Millennium Technology Prize Awarded to LED Creator

mapkinase writes "This year's Millennium Technology Prize was awarded to Prof. Nakamura of Japan, for invention of white, blue and green light emitting diodes." From the article: "His other inventions such as blue LEDs are used in flat-screen displays, while blue lasers are already being exploited in the next generation of DVD player. 'Professor Nakamura's technological innovations in the field of semiconductor materials and devices are groundbreaking,' said Jaakko Ihamuotila, chairman of the Millennium Prize Foundation. The Millennium Technology Prize is the world's largest technology award, equivalent to the Nobel Prizes for science. It recognizes technological developments that have a positive impact on quality of life and sustainable development."

Comments

Nakamura first to make led, BUT

[lhpineapple]

the buffer layer technique was first published by Theodore Moustakas and remains his intellectual property.

Linky

I wish more people knew this. He's one of the best professors I've ever had and a hell of a nice guy.

I've read about this guy

[Anonymous Coward]

Hats off to him - He did what people said couldn't be done, and he did it through perseverence and dogged determination and years of hard work. Also, the company he worked for was just a little manufacturer - all the big companies out there wouldn't bother to pursue this, but this little company gambled on him and now they are reaping the benefits.

Saw him lecture once

[rjforster]

I did a PhD at Strathclyde Uni in Glasgow, Scotland[1]

Shuji gave a coloquia lecture there once, must have been 1998 or 1999. It was just amazing. Given that I was in the photonics department, everyone knew what a bright LED was supposed to look like. Shuji came in, told us about the science in a 'doh, it was so obvious now you tell me' kind of way, then he showed us the toys.
The LEDs he connected up to his little pen sized battery unit and shone into the audience. Blues, Greens, Violets[2], Whites etc. They were really bright.
Then he connected up the laser diodes. He shone those onto a piece of white card he held[3] and F**k me but they were bright.

[1] The bit to the north of England.
[2] The kind of colour you can't really focus on, really weird, hard to describe.
[3] We only have mortal retinas after all.

Re:Death to blue LEDs!!!!!

[Efil]

You're complain is not in anyway related to the invention of the BLUE LED. The blue LED is not invented just to be an indicator lights, man they are too expensive just for that purpose.