Milestone-Proposal talk:Invention of the Semiconductor Laser, 1962

Original Citation Title and Text -- Administrator4 (talk) 13:23, 26 October 2022 (UTC)

Invention of the Semiconductor Laser, 1962

Smaller than a grain of rice, the semiconductor laser first illuminated the world in fall 1962, developed independently at four institutions: GE Research Niskayuna, IBM Research, GE Research Syracuse, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This technological realization of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) enabled the Information Age via optical communications, information storage and retrieval, and materials processing.

Advocate's statement uploaded on behalf of the advocate by -- Administrator4 (talk) 20:57, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

2022- 10 Advocate's Questionnaire Jan 5, 2023

1) Is the proposal for an achievement rather than for a person? YES

2) Is the proposed achievement a significant advance vs. an incremental improvement to an existing technology? YES

3) Were there prior or contemporary achievements of a similar nature? YES there was the 2012 IEEE Milestone which recognized the work of Elias Snitzer entitled 'First Optical Fiber Laser and Amplifier 1961-1964'.

4) Has the achievement (or the particular version of the technology being proposed) truly led to a functioning, useful, or marketable technology? YES

5) Is the proposal adequately supported by significant references and citations, (minimum of five) such as patents, contemporary newspaper articles, journal articles, or citations to pages in scholarly books? At least one of the references shall be from a scholarly book or journal article. The text of the material, not just the references, shall ….. YES

6) Are the scholarly references recent? YES

7) Does the proposed citation fulfill the requirements? NOT exactly. As Advocate, I feel that wordsmithing will be necessary to address potentially confusing or overlapping claims suggested above in (3). Perhaps the following words are suitable - extracted from page 13 of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory booklet entitled "70 Innovations Over Seventy Years":

"In following years, various semiconductor materials were employed to cover different parts of the wavelength spectrum, enabling the use of lasers in more numerous applications."

8) Does the proposed plaque site (sites) fulfill the requirements? YES.

9) Is the proposal of suitable quality, comparable to IEEE publications? YES

10) Are the scientific and technical units correct? (e.g. km, mm, hertz, etc.) Are acronyms correct and properly uppercased or lowercased? YES

8) Does the proposed plaque site (sites) fulfill the requirements? YES.

9) Is the proposal of suitable quality, comparable to IEEE publications? YES

10) Are the scientific and technical units correct? (e.g. km, mm, hertz, etc.) Are acronyms correct and properly uppercased or lowercased? YES

Submitted by Gilmore Cooke, Advocate

Expert reviewer's comments uploaded on behalf of the advocate by -- Administrator4 (talk) 18:00, 25 January 2023 (UTC)

From: James J Wynne Date: Tue, Jan 10, 2023 at 6:38 PM Subject: My Expert Review of the IEEE Milestone proposal for the Invention of the Semiconductor Laser, 1962 To: Gil Cooke <gglcooke@gmail.com>

Hi Gil

I started working with lasers during the summer of 1963, when I learned of the origins of the laser, starting with Einstein’s famous 1917 seminal theoretical paper, “The quantum theory of radiation”, published in German in Physikalische Zeitschrift 18 121, in which he predicted the existence of Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Einstein realized that photon emission from excited (e.g., heated) matter could not only be spontaneously emitted radiation, but could also be stimulated by that radiation field. “Laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It describes any device that creates and amplifies a narrow, focused beam of light whose photons are coherent.

I learned that the first working laser, the ruby laser, was built by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Aircraft Company and “lased” on May 16th, 1960. This opened the door for a new era of light emitting devices and their application to communications, materials processing, surgery, military weapons, and even to controlled fusion of hydrogen atoms. I also learned that Peter Sorokin and his colleague, Mirek Stevenson, at the newly opened IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, had created the second and third working lasers, late in 1960. Since Sorokin’s PhD advisor at Harvard was Nicolaas Bloembergen, who also served as my PhD advisor, I was naturally drawn to join IBM Research’s Physical Sciences Dept., where I collaborated with Sorokin, upon the completion of my PhD studies in 1969.

