PROF SIR JOHN AMBROSE FLEMING, F.R.S.
FLEMING VALVE CENTENARY CELEBRATION
1904 - 2004
100 Years of Electronics
30TH JUNE, 1ST JULY 2004
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONIC AND ELECTRICAL
ENGINEERING
Fleming Valve Centenary Celebrations
Dr John Mitchell and Prof Ian Boyd
Supported by the UCL Friends Programme
Front Cover Pictures: One of the Original Fleming Valves (Left), Portrait of Sir Ambrose Fleming (right) both from the UCL Fleming Collection
The Fleming Exhibition on the 7th Floor, New Engineering Building, Torrington Place. Available to view by appointment (fleming@ee.ucl.ac.uk). Display produced by Jessica
Beverly, James Gledhill, Rachael Holley, Julia Howard, Thomas Perrett, Lydia Saul, supervised by Paulette McManus and Ian Carroll.
The authors wish to thank Gillie Newman (UCL Collections), Gill Furlong (UCL Special Collections), Sarah Barnard (IEE Archives), Les Robert and Nick McAlpine (UCLimages)
and Louise Jamison (Marconi Archives) for their assistance with the material in this booklet.
For enquires regarding access to the Fleming Collection please contact: fleming@ee.ucl.ac.uk
Hand written note inside the front cover of Fleming’s copy of the ‘Fleming
Valve Case’ in the US patent court
Copyright UCL 2004. All images have been taken from the UCL Fleming Collection.
Every effort has been made to ascertain the copyright of all images.
Contents
Programme
2
Introduction
3
50th Anniversary
4
Who was Fleming?
5
Fleming the Man
6
Pioneering Wireless
8
The Thermionic Valve
10
The Department, 1904, 1954, 2004
14
History of the Department
16
Current Research
18
Timeline
20
1
Welcome
Over two days, on June 30th and July 1st, 2004 UCL is commemorating the centenary of
the invention of the thermionic valve on this campus in Central London. We cordially
welcome you to join us in these celebrations and to keep this booklet as a memento of the
occasion. You are invited to explore our exhibitions around the department, from the 5th
floor upwards, which highlight not only the valves and equipment, publications, and
other details of Fleming’s life and work, but also a snapshot summary of the department
today, some 119 years after its founding and Fleming’s appointment.
Programme
Wednesday 30th June 2004
10 am to 5 pm
Open Day of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, UCL
5th to 7th floor, New Engineering Building, Torrington Place
Thursday 1st July 2004
2 pm to 5 pm
Open Day
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, UCL
5th to 7th floor, New Engineering Building, Torrington Place
5.30 pm. to 6.45 pm. Keynote Lectures
Dr Sungook Hong, Seoul National University, S. Korea
"John Ambrose Fleming, 1885-1905: From Power to 'Ether' Engineering"
Prof Sir Eric Ash, CBE, Former Rector, Imperial College and Treasurer, The Royal Society
“How to save the Planet”
Prof. Arthur Winston, IEEE President,
Presentation of the IEEE Milestone.
Goldsmith’s Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health,
Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT
Drinks Reception
6.45 pm.
Malet Street Gardens, Malet Street.
Satellite Events
28th –30th June, IEEE Conference on the History of Electronics (CHE2004), Bletchley Park
1st—2nd July, IEE/IEEE/UCL/IEEJ, Fleming Centenary Conference, UCL
2
Introduction
One century ago, in November 1904, John
Ambrose Fleming FRS, Pender Professor at
UCL, filed patent No. 24,850 in Great
Britain, for a device called the Thermionic
Valve.
When inserted together with a
galvanometer, into a tuned electrical circuit,
it could be used as a very sensitive rectifying
detector of high frequency wireless currents,
known as radio waves. It was a major step
forward in the ‘wireless revolution’.
In November 1905, he patented the ‘Fleming Valve’ (No. 803684) in the USA. As
a rectifying diode, and forerunner to the triode valve and many related structures, it
can also be considered to be the device that gave birth to modern electronics.
In the ensuing years such valves, were largely superseded by ‘cat’s whiskers’, and
decades later most electron tubes, as they became generically known, were
gradually replaced by semiconductor diodes and transistors, which were
significantly smaller, cheaper, and more reliable. In time and in turn, even these
have been largely replaced by integrated circuits, better known as silicon chips.
Today, descendants of the original vacuum tube still play an important role in a
range of applications. They can be found in the power stages of radio and
television transmitters, in audio amplifiers, as detectors of optical and short
wavelength radiation, and in sensitive equipment that must be “radiation-hard”.
The Pender Electrical Engineering Laboratory, UCL
3
50th Anniversary—1954
The Jubilee Commemoration was celebrated by invited
guests on the 16th to 18th November 1954 in the
original Electrical Engineering Laboratories in the
South Quad of the College, and at the IEE by a series
of lectures opened by the Most Honourable Marquess
of Salisbury K.G.P.C., Lord President of the Council.
Lectures Presented were:
‘The Genesis of the Thermionic Valve’ by Professor
G . W. O. Howe, D.SC., LL.D., MIEE
‘Thermionic Devices from the Development of the
Triode up to 1939’
by Sir Edward Appleton, G.B.E., K.C.B., M.A., D.SC., LL.D.,
F.R.S., HON.M.I.E.E
‘Developments in Thermionic Devices since 1939’ by
J. Thomson, M.A., PH.D., D.SC.,M.I.E.E.
Erected to commemorate the life and work of Sir Ambrose Fleming, a former student and Professor of the College and the
inventor of the Thermionic Valve. The plaque which adjoins the laboratory in which the valve was first applied to detect high
frequency waves, was unveiled on the 16th November 1954, the 50th anniversary of the filing of the original patent
specification.
The plaque was unveiled by The Most Honourable, the Marquess of Salisbury, Lord President of the Council on November
16th, 1954, in the presence of Lady Fleming.
4
Who was Fleming?
Professor Sir John Ambrose Fleming was one of the great
pioneers of Electronics and Radio Telegraphy. Best
known as the inventor of the Thermionic Valve, he also
made significant contributions to teaching and research in
photometry, radio and electrical measurement technology.
Author of more than 100 papers and books, his name is
incontrovertibly linked to the left- and right- hand rule
mnemonics used by students worldwide to remember the
relative directions of field, current and force in electrical
machines.
