Barry A. Wechsler, PhD

My professional career has focused on developing improved materials for laser gain media, frequency conversion, photorefractive beam modulation, pyroelectric energy conversion, holographic data storage, and other applications. This work has involved the growth of large single crystals by Czochralski, top-seeded solution, and vapor transport methods; post-growth processing such as controlled-atmosphere annealing, electrical poling, X-ray orientation, and fabrication; characterization of the optical, mechanical, and electrical properties of relevant materials; theoretical modeling and spectroscopic characterization of point defects; and crystal structure refinement by single-crystal and powder X-ray and neutron diffraction methods. I have been a project leader and program manager for numerous internally funded and contract R&D efforts and have been responsible for supervising several employees and for building and managing a versatile crystal research laboratory. I have also been extensively involved in strategic planning and business development and have been a key employee in two startup businesses.