Stefan K. Estreicher, Ph.D PW Horn Distinghish Professor Emeritus - Department of Physics and Astronomy

Family Tree

After his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Zürich in 1982, Stefan K. Estreicher became a postdoc and then instructor at Rice University (Houston). In 1986, he joined the Physics faculty at Texas Tech University. He became a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1997 and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK) in 2006. He won the 2001 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize from the Humboldt Foundation (Germany). He published over 220 papers, gave about 60 invited and plenary conference talks, as well as over 100 technical seminars around the world.

Stefan’s theoretical research dealt with the impact of impurities and defects on the electrical, optical, and thermal properties of semiconductors and nanostructures. His most recent calculations dealt with controlling the flow of heat in semiconductors using interfaces and thin layers. Ab-initio molecular-dynamics simulations with precise temperature control (without thermostat) show that defects do not ‘scatter’ thermal phonons but rather trap them for a varying length of time. Defects are not scattering centers but interact with heat flow via their own, localized, vibrational modes. Stefan has also published and lectured on the origin and history of wine.

CAREER SUMMARY

Selected Publications: History Of wine

• A brief history of wine in Spain, Europ. Rev. 21, 209-239 (2013)

   

  , doi: 10.1017/S1062798712000373

• A brief history of wine in South Africa, Europ. Rev. 22, 504-537 (2014)

  doi: 10.1017/S1062798714000301

• Wine, Encyclopedia of Ancient History, ed. K. Brodersen, A. Erskine, D. Hollander, Wiley online (2019)         doi: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah25009.pub2

• Wine and France: a brief history, Europ. Rev. 31, 91-179 (2023)            open access

  doi: 10.1017/S1062798722000370

• Wine and Portugal: a brief history, Europ. Rev. 33, 38-129 (2025)            open access

  doi: 10.1017/S1062798724000346

• Milestones in the history of wine (in preparation)

   

 

Selected Publications: Defects in Materials

• M.B. Bebek, C.M. Stanley, T.M. Gibbons, and S.K. Estreicher,  Temperature dependence of phonon-defect interactions: phonon scattering vs. phonon trapping, Nature Sci. Rep. 6, 32150 (2016)
• T. M. Gibbons, M. B. Bebek, By. Kang, C.M. Stanley, and S. K. Estreicher, Phonon-phonon interactions: first principles theory, J. Appl. Phys. 118, 085103 (2015)
• S.K. Estreicher, T.M. Gibbons, and M.B. Bebek, Heat flow and defects in semiconductors: the physical reason why defects reduce heat flow, and how to control it,J. Appl. Phys.   117, 112801 (2015)
• By. Kang and S.K. Estreicher, Thermal conductivity of Si nanowires: a first-principles analysis of the role of defects,Phys. Rev. B 89, 155409 (2014)
• S.K. Estreicher, T.M. Gibbons, and M. Stavola, Isotope-dependent phonon trapping at defects in semiconductors, Solid State Phenom. 205-206, 209 (2014)
• M. Stavola, S.K. Estreicher, and M. Seacrist, Light-element impurities and their reactions in multicrystalline Si, Solid State Phenom.205-206, 201 (2014)
• J. Lindroos, D.P. Fenning, D. Backlund, E. Verlage, A. Gorgulla, S.K. Estreicher, H. Savin, and T. Buonassisi, Nickel: a very fast diffuser in Si, J. Appl. Phys.   113, 204906(2013)
• T.M. Gibbons, S.K. Estreicher, K. Potter, F. Bekisli, and M. Stavola, Huge isotope effect on the vibrational lifetimes of an H2*(C) defect in Si, Phys. Rev. B 87, 115207 (2013)