It is little known that Fleming delivered his first lecture
(on electromagnetic phenomena) at the age of thirteen. At
sixteen he enrolled at University College London (UCL)
and, largely funding himself, achieved a first class BSc
degree.
Following several teaching, laboratory and
postgraduate study positions, he then obtained a DSc
degree on “Electricity treated experimentally” in London
and a 1st class BA in Chemistry and Physics at Cambridge,
where he was subsequently appointed lecturer in Applied
Mechanics. In 1881, he became Professor of Maths and
Physics at Nottingham at the age of 32.
Electricity and photometry were very central to Fleming’s interests. For the following decade he was
consultant electrician to the Edison Electric Light (later Edison Swan) Company. During this time he
advised several city corporations on new Ferranti alternating current systems and lighting installations,
designed some of the first electronic lighting systems for ships and also visited the USA.
In 1885, Fleming became the first occupant of the chair of electrical engineering at UCL, a post he held
for more than 4 decades, and in the ensuing years he recorded his pioneering meticulous studies with
Edison and Swan lamps, for which he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1892.
Observing Marconi’s wireless demonstrations at Bournemouth in April 1898 at first hand had a profound
effect on Fleming, prompting him to write to “The Times” on April 3rd, 1899, foretelling a great future for
this new method of communication. By May 9th, Fleming was unanimously elected as Scientific Advisor
to the Marconi Company for a fee of £300/annum. He was prime advisor and designer of the apparatus
used in 1901 for the first transatlantic transmission of wireless signals. In so doing, he also invented the
cymometer, a form of wavemeter, some models of which could measure radio wavelengths “up to 20,000
feet or so”.
Fleming recognised the sensitivity weakness of the “coherer” device used for radiowave detection and
referring to his previous work with modified Edison lamps, solved the problem by inventing the
Thermionic Valve – a modified Edison lamp. It was a revolutionary idea which laid the foundations for
modern electronics, and a myriad of vacuum tube (as they became known in the USA) devices over the
ensuing decades, and indeed, century.
Fleming was rewarded
with many distinctions for
his work, including the
Gold Medal of the Royal
Society of Arts, the
Hughes medal of the Royal
Society, the Kelvin and
Faraday Medals of the
Institution of Electrical
Engineers, the Gold medal
of the Institute of Radio
Engineers, and the Franklin
Medal of the Franklin
Institute, in addition to a
knighthood in 1929.
5
Fleming the Man
John Ambrose Fleming was born in Lancaster on the 29th November, 1849. The eldest of seven
children of James Fleming, then minister of the local Congregational Chapel, Fleming showed a
number of childhood traits in common with many other scientific greats – a thirst for scientific
knowledge and an intuition for practical invention – that would lead him from a bedroom
experimenter to a renowned Engineer and Pioneer of the Electronic age.
After relocating to London’s Tufnell Park when his father took charge of the Kentish Town
Congregational Chapel, Fleming’s interest in the industrial age was fuelled by train journeys to
his maternal grandfather’s Portland cement factory in Greenhithe, in Kent. John Bazley White,
one of the pioneers of Portland cement, was just one of a number of public luminaries in
Fleming’s close family. Others included Mrs Ellen Ranyard, founder of the Ranyard
Biblewomen’s Mission and Rev Edward White, author and preacher.
His early education left the young Fleming with the
desire for more practical science and formed his viewed
of education that learning by rote was not an ideal form
for enlightening young minds to the wonders of science.
At about 11 years old he was given a box of magnetic
toys, while a little later Fleming began to practise
photography, coating and fixing his own glass plates to
be used in his home built camera made from a cigar box.
This thrill of practical science was enforced by regular
visits to the “Polytechnic” in Regent Street, whose aim it
was to interest the public in Science. Most importantly
the experience of a lecture by a family friend, Mr Dixon,
introduced Fleming to wonders of electricity. This led to
Fleming devoting his pocket money to jam pots, zinc and
copper plates, copper wire and sulphuric acid in order to
construct voltaic batteries, Leyden jars and
Sir Oliver Lodge
electromagnets. In common with many scientific greats
such as Maxwell, Faraday and Davy, Fleming took great
pride in giving ‘public’ demonstrations of his experiments to friends and family, including asking
the audience to link hands so that a small shock could be sent around the line.
At the age of 14, Fleming was sent to University College School, a progressive establishment
which unusually for the time prided itself on conducting education without corporal punishment.
It was while here, as his parents’ thoughts turned to his future, that Fleming, with his love of
machines decided that a career as an Engineer would be most suitable. However, the common
route of being articled to an engineering firm was not a option due to the often large payment
involved. Instead Fleming prepared for the London Matriculation examination of the University
of London. With this completed at the age of 16, enrolment into University College London to
study the degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc) followed. Here the influence of great men of
science and mathematics such as Augustus de Morgan, Alexander Williamson and Carey Foster
took effect. In the years up to his successful completion of the BSc in 1870, Fleming took
employment both copying plans in a shipbuilders in Dublin and as a clerk on the London Stock
Exchange. After being awarded the degree in the First Division, Fleming took a position as
science master at Rossall College, a boys’ public school near Blackpool. However, it was not
long before the yearning to enhance his scientific knowledge brought Fleming back to London as
an assistant to Dr Edward Frankland at the Science Schools in Exhibition Road, SW1. It was here
he was to meet Oliver Lodge who was to become a life long friend (Sir Oliver Lodge contributed
the preface to Fleming’s autobiography) despite a number of disagreements over the work of
Marconi.
After 2 years Fleming returned to remunerative teaching work, this time as a science teacher at
Cheltenham College which was to encourage and nurture a distinctive characteristic of his
teaching, the use of laboratory experiments in the teaching of science. Despite entering a poorly
6
equipped laboratory, Fleming soon constructed chemical and physical
apparatus for his use in class. At this time a second-hand copy of the
three volumes of Faraday’s Researches on Electricity was inspiring
further free-time experimentation and, in turn, introduced the work of
James Clerk Maxwell. Once again, the cycle of transitions from teacher
to student would repeat, this time with Fleming winning a scholarship
to St John’s College, Cambridge to study in the Cavendish laboratories
under Maxwell, often being one of only two students who attended his
ingenious but highly complex lectures.
