Optoelectronics winners

2018

Professor T. A. Birks
Professor J. C. Knight
Professor P. St. J. Russell
For the invention and realisation of photonic crystal fibres.

2016

Professor C.P. Dragone
Professor M.K. Smit
Professor H. Takahashi
For the invention and practical implementation of the arrayed waveguide grating.

2014

Professor A.R. Adams
Professor E.P. O’Reilly
Dr G.C. Osbourn
Professor E. Yablonovitch
For their pioneering work on strained-layer laser structures.

Professor L. Hollberg
Dr S. Knappe
Dr J.E. Kitching
For the conception and realisation of the atomic clock on a chip.

2012

Professor R.C. Hardie
For his outstanding contributions to the study of the physiology of insect vision.

Professor A. Zisserman
For his outstanding contributions to modern computer vision.

2010

Dr S.E. Blum
Dr F.A. L’Esperance, Jnr
Dr R. Srinivasan
Dr S.L. Trokel
Dr J.J. Wynne
For the application of excimer laser surgery to refractive correction of the cornea.

2008

Professor P.B. Denyer
Dr D. Renshaw
Dr M. Lu
Professor G. Wang
Awarded for their work on the first CMOS image sensors for digital cameras.

Professor M.V Srinivasan
Awarded for his work on insect vision and its implications for robotics.

2006

Dr C.H. Bennett
Professor G. Brassard
Dr S.J. Wiesner
For research on the original concept of quantum cryptography.

Professor A.P. Alivisatos
Dr M.P. Bruchez
Dr W.C.W. Chan
Professor S.M. Nie
Professor S. Weiss
For realisation of quantum dot nanocrystals as biological labels.

2004

Dr A. Geisen
For the invention of thin disc lasers.

Dr R.H.H. Kröger
Professor M.C.W. Campbell
Professor R.D. Fernald
Professor H-J. Wagner
In recognition of their work on compensation for chromatic defocus in lenses of vertebrates.

Professor D. Dacey
Professor B.B. Lee
Professor J. Pokorny
Professor V.C. Smith
In recognition of their work on new pathways in the visual system.

2002

Dr K.O. Hill
Dr B.K. Garside
Dr G. Meltz
Dr W.W. Morey
For the invention and development of practical Fibre Bragg Gratings.

Professor J.G. Fujimoto
Professor C.A. Puliafito
Mr. E.A. Swanson
For the invention and application of optical coherence tomography.

Dr R.D. Burnham
Professor K. Iga
Dr D.R. Scifres
For the invention of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers.

2000

Professor E. Snitzer
For the invention of cladding-pumped fibre lasers.

Professor W. Denk
Professor W.W. Webb
For the invention of multi-photon fluorescence microscopy.

1998

Professor M.F. Land
In recognition of his lifelong research showing that different animals create images of the surrounding world using an astonishing diversity of methods, some of which can be imitated in man-made instruments.

Dr S. Nakamura
Professor I. Akasaki
Professor H. Amano
Professor J.I. Pankove
For contributions to the invention of nitride based blue and green semiconductor diode lasers.

Dr F. Capasso
Professor J. Faist
Dr R.F. Kazarinov
Professor R.A. Suris
For contributions to the invention and realisation of the quantum cascade laser.

1997

Professor W. Sibbett
For the invention of the Kerr lens mode locking technique for solid state lasers.

Professor Sir Peter Mansfield
Dr I.L. Pykett
Dr R.R. Rzedzian
In recognition of significant contributions to the development and commercial exploitation of echo planar imaging, not least in the development of novel pulse sequences.

Professor A. Lewis
Dr D.W. Pohl
Professor M.S. Isaacson
Dr A.T. Harootunian
In recognition of pioneering contributions to the science and applications of near-field optics.

Dr L.J. Hornbeck
Dr W.E. Nelson
For inventing bistable digital micromirror devices based on silicon chips and for pioneering their uses in full colour video projectors which give large bright pictures of high quality using a lamp of normal power.

1995

Dr W.B. Amos
Professor G.J. Brakenhoff
Professor M. Minsky
Dr J.G. White
In recognition of their work in developing the scanning confocal microscope to the point where it is used in hundreds of research laboratories worldwide and reveals microstructures not discernible by other methods.

Dr H. Kodama
Dr C.W. Hull
In recognition of Dr Kodama’s work for devising and demonstrating optoelectronics methods which permit solid objects to be constructed from digital data and Dr Hull’s contribution in developing, commercialising and naming one such method “stereolithography”.

1993

Dr H.W. Babcock
Dr J. Feinleib
For work on adaptive optics and laser guide star techniques for astronomical telescopes.

Dr A. Ashkin
Dr J.M. Dziedzic
For work on optical tweezers for biological applications which use focused laser light to trap and manipulate virus particles, living cells and other biological entities whilst allowing them to maintain viability.

