Nick Holonyak invented the first visible light-emitting diodes (LEDs), today commonly found in applications ranging from traffic lights to consumer electronics.
Holonyak's research in optoelectronics revolutionized the lighting, communications, and entertainment industries. His work was responsible for the technology used to develop red lasers in CD and DVD players, the ability to transmit information over the Internet, and applications in replacing conventional lighting with LEDs. Holonyak also created the basic electronic element of household light dimmer switches.
Born in Zeigler, Illinois, Holonyak attended the University of Illinois where he studied under his mentor NIHF Inductee John Bardeen who was a two-time Nobel Prize winner for inventing the transistor and explaining superconductivity. He received his doctorate in Electrical Engineering as Bardeen's first advanced student and went on to work for Bell Laboratories, serve in the military, and join the Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory of the General Electric Co. in 1957 where he made key contributions to the field of advanced semiconductor devices.
In 1963, Holonyak joined the University of Illinois faculty. Through his professional career, Holonyak received numerous awards, and he was one of a handful of Americans to have been awarded both the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology.
How LEDs work
LEDs are small light sources or thin chips that become illuminated by the movement of electrons through a semiconductor material. Today, LEDs are available in multiple colors, including the bright, white light consumers are used to seeing from their home lighting. LEDs are embraced for their energy savings and long life. They use up to 75 percent less energy than incandescent sources, last up to 25 times longer than incandescent and halogen light sources and up to three times longer than most CFLs. They also are cooler to the touch, start instantly, and the compact shape of LEDs allows for smaller, design-forward lighting fixtures, as well as illumination in tight areas.
"Nick Holonyak is a national treasure," notes Gotti. "His curiosity and drive to explore and invent have inspired thousands of students and countless innovations. It's breathtaking to consider the widespread and profound impact of 'the magic one' that Nick Holonyak brought to life 50 years ago."