James Clerk Maxwell
In November 1879 Fleming was to be dealt a double blow. On
November 5th his great mentor, Maxwell, died having been ill for most
of the year, 6 months after giving his last lecture. Five days later on
Nov 10th, Fleming’s father died after a short illness. This was all only a
few months after Fleming had been awarded the degree of Doctor of
Science in the University of London on the subject of “Electricity
treated Experimentally”. In order to fulfil his now increased family
obligations, Fleming took an appointment as demonstrator in
Mechanism and teacher in the Drawing Office under Prof James Stuart
which allowed him to continue his studies at Cambridge.
Fleming once more returned to teaching, taking the first Professorship
of Physics and Mathematics at the newly inaugurated University
College, Nottingham. This was a position that he would hold only for a
few months. In the previous few years a number of exciting
developments had furthered the use of electricity and opened new
opportunities for men such as Fleming. In 1876 Alexander Graham
Bell had patented the telephone, in 1878 David Hughes invented a
carbon microphone, while a year later the electric lamp was
introduced.
So it was that in the early part of 1882 Fleming took the appointment
of “Electrician” to the Edison Electrical Light Company, who were
constructing large dynamos to drive electric lighting systems, and in
particular the 1882 Electrical Exhibition at the Crystal Place. In 1884, a
year after being invited to give a series of lectures, Fleming was to
receive an invitation to occupy the newly formed Chair of Electrical
Technology (later Engineering) at University College London, a post
he was to hold for 42 years.
Thomas Edison
Fleming’s Hand Rules
Fleming’s left and right hand rules were
mnemonics devised to assist students in
remembering the relative directions of field
current and force in electrical machines, the left
hand referring to motors and the right hand to
generators. In a dynamo, the thumb represents
the motion, the first finger the field and the
second finger the current.
Taken from a glass lantern slide drawn by Fleming himself.
7
Pioneering Wireless In the mind of many, the most famous pioneer of
wireless is undoubtedly Guglielmo Marconi. However,
in common with many great technological
developments, a raft of other contributors made these
achievements possible.
Guglielmo Marconi
In 1896, Marconi arrived in England with his “secret
box” much to the fascination of the public and the
disdain of the upper echelons of the British Scientific
Establishment. Fleming’s first opportunity to see a
practical demonstration of wireless telegraphy was in
April 1898 while on holiday in Bournemouth. In his
memoirs he recalls his astonishment when a telegraphic
instrument printed the Morse Code message
“Compliments to Professor Fleming” which had been
transmitted across 12 miles of sea. The following year
Fleming wrote a long letter to The Times describing his
inspections of Marconi’s experiments and was asked to
become Scientific Advisor to the Marconi Company
with a fee of £300 per annum.
At first Fleming’s main role was to add scientific authority to Marconi’s work. However, soon
Marconi’s mind turned to trying to extend the reach of his system across the Atlantic. Fleming
describes how “he had only up to that time used apparatus which might be called laboratory
apparatus. But as I added some experience in the use of powerful high tension alternating
current in electric lighting, the Marconi Company engaged me to design the power station and
the plant that was necessary for long distance wireless transmission. A site was selected at
Poldhu, a lonely spot on the coast of Cornwall.”
Fleming was tasked with designing the power plant capable of transmitting across the Atlantic.
The plant included a 25-horsepower Mather and Platt alternator, a 32-horsepower engine and two
transformers which were capable of producing 20,000 volts. Included in the design was also a
new form of large capacity condenser devised by Fleming.
After more than a year of
experimentation in the laboratory at UCL
and at the test site in Poldhu, full tests
started in July 1901. Despite problems
with aerials (they were highly susceptible
to wind damage), by early November
1901, Marconi was ready to attempt
transmission. He sent a telegram to his
assistants in Poldhu to begin transmitting
the test sequence, ‘SSS’ on the 11th
December. Due to bad weather on the
11th no reception was possible.
However, at 12.30 pm and again at 1.10
pm and 2.20 pm on the 12th December
1901, the message ‘SSS’ was received.
This propelled Marconi to even greater
fame. However, Fleming felt that the
credit was not shared as well as he
perhaps deserved. Marconi was quick to
reassure Fleming and in response he
continued to support Marconi’s work.
Transatlantic Radio Transmission Memorial
8
Scientific Advisor to the Marconi Company
The device used to receive the wireless
signals was called a coherer. Although a
number of different designs were used
the basic principle involved a small tube
of metal filings that would conduct (or
cohere) when excited by a radio wave. A
particular difficulty of the design of
these devices was to find a way to ‘break
up’ the filings between symbols.
Marconi’s early design incorporated a
clockwork ‘tapper’ to tap the tube and
break the connection.
This device, although the cornerstone of
the first success, did not provide great
reliability. Fleming, amongst many
others sought to develop an improved
Circle of masts at Poldhu, Cornwall
device. The deeper motivation for this has
been discussed by a number of authors.
Some have argued that Fleming’s
increased deafness, which had affected
much of his life, led him to look for a
device that could be easily viewed on a
galvanometer. From recently discovered
literature, Hong suggests that following a
incident where a public demonstration by
Fleming was sabotaged (the Maskelyne
†
Affair) the Marconi Company were
unsure of Fleming’s future use to the
company. His focus on finding a new
device was a response to renew his
relationship with the company and secure
his future position.
Condensers at the Poldhu wireless station
Whatever the reason for his interest, the
result of his work came to fruition in 1904.
†
For further details see: ”Wireless: From Marconi’s Black-Box to
the Audion” Sungook Hong, MIT Press.
9
The Thermionic Valve
The story of the invention of the valve goes back to the early
1880’s, when several scientists became concerned with the
discoloration of the inside surface of the glass envelope of
incandescent lamps during their operation. Fleming had just
become scientific advisor to the Edison Company and his
instinctive interest in physical phenomena led him to begin to
study the underlying phenomena of this bulb darkening and
more specifically, why the carbon filaments broke so easily.
In Fleming’s experiments of 1882 and 1883, he noticed that
inside most of the burned-out bulbs, a fine line was present in
the plane of the filament that did not get coated. This welldefined strand of clear glass had obviously been masked by the
shadow of the unburnt filament from the carbon evaporating
from the hot spot that eventually led to the lamp failure.