Professor R.M. Park
Dr H. Cheng
Dr J.M. DePuydt
Dr M.A. Haase
Dr J. Qiu
For work on the doping technique which allowed p-type zinc selenide to be grown successfully and the subsequent demonstration of laser action in the blue green spectral region using laser diodes fabricated from II-VI materials.

1992

Professor E.H. Adelson
Professor J.A. Movshon
Professor W.T. Newsome
Professor S. Zeki
For research that has shown how the brain analyses movement and colour in the visual image.

Dr M.F. Golde
Dr G.A. Hart
Dr S.K. Searles
Professor D.W. Setser
Professor B.A. Thrush
Dr J.E. Velazco Reckling
For their discoveries leading to the development of the rare gas halide excimer lasers.

Dr R.H. Clarke
Dr A.I. Grant
Dr M.T. Macpherson
Dr D.G. Stevens
For their contributions to the creation of the first and only proven operational airborne laser fluorosensor for use in oil exploration.

1991

Dr D.N. Payne
Professor W.A. Gambling
For their work on the development of special optical fibres and their leadership in demonstrating new applications for optical fibres.

Dr L.F. Mollenauer
Dr A. Hasegawa
For their work on soliton propagation in optical fibres.

Professor L.J. Kricka
Dr G.H.G. Thorpe
Professor T.P. Whitehead
Dr T.J.N. Carter
Mrs. C.J. Groucutt
Dr R.A.W. Stott
For their contributions to optoelectronic medical instrumentation as exemplified by enhanced chemiluminescent immunoassays.

1989

Dr A. Labeyrie
For his invention of stellar speckle interferometry and the development of instrumental methods employing this technique.

Dr F.W. Taylor
Dr J.T. Houghton
Dr G.D. Peskett
Dr C.D. Rodgers
For the invention, development and exploitation of the pressure modulator radiometer.

Professor B.K.P. Horn
For his pioneering work which led to practical systems for computer vision.

1988

Mr. G.C. Bailey
Mr. R.F. Lockhart
Miss A. Hutchinson
For their work on vidicon cameras applied to space technology.

Dr J. Nathans
Dr J.K. Bowmaker
Dr G.H. Jacobs
Dr J.D. Mollon
For their work on the genetics of colour blindness and colour vision.

Dr T.P. Brody
Dr A.J. Hughes
Dr P.G. LeComber
Professor W.E. Spear
Mr. S. Hotta
Dr S. Nagata
Mr. T. Ogawa
For their pioneering research which has led to thin flat-panel picture displays in pocket-sized television sets.

1986

Dr P. Kramer
Mr. G. Bouwhuis
Dr K. Compaan
For their work in establishing the key principles and technologies required for the development and production of the video and audio players and digital memories based on optical disc recording.

Dr J. Grinberg
Dr W.P. Bleha
Dr A.D. Jacobson
Mr. T.D. Beard
For their work on the production of liquid crystal light valves used in large area productions displays of colour television and optical signal processing.

Dr E.H. Putley
Mr. R. Watton
Mr. W.M. Wreathall
Dr A.J. Goss
For their work resulting in the production of an infra-red camera tube which combines good performance with ease of operation and low cost, thus enabling thermal imaging to be utilised in a more diverse range of applications.

1984

Professor D.E.N. Davies
Dr S.A. Kingsley
For their work on optical fibres which led directly to the invention of optical fibre sensors.

Dr D.W. Smith
Mr. T.G. Hodgkinson
Mr. D.J. Malyon
Dr R. Wyatt
For their work on coherent fibre systems which will offer great gains in performance and versatility in particular longer range communications without the need for repeater circuits.

1982

Professor C.F. Quate
For his work on producing an acoustic microscope using sound rather than light in order to form images.

Professor C.T. Elliott
For his work in radically simplifying the design and construction of thermal imagers.

1980

Professor G.W. Gray
Professor C. Hilsum
Dr E.P. Raynes
Dr K.J. Harrison
Dr J. Kirton
For their collaborative work which resulted in the invention and development of a completely new range of liquid crystal materials for flat panel optoelectronic displays.

Dr D. Baylor
Dr T. Lamb
Dr K.W. Yau
For their invention and use, of new experimental techniques which have led to a greater understanding of the mechanism by which the eye achieves its remarkable sensitivity.

1978

Dr C.K. Kao
Dr G.A. Hockham
For their outstanding contribution to research into the properties of clad optical fibres and their subsequent successful development leading to the commercial production of such fibres which are playing an increasing role into the field of communications.

1976

Mr. W.D. Lawson
Dr S. Nielson
Mr. A.S. Young
For their outstanding contribution in the field of crystals of cadmium-mercury-telluride (CMT), leading to the application of detectors made from CMT to the successful development of thermal imaging.