Three scientists – two from Japan and one from the U.S – have been awarded with 2014 Nobel Prize in physics for inventing environment friendly blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano of Japan and Shuji Nakamura of the University of California, have received the award for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”
“They succeeded where everyone else had failed,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
The three scientists will split the prize money of $1.1 million.
Announcing the winners, the Nobel committee said, “When Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura produced bright blue light beams from their semi-conductors in the early 1990s, they triggered a fundamental transformation of lighting technology. Red and green diodes had been around for a long time, but without blue light, white lamps could not be created. Despite considerable efforts, both in the scientific community and in industry, the blue LED had remained a challenge for three decades.”
“They succeeded where everyone else had failed. Akasaki worked together with Amano at the University of Nagoya, while Nakamura was employed at Nichia Chemicals, a small company in Tokushima. Their inventions were revolutionary. Incandescent light bulbs lit the 20th century; the 21st century will be lit by LED lamps,” it added.
Tags: Nobel in Physics Nobel Prize Nobel Prize 2014