Edison himself performed experiments in 1883 with
metal plate inserts in an attempt to minimise this
blackening effect, found to originate from the
filament itself. He found that while no current
flowed in the plate circuit when connected to the
negative terminal of the filament supply, a small
current flowed if it was connected to the positive
electrode. In 1884, Sir William Preece also studied
this “Edison Effect”, and concluded that it was
associated with the evaporation of carbon molecules
in straight lines. However, the effect was not fully
explained, nor did anyone attempt to make use of the
phenomenon.
In 1888, some three years after his appointment at
UCL, Fleming found a small amount of time to
further explore this line of study using metal plates
and also cylinders. By altering the position of these
around the filament he found he could vary the
intensity of particle emission and even stop it
altogether.
THE EDISON EFFECT
It was noticed that lamps with carbon filaments,
the interior of the bulb would darken over time
with the exception of a thin line where the
carbon deposit was lighter. Edison concluded
that minute carbon particles were being thrown
off the negative end of the filament.
Inserting an electrically insulated plate in the
centre of the filament it was seen that if the
plate was connected to the positive end of the
filament, a current flowed, but the current
ceased if a connection was made to the
negative end.
10
Furthermore, he also discovered he
could actually rectify alternating
currents under specific conditions –
not just at frequencies
commercially available but also at
those used in wireless. He was
honoured with election as a Fellow
of the Royal Society for these
Edison Lamp studies.
The Edison Effect ceased to attract
any further attention and by 1899,
Fleming had become scientific
advisor to the Marconi company,
where he designed and built the
huge transmitter required for
transatlantic wireless propagation
which was successfully achieved in
1901.
DIODE VALVE
VALVE - Named by
Fleming because it allows
currents to pass only in
one direction.
DIODE - from the Greek,
“di” means two, referring
to the two electrodes
contained in the valve.
Despite the success of the powerful Flemingdesigned transmitter, the detection sub-system
was still limited to the use of the rather primitive
and insensitive “coherer” device, and Fleming
began to realise this could severely limit the
application of wireless communication.
Alternative chemical rectifiers were explored but
none were satisfactory. Fleming then writes that
he thought, “Why not try the lamps?”. Taking
one from a cupboard where it had been stored for
21 years, and incorporating it into a specially
tuned circuit with a galvanometer, he found that a
steady state current easily registered the
oscillations emitted by an identically tuned circuit
positioned nearby. He had once again rectified
high frequency currents, but this time for a
necessary application.
Fleming made several
modifications
and
improvements to the design
and patented the invention on
November 16, 1904. Over
the following years, he
continued to modify and
optimise the detector to
include tungsten filaments
and a protecting shield and it
was incorporated into the
Fleming-Marconi receiver.
Fleming’s first wireless valve compared with Marconi’s
coherer, which it replaced.
Fleming called the detector
an ‘oscillation valve’ and
later the Fleming valve. In
the USA it became known as
a vacuum tube. The rest is
history: Modern electronics
was born !
11
The Thermionic Valve
Fleming’s first valve was the foundation of a
long line of devices, which, although
superseded by first transistors and then
integrated circuits (IC’s) in many
applications, are still in used today in highpower transmitters, sensitive optical
applications, top of the line audio amplifiers
and professional guitar amplifiers.
The patent on this device (No 803,684) was
applied for in Great Britain on the 16th
November, 1904. He named the device the
Thermionic Valve (from the Greek Thermos,
meaning warm). The term ‘valve’ was used
as it only allows current to flow in one
direction, also Fleming disliked the term
diode. In America the term ‘vacuum tube’ is
more commonly applied.
In 1906 Lee De Forest improved Fleming’s valve by adding a third electrode, called a
‘grid’ to the device which allowed it to not only rectify high frequency signals, but also to
amplify them. This ‘Audion’, as De Forest called it sparked a bitter patent dispute with
Fleming and the Marconi Company which would run for decades. It was a number of years
before the full potential of this device was realised and its use as an amplifier began.
In 1916, a US court ruled that Marconi had infringed de Forest’s patent and also that de
Forest had infringed Fleming’s patent. However, in 1943, the US supreme Court ruled that
Fleming’s patent was “rendered invalid by an improper disclaimer”.
“Photograph of a Collection of early Thermionic Valves and experimental lamps presented by Dr. J. A. Fleming, F.R.S., to the
National Science Museum, South Kensington. These instruments were used by him in the investigations of thermionic
emission which led to the invention of the Thermionic Valve in 1904, which in its improved forms is the basis of all modern
wireless telegraphy and telephony.” Inscription cira . 1930
12
Clockwise from bottom left: Early Fleming Valve (showing Edison effect), Early X-Ray tube, Experimental Diode Valve, 4104D Valve, AC 608
Radio tube, EL34 Electroharmonix electron tube, Mullard type 164V Valve, Two-electrode rectifier Valve type BH, Marconi V24 Valve c1919,
Early Pentode (five electrode) Valve , R’ Valve (early production type), Example of original Fleming Valve, Experimental Valve
13
The Department in 1904
Pender Professor of Electrical J. A. Fleming, FRS, DSc
Engineering
Associate Professor
W. C. Clinton, B.SC.
Assistant
G. B. Dyke
The Department in 1954
Pender Professor of Electrical
Engineering and Director
Laboratories
H. E. M. Barlow, B.Sc.(ENG.), Ph.D., M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E.
Professor of Electrical
Engineering
F. Brailsford, B.Sc.(ENG.), Ph.D., M.I.E.E.
Senior Lecturer
H. Marriott, B.Eng., B.Sc.(ECON.), A.M.I.E.E.
Lecturer and Deputy Supervisor
of Research Laboratories
A. L. Cullen, B.Sc.(ENG.), Ph.D., A.M.I.E.E., A.C.G.I.
Lecturers
B. C. Brookes, M.A.
C. .E. Gimson, M.Sc.(ENG.)
G. E. Kenshole, B.Sc.(ENG), B.A.
G. Parr, M.I.E.E.
I. M. Stephenson, M.Sc.(ENG.)
14
Assistant
H. G. Effemey, ASSOC.I.E.E
Hon. Research Associate
Professor J. T. MacGregor-Morris D.Sc.(ENG.), M.I.E.E.
