Anthony Frederic John Levi

Anthony F. J. Levi (born 1959) is a British-born engineer and academic. He is professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Southern California (USC).

He is known for inventing hot electron spectroscopy, discovering ballistic electron transport in heterostructure bipolar transistors, and demonstrating room-temperature unipolar ballistic transistors.

His research focuses on semiconductor device physics, optoelectronics, and hardware security.

In 1993, Levi joined the faculty at the University of Southern California, where he holds appointments in the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. From 2018 to 2024, he served as Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering – Electrophysics.

He invented hot electron spectroscopy, a method used to probe non-equilibrium electron transport in semiconductor devices.

He is also credited with the creation of the microdisk laser, a compact and efficient semiconductor laser widely used in photonic research.

Working with Agilent Technologies, Levi co-developed an optical connector plug-in package capable of transmitting data at an aggregate rate of 10 Gb/s in late 2000.

Working with the Paul Scherrer Institute and researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Levi helped advance a technique for defect detection in manufactured semiconductor chips as well as for reverse engineering of circuits.

In an interview with Reuters, Levi commented on supply chain concerns facing the chip industry in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that such issues could be mitigated by focusing on rebuilding the U.S. chip manufacturing and packaging industry.

Levi’s research combines experimental and theoretical approaches across multiple domains, reflecting a broad and integrative vision that bridges solid-state physics, quantum electronics, and applied engineering.

He has also demonstrated leadership in hardware security and chip imaging, particularly through the development of 3D X-ray imaging technologies used for microchip inspection and tamper detection, a research area that has received significant attention in the scientific and technical press since 2019. Another key initiative, quantum and hybrid device optimization, involves ongoing studies on the design, performance limits, and control of hybrid classical–quantum devices, integrating concepts from applied quantum mechanics and nanofabrication.

Levi is the author of several widely used textbooks that connect fundamental physics with practical device design. His book Applied Quantum Mechanics is a comprehensive, application-focused text written for engineers, materials scientists, and applied physicists. Essential Classical Mechanics for Device Physics is a concise introduction to classical mechanics concepts, providing readers with the theoretical and mathematical foundation for modern device design.

Selected publications