Skip to content
227,683 profiles ranked

Nick Holonyak

American physicist (1928-2022) · United States · On the map · Scientists · Died at 93

Nick Holonyak Jr. was an American electronics engineer. He is noted particularly for his 1962 invention and first demonstration of a semiconductor laser diode that emitted visible light. This device was the forerunner of the first generation of commercial light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Nick Holonyak is read about 79 times a day, in 26 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare

A life in dates

2022Died20 September 20222021Queen Elizabeth Prize for EngineeringAward2017Benjamin Franklin MedalAward2008National Inventors Hall of FameAward2004Lemelson-MIT PrizeAwardWashington AwardAward2003Global Energy PrizeAwardIEEE Medal of HonorAward2001Frederic Ives MedalAward1995Japan PrizeAward1993NAS Award for the Industrial Application of ScienceAward1990National Medal of ScienceAward1989Edison MedalAward1975John Scott AwardAward1973IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial AwardAward1928Born3 November 1928

People around Nick

Close ties

Also in Deutsch

Awards

Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering2021
Benjamin Franklin Medal2017
Charles Stark Draper Prize2015
National Inventors Hall of Fame2008
Lemelson-MIT Prize2004
Von Hippel Award2004
Washington Award2004
IEEE Medal of Honor2003
Global Energy Prize2003
National Medal of Technology and Innovation2002
Frederic Ives Medal2001
Japan Prize1995
NAS Award for the Industrial Application of Science1993
Charles Hard Townes Award1992
National Medal of Science1990
Edison Medal1989
IEEE Jack A. Morton Award1981
John Scott Award1975
IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award1973
Fellow of the American Physical Society
Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology
Welker Award

About this person

He was then working at a General Electric research laboratory near Syracuse, New York. He left General Electric in 1963 and returned to his alma mater, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he later became John Bardeen Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics.

Country
United States
Category
Scientists
Type
Scientist
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1928 to 2022 · aged 93