The Department in 2004
Head of Department
H. D. Griffiths, PhD, DSc(Eng), CEng, FREng, FIEE, FIOA, FIEEE
Professor of Electrical Engineering
C. J. Baker, BSc, PhD, CEng, FIEE
Professor of Optical Communications & Networks, P. Bayvel, BSc(Eng), PhD, FREng, FInstP, FIEE, SMIEEE
Vice-Dean, Faculty of Eng. Sciences
Professor of Electronic Materials
I. W. Boyd, PhD, CEng, FIEE, CPhys, FInstP
BTExact Technologies Professor of
Telecommunications
I. J. Cox, BSc, PhD
Pender Professor
J. E. Midwinter OBE, FRS, FREng, FIEE, FIEEE, FInstP
Professor of Communications
J. J. O’Reilly, DSc., CEng, FIEE, FInstP, FREng, SMIEEE
(Currently on Leave of Absence - Chief Executive, EPSRC)
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Dean, Faculty of Eng. Sciences
C. W. Pitt, MSc, CEng, FIEE, CPhys, FInstP
Professor of Opto-Electronics
A. J. Seeds, PhD, DSc(Eng.) FREng, FIEE, FIEEE
Professor of Telecommunications
F. W. M. Stentiford, MA, PhD, CEng, MIEE, MBCS
Professor of Control Systems
N. F. Thornhill, MSc, CEng, FIEE, FIChemE
Professor of Network Science
C. J. Todd, PhD, FIEE
BT Professor of Telecommunications Strategy
A. R. Valdar, MSc. B.Tech.(Hons), C.Eng, FIEE
Readers
P. V. Brennan, PhD, CEng, MIEE
I. Z. Darwazeh, PhD, FIEE, SMIEEE
R. B. Jackman, PhD, CEng, CChem, MRSC, CPhys, MInstP
Senior Lecturers
S. E. Day, DPhil, MIEE, CPhys, MInstP
F. A. Fernandez, Ph.D, MIEEE
M. T. Flanagan, PhD
A. J. Kenyon, D.Phil, CPhys, MInstP
P. M. Radmore, PhD , ARCS
D. R. Selviah, MA, MIEEE, CPhys, MInstP
P. A. Warburton, MA, PhD, MIEE, CPhys, MInstP
K. Woodbridge, PhD , CEng, MIEE, CPhys, MInstP
Lecturers
A. C. Demosthenous, PhD, MIEEE, MIEE
D. Garner, MA, PhD, MIEE, MIEEE
R. I. Killey, PhD, MIEE, MIEEE
J. E. Mitchell, PhD, MIEE, MIEEE
J. K. Pollard, PhD, CEng, MIEE, SEFI
M. Rio, PhD, MACM, MIEEE
L. E. Sacks, PhD, CEng, MIEE, MBCS, MInstP, MIEEE
Sub-dean of Engineering Sciences
M Federighi, DottFis , MIEEE, MAmPhS
15
History of the Department
Sir J. A. Fleming FRS
1886-1927
W C Clinton BSc
1927-1934
Long-time associate of Fleming
Co-developed Fleming-Clinton capacitance
measurement
Developed electrical Curricula for UCL’s first BSc
(Eng)
R O Kapp BSc FIEE
1935-1950
Key role in development
planning of the National Grid
Introduced 3 year BSc with
final year projects
Author of ‘The Presentation of
Technical Information’
Dean of Faculty of Engineering,
University of London
Founder Member of the Institute of Scientific and
Technical Communicators
H E M Barlow FRS FREng FIEE
1950-1967
PhD Student of Fleming
Head of Radio Section at RAE Farnborough
Inventor of H01 Millimeter
Waveguide
Recipient of IEE Kelvin and
JJ Thompson Premiums,
Faraday Medal, & URSI
Dellinger Gold Medal
IEEE Kelly Prize: Career
Achievements in Microwaves
A L Cullen OBE DSc FREng FRS
1967-1980
Established MRU Centre of Excellence
Co-Author (with H.E.M.
Barlow)of Microwave
Measurements
Recipient of IEE Faraday
Medal, Royal Society Royal
Medal
Hon. FIEE
16
In 1885, the first Department of Electrical Technology - a few
years later to be called Electrical Engineering - in England
was formed at UCL with Dr J A Fleming as its first Professor.
At that time the department was equipped with little more
than a blackboard and chalk! In 1893, with a donation of £800
Fleming furnished his first full laboratory in the South Wing
of the Quadrangle. This was further enhanced by £400pa from
the London County Council on the proviso that Fleming gave
public lectures during the winter terms.
Major growth in the
department’s facilities was
enabled in 1897 when the Pender
Memorial Committee donated
£5,000 of the £6,277 collected to
the electrical engineering
laboratories. In honour of this
contribution the coll ege
inaugurated the Pender Chair
View of the Engineering
and founded the Pender
Laboratory from Gower St.
Laboratory. This allowed more
staff to be appointed to the
department including W.C. Clinton and J.T. Morris.
In 1899, Fleming became scientific advisor to the Marconi
Company and during the next few years made his most
notable contributions. These included his design of the
Poldhu transmitter station and the invention of the
Thermionic Valve. During the First World War the resources
of the department were placed at the disposal of the
Admiralty for research to aid the anti-submarine campaign.
The Department grew steadily and in 1927, on Fleming’s
retirement, W.C. Clinton succeeded him as Head of
Department and Pender Professor and, following Fleming’s
commitment to teaching, introduced the BSc(Eng) degree.
When Clinton was overtaken by ill-health and died in 1934,
R.O. Kapp joined the Department as its new head. A strongly
intellectual man with strength in power engineering, Kapp
oversaw the building of a strong postgraduate research
programme. The outbreak of war saw the Engineering Faculty
evacuated to University College, Swansea and Barlow, who
had joined the Department a few years before Fleming’s
retirement, was recruited to develop radar stations at RAE
Farnborough.
Significant bomb damage to UCL affected the Department
greatly and on Barlow’s return as Professor of Electrical
Engineering, bringing with him H.G Effemey from
Farnborough, a programme was put in place to rebuild the
damaged laboratories. Succeeding Kapp in 1950, Barlow built
a strong research team alongside a transformer theory group
led by Prof Brailsford. During this time Barlow and his
assistant A. L. Cullen conducted
ground breaking research on
microwave waveguides, including the
development of the circular H10
waveguide. An appeal for funds saw a
major growth in the Department with
the opening in 1962 of the New
Engineering Building on Torrington
Place, with the Electrical Engineering
Department occupying floors 6 to 10.
