Milestone-Proposal:Quantum Dots

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Docket #:2024-10

This proposal has been submitted for review.

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To the proposer’s knowledge, is this achievement subject to litigation? No

Is the achievement you are proposing more than 25 years old? Yes

Is the achievement you are proposing within IEEE’s designated fields as defined by IEEE Bylaw I-104.11, namely: Engineering, Computer Sciences and Information Technology, Physical Sciences, Biological and Medical Sciences, Mathematics, Technical Communications, Education, Management, and Law and Policy. Yes

Did the achievement provide a meaningful benefit for humanity? Yes

Was it of at least regional importance? Yes

Has an IEEE Organizational Unit agreed to pay for the milestone plaque(s)? Yes

Has the IEEE Section(s) in which the plaque(s) will be located agreed to arrange the dedication ceremony? Yes

Has the IEEE Section in which the milestone is located agreed to take responsibility for the plaque after it is dedicated? Yes

Has the owner of the site agreed to have it designated as an IEEE Milestone? Yes

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Year or range of years in which the achievement occurred:

1983

Title of the proposed milestone:

Quantum Dots, 1983

Plaque citation summarizing the achievement and its significance; if personal name(s) are included, such name(s) must follow the achievement itself in the citation wording: Text absolutely limited by plaque dimensions to 70 words; 60 is preferable for aesthetic reasons.

For discovery and synthesis of quantum dots, nanoparticles where their dimension determines their properties.

200-250 word abstract describing the significance of the technical achievement being proposed, the person(s) involved, historical context, humanitarian and social impact, as well as any possible controversies the advocate might need to review.

Louis E. Brus, a former Bell Labs researcher, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on December 10, 2023 for “the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.” Brus shared the prize with Alexei Ekimov and Moungi Bawendi for the development of these nanoparticles so tiny that their size determines their properties. These smallest components of nanotechnology now spread their light from televisions, LED lamps and solar cells, and they can also guide surgeons when they remove tumor tissue, among many other uses in cell biology research, microscopy and medical imaging. In its October 4 announcement, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences cited Brus for being “the first scientist in the world to prove size-dependent quantum effects in particles floating freely in a fluid.” Quantum dots are now used in a very wide array of optoelectronic applications due to their high efficiency and ease of tuning. They illuminate computer monitors and television screens based on QLED technology. They also add nuance to the ligh

IEEE technical societies and technical councils within whose fields of interest the Milestone proposal resides.

Photonics, Solid-State Circuits

In what IEEE section(s) does it reside?

North Jersey

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) which have agreed to sponsor the Milestone:

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) paying for milestone plaque(s):

Unit: North Jersey Section
Senior Officer Name: Hong Zhao

IEEE Organizational Unit(s) arranging the dedication ceremony:

Unit: North Jersey Section
Senior Officer Name: Hong Zhao

IEEE section(s) monitoring the plaque(s):

IEEE Section: North Jersey Section
IEEE Section Chair name: Hong Zhao

Milestone proposer(s):

Proposer name: Theodore Sizer
Proposer email: Proposer's email masked to public

Please note: your email address and contact information will be masked on the website for privacy reasons. Only IEEE History Center Staff will be able to view the email address.

Street address(es) and GPS coordinates in decimal form of the intended milestone plaque site(s):

600 Mountain Avenue, Murray Hill, NJ 07974 40.684031, -74.401783

Describe briefly the intended site(s) of the milestone plaque(s). The intended site(s) must have a direct connection with the achievement (e.g. where developed, invented, tested, demonstrated, installed, or operated, etc.). A museum where a device or example of the technology is displayed, or the university where the inventor studied, are not, in themselves, sufficient connection for a milestone plaque.

Please give the address(es) of the plaque site(s) (GPS coordinates if you have them). Also please give the details of the mounting, i.e. on the outside of the building, in the ground floor entrance hall, on a plinth on the grounds, etc. If visitors to the plaque site will need to go through security, or make an appointment, please give the contact information visitors will need. Intention is to have the plaque just outside the main entrance to the Nokia Bell Labs facility in Murray Hill, NJ. Is both a corporate building and an Historic Site as other historical markers from IEEE are already on site both inside and outside the building.

Are the original buildings extant?

Yes

Details of the plaque mounting:

Outside the building on a rock or other permanent structure.

How is the site protected/secured, and in what ways is it accessible to the public?

The plaque will be prior to entering the building and thus there is no need to pass through security.

Who is the present owner of the site(s)?

Nokia America

What is the historical significance of the work (its technological, scientific, or social importance)? If personal names are included in citation, include detailed support at the end of this section preceded by "Justification for Inclusion of Name(s)". (see section 6 of Milestone Guidelines)

This discovery is historic in identifying when the size of a material system transitions the material properties from being determined classically to determined based on quantum behaviour at small size. This is a fundamental result which has now been extended greatly in material and biological research as well as exploited commercially by quantum dot monitors, displays, and televisions.

What obstacles (technical, political, geographic) needed to be overcome?

The key obstacle was to produce and isolate the nanoparticles at a semi-uniform dimension.

What features set this work apart from similar achievements?

Fundamental discovery of the performance of quantum size limited semiconductor dots and their application, as recognized by the Nobel Prize. This innovation is now ubiquitous in its application in many forms, including Quantum Dot video displays.

Why was the achievement successful and impactful?

This achievement in understanding lead to many practical application with great value, including video displays with high brightness and resolution.

Supporting texts and citations to establish the dates, location, and importance of the achievement: Minimum of five (5), but as many as needed to support the milestone, such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or chapters in scholarly books. 'Scholarly' is defined as peer-reviewed, with references, and published. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. At least one of the references must be from a scholarly book or journal article. All supporting materials must be in English, or accompanied by an English translation.

Brus, L.E. "Electron-electron and electron-hole interactions in small semiconductor crystallites: The size dependnece of the lowest excited electronic state" J. Chem Phys 80, 4403-4409 (1984)
Brus, L.E. "A simple model for the ionization potential, electron affinity, and aqueous redox potentials of small semionductor crystallites" J. Chen Phys 79, 5566-5571 (1983)
Rossetti R., Nakahara, S, Brus, L.E. "Quantum size effects in the redox potentials, resonance Raman spectra, and electronic spectra of CdS crystallites in aqueous solution" J. Chem. Phys 79, 1086, 1088 (1983)
"The Quantum Dot Story" Chemistry World, 11 October 2023
"Quantum dot developers win $1M Nobel Prize in Chemistry" Photonics World 5 Oct 2023

Supporting materials (supported formats: GIF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOC): All supporting materials must be in English, or if not in English, accompanied by an English translation. You must supply the texts or excerpts themselves, not just the references. For documents that are copyright-encumbered, or which you do not have rights to post, email the documents themselves to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please see the Milestone Program Guidelines for more information.

Please email a jpeg or PDF a letter in English, or with English translation, from the site owner(s) giving permission to place IEEE milestone plaque on the property, and a letter (or forwarded email) from the appropriate Section Chair supporting the Milestone application to ieee-history@ieee.org with the subject line "Attention: Milestone Administrator." Note that there are multiple texts of the letter depending on whether an IEEE organizational unit other than the section will be paying for the plaque(s).

Please recommend reviewers by emailing their names and email addresses to ieee-history@ieee.org. Please include the docket number and brief title of your proposal in the subject line of all emails.