Not just blue sky [Herbert Kroemer]

From high-speed transistor to sold-state lasers, IEEE Medal of Honor recipient Herbert Kroemer´s theories have led to a wealth of semiconductor applications. His theory of heterostructures did not immediately have practical use, but it is at the root of today´s CD and DVD players, cellphones and even laser pointers. For his work on heterostructures, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2000. The article outlines Kroemer´s career and gives a brief description of semiconductor heterostructures.