Nobel Prize Awarded For Inventing Blue LED

Two scientists in Japan and one at the University of California at Santa Barbara were awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in physics for helping create the LED light, a transformational and ubiquitous source that now lights up everything from our living rooms to our flashlights to our smart phones.

The awarding committee said the trio’s work is in keeping with the spirit of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the prize, because LED lights save on energy, last long and are environmentally-friendly because they don’t contain mercury.

They “hold great promise for increasing the quality of life for over 1.5 billion people around the world who lack access to electricity grids,” the awarding committee said.

Specifically, Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura were honored for inventing the blue light emitting diode.

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07 Oct