Description: (Engineer)
Nick Holonyak Jr., an American engineer and educator, is recognized for inventing the semiconductor laser diode in 1962, a pivotal development that initiated the era of commercial LEDs. This innovative work was carried out during his time at a General Electric research laboratory in New York. Following his departure from GE in 1963, Holonyak joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a faculty member, later attaining the John Bardeen Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics. His significant contributions have transformed the fields of optoelectronics and solid-state lighting technology.