This allowed an increase in the number of undergraduates and the
founding of an MSc Microwave Engineering course.
Sir E A Ash CBE DSc FRS FREng FIEE
Returning from 12 years in a Chair at Sheffield, Cullen became
head in 1967 and at the same time E A Ash, who had joined the
department 4 years earlier was elevated to a chair. Shortly
afterwards, in 1971, D.E.N. Davies, who had been Assistant
Director of Research at British Rail joined to increase the ranks of
the Department to 3 Professors and 16 academic staff. In 1968 the
Department changed its name to ‘Electronic and Electrical
Engineering’ to reflect the diversity of the department.
Recipient of IEE Faraday Medal, Marconi Fellow
and Royal Society Royal Medal
The excellent record of the Department in microwave research
was recognised in 1969 with an award from the Science Research
Council (SRC) to set up the Microwave Research Unit (MRU)
consisting of 3 research groups. In 1980 Cullen retired, having
been offered a SRC Senior Research Fellowship. Under his
successor Prof Ash the growth of the department continued with
the introduction of research in the newly emerging fields of
Bioelectronics and Integrated Circuit Design, as well as the study
of optical fibres when J E Midwinter joined the Department from
British Telecom laboratories.
In 1985, as Ash left to become
Rector of Imperial College,
D.E.N. Davies became Head of
Department, followed three
years later by J.E. Midwinter
who was to steer the
Department through the new
Research Assessment Exercise
in 1992 to a achieve the top
grading of 5A. In 1995 J.J.
O’Reilly joined the Department
New Engineering Sciences Building
and succeeded Midwinter in
1997. In 2000 a major
refurbishment of a number of
facilities within the Department was undertaken with the aid of a
£2.4m JIF grant. This included new research offices in 66-72
Gower St, refurbished offices in the main building and a state of
the art ultra-high frequency research laboratory. In 2001 the new
UCL@Adastral Park was opened, a joint research centre with the
Department of Computer Science. This development, sited within
the Adastral Park research park in Ipswich (former called BT
labs), was widely cited as the first example of a university being
invited to take a key role in an industrial research environment.
In 2001, J.J. O’Reilly took a
four year leave of absence to
become the Chief Executive
of the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research
Council and H.D. Griffiths
became Head of Department.
Recent years have seen some
major advances in the
Department in tandem with
the growth of the Faculty of Engineering to include the
Department of Computer Science and Medical Physics as the
Faculty of Engineering Sciences. Groundbreaking research in the
area of nanotechnology in
which members of the
department are involved has
led to the creation of the
London Centre for
Nanotechnology,
a
collaboration with a number
of departments at UCL and
Imperial College, and sited at
UCL.
New London Centre for Nanotechnology
The Ross Building, Adastral Park, Ipswich
1980-1985
Rector of Imperial College
President of IEE
Board Director BT
Treasurer of the Royal Society
Sir D E N Davies CBE FRS FREng
FIEE
1985-1988
Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University
Chief Scientific Advisor MOD
President of IERE
President of IEE
President of the Royal
Academy of Engineering
J E Midwinter OBE FIEE FREng FRS
1988-1997
British Telecom Labs—led Optical Fibre
Communications Development 1977-84
Vice Provost of UCL
President of IEE and EUREL
Author of 2000 Faraday
Lectures,
Director of UCL@Adastral
Park
J J O’Reilly DSc FREng FIEE
1997-2001
Chairman of UK’s Network Interoperability
Consultative Committee
Chairman of SERC/DTI -EPSRC
Communications and distributed systems
Committee
Member of UK IT advisory
board
Chief Executive of the EPSRC
President Elect - IEE
H D Griffiths DSc FREng FIEE FIEEE FIOA
2001 -
IEEE AESS Board of Governors
IEEE AESS Radar Systems
Panel
Chairman IEE RADAR 2002
Conference
IEEE Fred Nathanson Award
winner
Defence Scientific Advisory Council Member
17
Current Research
Electronic Materials & Devices
Much of the EMD Group research is driven by the following fundamental technological questions:
How can the spectacular performance of Si integrated circuits be sustained as fundamental physical limitations arise?
What alternative electronic device technologies can achieve performance specifications which exceed the capabilities of Si?
Since the gate length of today’s silicon MOS devices are as small as 150 nm, addressing these issues necessarily requires
expertise in all aspects of nanotechnology – from nanofabrication using photon, ion and electron beams, to self-assembly of
organic molecular monolayers, to the coherent quantum properties of nanoclusters. The EMD plays a key role in the London
Centre for Nanotechnology, a joint UCL – Imperial College collaboration with over £19M of infrastructure funding. This has
led to collaboration with scientists from an increasingly diverse range of disciplines, including not only physicists and materials
scientists, but also clinical medics and biopharmacologists.
EMD has developed a flourishing and diverse portfolio of areas technological
excellence, including:
Ultra-Violet Processing of Ultrathin Films, in particular silicon dioxide and
also high k layers, such as tantalum and hafnium oxides - materials for use as
gate oxides in future Si MOSFET generations.
Diamond Electronics: Single crystal diamond and nanocrystalline diamond in
electronic devices for extreme environments, radiation sensors, biosensors and
nanoelectro-mechanical systems (NEMS).
Dynamical Control Systems for process control in the biopharmaceuticals and
other industries.
Silicon Nanoclusters, whose quantum properties may be exploited in prototype quantum computers.
Josephson Junctions using high-T superconductors for ultra-sensitive magnetic/electric field sensors
Silicon Vacuum Electronics for sensor and field-emission display technologies and gold nanowires for field-emission displays.
Communications and Information Systems
B T - A d a stra l P a rk
U C L @ A d a s t r a l .p a r k
Research in the Communications and Information Systems Group
extends across all the layers of the OSI model. For example
extensive circuit design work is carried out in CMOS and
BiCMOS for high speed communications and there is a focus on
Multi-Gbit/s MIC, MMIC and OEIC circuits for optical and
mobile communications especially cellular base station designs .
