Stranski and Krastanov: The Bulgarian Science Inside Your Smartphone | Странски и Кръстанов
Some of the most important ideas in modern electronics carry Bulgarian names. The Stranski–Krastanov growth mode is studied by materials scientists all over the world.
Two Bulgarian scientists
Ivan Stranski (Иван Странски, 1897–1979) was born in Sofia and became one of the founders of modern crystal growth theory. He taught at Sofia University and later at the Technical University of Berlin. His colleague Lyubomir Krastanov (Любомир Кръстанов, 1908–1977) was a physicist and meteorologist who later led the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
What they described
In 1938 they described how a thin film grows on a crystal surface: first as smooth, flat layers, then, after a few layers, as tiny three-dimensional islands. This became known as the Stranski–Krastanov mode.
Where it is used today
- Self-assembled quantum dots, tiny crystals with special light properties
- Semiconductor lasers and some LEDs
- Research into quantum computing and solar cells
Stranski also gave his name to the Kossel–Stranski model of crystal growth. Two Bulgarians from the 1930s are still cited in laboratories today.
More from this series: Famous Bulgarians and their gifts to the world
Top image: AI-generated illustration, not a photograph.
