User:Skamiyama

Isamu Akasaki (born January 30, 1929) is a Japanese scientist, best known for inventing the first p-n junction blue LEDs using gallium nitride (GaN) in the world, as early as 1989.

Born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1929, Akasaki graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952 from Kyoto University. He received a PhD degree in Electronics from Nagoya University. He started his research on blue LEDs from the late 1960s and continued his efforts persistently, improving, step by step, the quality of GaN crystals and device structures at Matsushita, where he decided to adopt metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) as the preferred growth method for GaN. In 1981 he started afresh the growth of GaN by MOVPE at Nagoya University, and in 1985 he and his group succeeded in growing a high quality single crystal GaN on sapphire substrate by pioneering a low-temperature buffer layer technology. This high quality GaN enabled them to discover p-type GaN doping with magnesium (Mg) by MOVPE, to control n-type conductivity by Si doping, and then to realize p-n junction blue LEDs in 1989, all first in the world. These inventions; high quality GaN, p-type doping, conductivity control of n-type nitrides and p-n junction LEDs, are epoch-making and all other researches and developments of blue/green/white LEDs, violet lasers, optoelectronic devices in the ultra-violet region and high-speed and high-power electronic devices are based on these inventions. Those devices opened up a huge market and Professor Akasaki’s patents have been rewarded as a royalty. Akasaki Institute was founded in 2006 based on the royalty income to Nagoya University. The Institute is consisted of an LED gallery to display the history of blue LED research/developments and applications, an office for research collaboration, laboratories for innovative research, and Professor Akasaki’s office on the top 6th floor. The Institute is situated in the center of the collaborative research zone in Nagoya University Higashiyama campus.

Biography

1952    Bachelor of Science, Kyoto University

1964    Doctor of Engineering, Nagoya University

1952    Research Scientist at Kobe Kogyo Corporation

1959    Research Associate, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor, Nagoya University

1964    Head of Basic Research Laboratory 4, Matsushita Research Institute Tokyo, Inc.

1974    General Manager of Semiconductor Department, Matsushita Research Institute Tokyo, Inc.

1981    Professor, Nagoya University

1987-90 JST Project Leader of Research and Development of GaN-based Blue Light–Emitting Diode (JST: Japan Science and Technology Agency)

1992    Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University, Professor, Meijo University

1993-01 JST Project Leader of Research and Development of GaN-based Short-Wavelength Semiconductor Laser

1996-01 Project Leader of the JSPS Research for the Future Program

1996	 Project Leader at High-Tech Research Center for Nitride Semiconductors Meijo University

2001   Research Fellow at the Akasaki Research Center in Nagoya University

Honors (selected list)

1989 The Japanese Association for Crystal Growth (JACG) Award (Japan)

1991 The Chu-nichi Cultural Prize (Japan)

1995 The Heinrich Welker Gold Medal (International)

1997 The Medal with Purple Ribbon(The Japanese Government)

1998 The Inoue Harushige Award (The Japan Science and Technology Agency, the Japanese Government)

1998 The Laudise Prize (The International Organization for Crystal Growth)

1999 The IEEE Jack A. Morton Award (USA)

1999 The Rank Prize (UK)

2000 Honoris Causa Title (University of Montpellier) (France)

2001 The Toray Science and Technology Prize (Japan)

2001 The Asahi Prize (Japan)

2002 Honoris Causa  Title of Linkoping University (Sweden)

2002 Outstanding Achievement Award JSAP (Japan)

2002 The Fujihara Prize (Japan)

2002 The Order of the Rising Sun (the Japanese Government)

2003 The Science Council of Japan President's Award (Japan)

2004 The Person of Cultural Metrits (the Japanese Government)

2006 TMS John Bardeen Award (USA）

2006 The Outstanding Achievement Award (JACG) (Japan)