There is strong interest in radio over fibre technologies, fixed
wireless access platforms and optical beam-forming networks.
Optical communication work includes receiver designs, signal
shaping and filtering for 2.5, 10 and 40 Gbit/s and higher rate
systems and analytic modeling and computer simulation of noise
and interference effects in DWDM optical networks. There are extensive programmes focused on large scale multi-service IP
networks (fixed and mobile) from the viewpoint of network resourcing, inter-domain QoS, active networking, complexity
issues, security aspects, policy based management; and also in small scale peer-to peer, ad-hoc networking and self organizing
sensor networks; emphasis is also placed on evolution beyond the Internet. Platforms for the creation of context linked and
other customized service generics in mobile and fixed environments are being researched along with eg a range of grid based
network service issues. Research is strengthening in areas of adaptive data acquisition, digital watermarking, multimedia
content identification, relevance feedback for information retrieval, auction modeling, the application of economic games theory
to network and other issues and security issues.
SD H
U C L C o m p u te r S c ie n c e
S D H C o lc h e s te r
E xch ange
E s s e x U n iv e r s ity
B T C e n tr e
SD H
1 5 5 M b /s S D H T r i b .
1 5 5 M b /s A T M
B T T ow er
U C L E le c tr o n ic E n g in e e r in g
B T at U C L
A T M S w itc h
R o u ter
F reeB SD
R o u ter
The Group supports 35+ PhD students and a number of post doctoral fellows. The projects (EPSRC, EU, Industry) are supported
by several experimental networks for testing models and simulations such as Learnet and pan Europe testbeds. In addition, we
have found novel applications (restoring muscle function in paraplegic patients) for our analogue signal processing work with
UCL Medical Physics and Bioengineering, the UCL Hospitals and other Clinical Centres in Europe. We have also applied novel
many-variable control and optimisation techniques to such diverse areas as telecommunications network management, refinery
control (collaboration within Process Systems Engineering IRC) and plasma diagnostics (with EMD group). Extra-mural
collaborations include links with Agilent, BICC, BT, France Telecom, Vodafone, Nortel Networks, Marconi, Anritsu, Nokia,
Corning, Lucent, DERA, C&W, Fujitsu, plus many others through EU-funded projects.
18
Microwaves, Radar & Optics
The Microwaves, Radar and Optics group undertakes research into new systems and techniques, carrying on the tradition of
innovation and excellence set by Professor Harold Barlow, Professor Alex Cullen and Professor DEN Davies. New technologies
are currently presenting new opportunities for sensors, which are allowing radical changes in the way that such systems can be
exploited. UCL research is pioneering work into novel systems and applications.
Particular themes of our work are:
·
·
·
·
Radar systems and signal processing, including bistatic
and netted radar, multifunction phased array radar,
waveform design, synthetic aperture radar, non-cooperative target recognition;
Sonar signal processing and synthetic aperture sonar;
Antenna arrays and antenna measurements;
Electromagetics
Much of the work is collaborative, with partners in industry
(Thales, BAE Systems, AMS, …) in academia (Cranfield
University, University of Pisa, Birmingham University, …) and is
funded by a range of organisations (EPSRC, EU Framework
programmes, UK MoD, via Defence Technology Centres and
Towers of Excellence, US Air Force, …)
Acquisition of a new anechoic chamber facility, funded by SRIF II,
will allow exciting new experimental work in these areas.
Optoelectronics & Optical Networks
The Optoelectronics and Optical Networks (OON) Group is involved in studies of opto-electronic devices, sub-systems and
systems as well as optical networks on all time and length-scales with close interactions with industry and other leading research
groups around the World. Our ability to explore fundamental physics of new opto-electronic devices through to high-speed optical
systems and networks research is a particular strength, and unique among UK universities. The Group's announced new grant and
contract income over the period 1998 to 2003 was over £5.5 Million and is on a rising trend.
The Ultra-fast Photonics Sub-Group plays a leading part in wireless over fibre broadband access research, optical frequency
synthesis and novel InP based laser, modulator and regenerator device design and fabrication. The Optical Networks Sub-Group
has developed an unique experimental recirculating loop-based terabit multiwavelength optical network test-bed for the
characterisation of new devices and high capacity optical transmission and networks research. This enables the isolation and study
of optical fibre nonlinearities and the optimisation of transmission; the area of electronic compensation of linear and nonlinear
transmission impairments is a new development for the Sub-Group. In the area of dynamic vs static optical network architectures,
the Sub-Group has proposed the new approach of wavelength-routed optical burst switching. The Optical Devices and Systems
Sub-Group has developed low cost high capacity short range transmission systems and is active in 2d optics and advanced liquid
crystal devices.
Our basic opto-electronics research activities are important to the future
growth of the Group and of major importance in their own right. New
research on quantum information processing applies our expertise on short
pulse generation and routing algorithms to the challenging problem of
controlling and determining the states and connectivity of optically
excited qubits for quantum computation based on impurity electron-spin
states in silicon. Novel 2d optics research includes multimode polymer
waveguide backplane connector modelling and the application of liquid
crystals to microwave systems.
The Group has extensive collaborative links with many other universities
and industry worldwide.
Air-bridged quantum well modulator for wireless
access systems
19
Fleming Timeline
1849
20
Born Nov 29th, in a house called ‘Greenfield’ in Lancaster,
son of Rev. James Fleming D.D. and eldest of seven
children.
The Albert Medal
First awarded in
1864 and instituted
as a memorial to
HRH the Prince
Albert, President of
the Society for 18
years.
Initially
awarded
'for
distinguished merit
in promoting Arts, Manufactures and
Commerce', the Medal now looks to
acknowledge individuals, organisation and
groups that lead progress and create positive
change within contemporary society in areas
that are linked closely to the RSA's broad
agenda.
1854
Moved to Tufnell Park, London, where his father takes
charge of Kentish Town Congregational Chapel.
1860
Educated at University College School, Gower Street.
1866
Started BSc at University College London, influenced by
Augustus de Morgan, George C. Carey Foster and
Alexander Williamson.
1870
Graduated Nov 30th .
1871
Science Mastership at Rossall School. A handwritten
reference letter dated 28th Sept 1872 from Head Master of
Rossall states that Fleming had been there for over a year.
The glowing reference describes his lectures as “elaborate
works of art”.
