Abstract :
Light-emitting diodes are ubiquitous in today´s high-tech world. But no matter what their application or color, their origin can be traced to the red LED created in 1962 by Nick Holonyak Jr., the winner of this year´s IEEE Medal of Honor. The article describes Holonyak´s career and the work which produced the first LED, and shows how his influence permeates the industry today.
Keywords :
biographies; history; light emitting diodes; 1962; IEEE Medal of Honor; Nick Holonyak; career; light emitting diodes; red LED; Charge carrier processes; Electron emission; Gallium arsenide; III-V semiconductor materials; Laboratories; Light emitting diodes; Optical materials; Photonic band gap; Photonic crystals; Semiconductor diodes;
