by the Japanese scientific community. This success also shows the power of partnership between public research and industry, helping to bring about a knowledge-based society which has a real impact on the business world.

 

The japan prize: a prize awarded by the science and technology foundation of japan

For the last 23 years, the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan has awarded the Japan prize to people at the origin of an internationally recognized scientific and technological advance, thus contributing to 'the peace and prosperity of humankind'(1).

 

The prize covers all existing scientific and technological fields.  Every year it rewards work carried out in two specific areas. In 2007, these are 'innovative devices inspired by fundamental research' and 'harmonious coexistence between science and technology'. Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg have been awarded the Japan Prize in the first category. The prize brings with it a total of 50 million yen (about €325 000). The award ceremony will take place in Tokyo in April, in the presence of their Majesties the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko.

 

Spin enters the world of electronics

Albert Fert's research in the field of nanosciences, and especially his discovery of giant magnetoresistance, has already had a major impact on information and communications technologies. Since 1997, all hard disk drive read heads have used the giant magnetoresistance of magnetic multilayers in order to read the information recorded on magnetic disks. The performance of such heads has made it possible to multiply the amount of information stored on one disk a hundredfold.

 

Giant magnetoresistance was discovered in 1988 as part of a collaboration between a team led by Albert Fert (CNRS/Université Paris-Sud 11) and Thales (then Thomson-CSF). The discovery led to the emergence of a new kind of electronics, called spintronics, which, like GMR, makes use of the influence of electron spin on electrical conduction.  Albert Fert and the CNRS/Thales Joint Physics Unit have made a significant contribution to the development of spintronics, especially in the field of so-called spin transfer phenomena, which will have major applications such as the switching of magnetic memory devices and the construction of radiofrequency/hyperfrequency oscillators for professional electronics. Spintronics is today a booming nanoscience. The trend is toward hybrid systems that associate magnetic materials with semiconductors or molecules, which promises numerous applications in the fields of information technology and telecommunications.

 

Albert Fert

© Other images of Albert Fert can be obtained from the CNRS photo library (photothèque du CNRS). 01 45 07 57 90 –phototheque@cnrs-bellevue.fr

Albert Fert

Notes:

1) The three previous French prize winners are:Luc Montagner (1988, AIDS retrovirus), Xavier Le Pichon (1990, plate tectonics), Jacques-Louis Lions (1991, mathematics)

References:

Albert Fert was born in Carcassonne on 7 March 1938. He is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and a Doctor in Physical Sciences. From 1962 to 1976; Albert Fert was a lecturer at the University of Grenoble, and then at the University of Paris-Sud 11. In 1976 he was appointed Professor at the University of Paris-Sud 11. From 1970 to 1995, Albert Fert led a research team at the Solid State Physics Laboratory (Laboratoire de physique des solides ) at the Faculty of Sciences at Orsay. In 1995 he was one of the founders of the CNRS/Thales Joint Physics Unit. He is a Member of the French Academy of Sciences.
All through his career, Albert Fert has won numerous awards:
- International Prize for New Materials, American Physical Society (1994)
- Magnetism Award, International Union for Pure and Applied Physics (1994)
- Grand prix de physique Jean Ricard, Société Française de Physique (1994)
- Hewlett-Packard Europhysics Prize, European Physical Society (1997)
- CNRS Gold Medal 2003
He has published nearly 300 articles, one of which figures in the top ten most quoted articles in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Contact information:

Researcher
Albert Fert
T 01 69 41 58 64
albert.fert@thalesgroup.com

Press
CNRS
Cécile Pérol
T 01 44 96 43 09
cecile.perol@cnrs-dir.fr

Thales
Grégoire de Rubiana
T 01 57 77 85 42
gregoire.derubiana@thalesgroup.com

Université Paris-sud 11
Claire Laval-Jocteur
T 01 69 15 81 18
claire.laval-jocteur@u-psud.fr

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