Lecture Summary:

Semiconductor materials have enabled devices that assist us in our everyday lives. During the last few years, semiconductor materials have demonstrated yet another ability: The ability to emit white, pleasant light with very high efficiency. LEDs are 10 times more efficient than conventional light bulbs and 3 times more efficient than fluorescent lamps. As a consequence, a new era in lighting is now beginning, in which LED-based lighting will make the world a better place. In this presentation, we will discuss the rich history, the challenges faced by scientists and engineers, the impact of LED-lighting technology, and the unprecedented opportunities offered by LED-based lighting.

Speaker Biography:

E. Fred Schubert made pioneering contributions to the field of compound semiconductor materials and devices, particularly to the doping of compound semiconductors and to the development and understanding of light-emitting diodes. He is currently a distinguished professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy NY. He authored the books Doping in III–V Semiconductors (1992), Delta Doping of Semiconductors (1996), and Light-Emitting Diodes (1st edition 2003 and 2nd edition 2006). He is co-inventor of more than 30 US patents and co-authored more than 275 publications. He is a Fellow of the APS, IEEE, OSA, and SPIE and has received several awards.