Russell Dupuis Receives Japan Prize for Laying the Foundation for LEDs, Solar Cells, Lasers, and Other Everyday Tech

As you move your computer mouse around the screen or scroll on your phone to read these words, you’re using technology Russell Dupuis helped enable. Same for when you turn on an LED light bulb or scan groceries at the self-checkout.

The underlying technologies for those common devices are compound semiconductors manufactured using techniques Dupuis first demonstrated nearly 50 years ago. His work made it possible to mass produce and commercialize these semiconductors for LEDs, lasers, solar cells, and more.

Now his contributions have been recognized with the Japan Prize, one of a few internationally recognized awards regarded by much of the scientific community as second only to the Nobel Prize.

Dupuis is professor emeritus in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. He said the award comes 30 years almost to the day since his Ph.D. advisor Nick Holonyak received it in the same field, adding an extra layer of meaning.