1872
Chemistry student at Royal College of Science, South
Kensington.
1873
Fleming’s first paper was also the first paper read at the
inaugural meeting of the Physical Society of London, ‘On
the new Contact Theory of the Galvanic Cell’ Proc. Physical
Society, Vol 1 pp1, 1874.
1874
Appointed Science Master at Cheltenham College.
1877
Joins St John’s College Cambridge, Cavandish Labs to read mathematics under Besant, and attended lectures by Stokes
and Maxwell.
1881
Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Nottingham University College. University College, Nottingham began its
career in 1881 with a staff of four professors, who were paid £400 per annum and also received at first a proportion of the
fees payable by their students. The subjects of physics, mathematics and mechanics were grouped together under the
charge of Prof J. A. Fleming. “This brilliant young scientist, whose researches into electricity were to secure for him a
distinguished career and a knighthood, only stayed in Nottingham for twelve months.” Fleming had had only two
assistants, one for physics and one for the theory of music.
1882
Scientific advisor to the Edison Electric Light Company, London, formed to introduce incandescent electric lighting by
means of the Edison electric incandescent carbon filament lamps invented by Mr. Edison in 1879.
1882
Becomes a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge.
1884
Invited to become the first Professor of Electrical Technology (soon to become Engineering) at University College
London.
1885
Published “Necessity for a National Standardising Laboratory for electrical instrumentation”.
1886
Assists Ferranti’s new London Electric Supply Company. Ferranti closed down in 1994 after over 100 years of
innovation and enterprise.
1888
Marries Miss Clara Riply Pratt (died 1917).
1892
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society.
1892
Recognised as coining the term ‘Power Factor’.
1899
Becomes Scientific Advisor to the Marconi Company.
1901
Designs the equipment for the first transatlantic radio transmission from Polhdu, Cornwall.
1904
Invented the “Fleming” or “Thermionic” Valve, the first electronic device
1910
Awarded the Hughes Medal of the Royal Society. The Hughes Medal (1902) is made annually in recognition of an
original discovery in the physical sciences, particularly electricity and magnetism or their applications. The medal is of
silver gilt and is accompanied by a gift of £1,000. It was awarded in 1910 to John Ambrose Fleming for ‘his researches
in electricity and electrical measurements’.
1921
Awarded the Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts ‘in recognition of his many valuable contributions to electrical
science and its applications, and specially of his original invention of the thermionic valve, now so largely employed in
wireless telegraphy and for other purposes’.
1922
Honorary Member, IEE.
1926
Resigns his chair at the age of 77. Retires to “Greenfield” with his wife and 2 of his sisters. The house contained a small
lab building in the basement for experimental work.
1928
Awarded the Faraday Medal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
1928
Honorary D.Eng. of Liverpool.
1929
Knighted for valuable service to Science and Industry.
1930
President of the Television Society, retains post until his death.
1931
Awarded the Duddell Medal of the Physical Society of London. The Physical
Society and the Institute of Physics merged in 1960.
1933
Marries Miss Olive May Franks of Bristol.
1933
Radio Medal, USA.
1935
Franklin Medal by the Franklin Institute, USA, Kelvin Medal by the three
Engineering Institutions of Great Britain.
1945
April 18th died in Sidmouth, Devon.
1954
Tuesday 16th November, 50th Anniversary held.
2004
Centenary celebrations.
Fleming’s Assistants
J. C. Shields
1891-1892
W C Clinton:
1893 Appointed as a demonstrator.
1904 Becomes Associate Professor.
1927 Becomes Head of Department.
J T Morris
1894 Appointed as Fleming’s private Lecture Assistant.
1898 Moves to East London Technical College, later Prof MacGregor Morris of Queen Mary
College.
J E Petavel
Assistant to Fleming at intervals 1895-1899, later became Sir J E Petavel, Director of the
National Physical Laboratory.
A Blok OBE
1901 Ex-student of Fleming, appointed as Fleming assistant.
1904 Leaves, later becomes Patent Office Examiner, at the Atomic Energy Patents.
G.B Dyke
1904-1912 Assistant to Fleming.
Killed at the front, April 16 1916.
P R Coursey
1912-1915
J T Mould
1919-1920
H E M Barlow
1921-1923 Later becomes Prof H E M Barlow and Head of Department.
Books
1893 Short Lectures to Electrical Artisans, E. & F. N. Spon
1896 The Alternate Current Transformer in Theory and Practice, "The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Company
1898 Magnets and Electric Currents, E. & F. N. Spon.
1899 Electric Lamps and Electric Lighting : A course of four lectures on electric illumination - Royal Institution of Great Britain,
"The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Company
1901 A Handbook for the Electrical Laboratory and Testing Room, "The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Company
1902 Waves and Ripples in Water, Air, and æther : being a course of Christmas lectures - Royal institution of Great Britain,
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
1904 "The Evidence of Things Not Seen", Christian Knowledge Society: London
1908 An Elementary Manual of Radiotelegraphy and Radiotelephony for Students and Operators, Longmans Green and Co.
1908 The Principles of Electric Wave Telegraphy and Telephony, Longmans Green.
1911 The Propagation of Electric Currents in Telephone and Telegraph Conductors, Constable & Co.: London
1913 The Wonders of Wireless Telegraphy : Explained in simple terms for the non-technical reader, Society for promoting
Christian Knowledge
1915 The Wireless Telegraphist's Pocket Book of Notes, Formulae and Calculations, The Wireless Press
1919 The Thermionic Valve, The Wireless Press
1921 Fifty Years of Electricity, The Wireless Press
1923 Electrons, Electric Waves and Wireless telephony, The Wireless Press
1924 Introduction to Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony, Sir Isaac Pitman and Sons Ltd.
1924 Thermionic Valve and its Development in Radio-telegraphy & Telephony, The Wireless Press
1925 Mercury-arc Rectifiers and Mercury-vapour Lamps,
London. Pitman
1927 The Electrical Educator (3 volumes), The New Era Publishing Co Ltd
1934 Memories of a Scientific life, Marshall, Morgan & Scott
1938 Mathematics for Engineers, George Newnes Ltd
21
Contact Details
fleming@ee.ucl.ac.uk
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
University College London
Torrington Place
London
WC1E 7JE
http://www.ee.ucl.ac.uk/Fleming