I also learned that within the avalanche of new lasers and their applications was the discovery/invention of semiconductor diode lasers during the months of October and November, 1962. Laser action in GaAs, first reported on November 1, 1962 by R. N. Hall, G. E. Fenner, J. D. Kingsley, T. J. Soltys, and R. O. Carlson from General Electric in Schenectady, New York, had a received date 11 days before laser action in GaAs by M. I. Nathan, W. P. Dumke, G. Burns, F. H. Dill, Jr., and G. J. Lasher from IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York. One and a half months later, two more papers from different laboratories were published: N. Holonyak, Jr., and S. F. Bevacqua from General Electric in Syracuse, New York, and T. M. Quist, R. H. Rediker, R. J. Keyes, W. E. Krag, B. Lax, A. L. McWhorter, and H. J. Zeiger from Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. The publication of these four papers from GE, IBM, and Lincoln Lab launched a tidal wave of research activity on semiconductor lasers. Just about every industrial and government research laboratory and many university laboratories initiated work in the area.

Semiconductor lasers possess the unique distinction in that they directly convert electrical energy into laser light with high efficiency, and they’re quite small (millimeter scale). In communications, semiconductor lasers are used to generate the source light on which the information is encoded via modulation, enables today’s internet miracle that we take for granted each day.

My critique of the proposal:

Is the suggested wording of the Plaque Citation accurate? It is accurate, but I recommend a minor edit of the Plaque Citation, as follows:

Smaller than a grain of rice, the semiconductor laser first illuminated the world in the fall of 1962., d Developed independently at four institutions: GE Research Niskayuna, IBM Research, GE Research Syracuse, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, . T this technological realization of Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) enabled ushered in the Information Age via optical communications, information storage and retrieval, and materials processing

    2)   Is the evidence presented in the proposal of sufficient substance and accuracy to support the Citation?
            The evidence presented is definitely of sufficient substance and accuracy. In particular, I cite this verbiage:

Perhaps nowhere else has it had greater impact than in communications, where every second, a semiconductor laser quietly encodes the sum of human knowledge into light, enabling it to be shared almost instantaneously across oceans and space. This capability is possible at tremendous scale and economy because the semiconductor laser realizes all the elements of a laser – light generation and amplification, lenses, and mirrors – within a solid microminiature block of material.

    3)   Does the proposed milestone represent a significant technical achievement?

           Most definitely, YES! This work has features that set it apart from other achievements in optical technology. In particular, I cite this verbiage:

The fact that direct bandgap semiconductors could directly and efficiently convert electric energy into light immediately made the semiconductor laser distinct from the preceding bulky and less efficient laser technologies. Moreover, the additional structures required to create a laser – optics for guiding the generated light and the formation of a resonant cavity – could also be realized within the semiconductor material. All this functionality came together in a tiny volume (less than 1 mm3) that could be economically produced in high volume. Moreover, in contrast to the fixed discrete colors (or wavelengths) created by the atomic or molecular gain mediums in gas lasers or crystal lasers, the alloys making up the semiconductor material could be continuously varied in composition to create a wide range of laser colors, allowing the semiconductor laser to address many different applications within the same fundamental structure.

In conclusion, this proposal definitely meets, and I would say, exceeds the criteria to qualify as an IEEE Milestone. My ability to communicate with you via email over the internet is just one great example of the extraordinary positive impact on society brought to us by semiconductor lasers.

All my best,

Jim

James J. Wynne, Ph. D. IBM Research Headquarters

Advocate’s Final Comments -- Gilcooke (talk) 02:23, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Please advance this Milestone Proposal to the next level of approval because my hesitation and doubts have been removed. Thanks to Russel Dupuis and Jim Wynne for their time and expertise.

Gil Cooke

-- Gilcooke (talk) 20:18, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

February 4, 2023 Subject: Request for Expert Review of IEEE Milestones Proposal for the Injection Laser Diode

Dear Dr. Cooke, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important milestone proposal. I strongly support this proposal and the recognition of this important body of work.

My specific comments are below. 1. Accuracy of Plaque Citation I agree with the proposers wording of the Plaque Citation. 2. Substance and Accuracy of Evidence Presented I agree with the proposers about the technical and commercial importance of these events and also with the he technical description of the events and the discussion clearly support the Citation. 3. Discussion of Importance of Milestone Event Since the announcement of the invention of the solid-state ruby laser (the first LASER) in the August 6, 1960 issue of the journal Nature by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Labs, Malibu CA, which emitted visible coherent light in the red, it was obvious that lasing could be realized in the visible, and probably, also in the near-infrared spectrum. The realization of the visible ruby laser operation was a dramatic shift in frequency from the long-wavelength mm-wave microwaves emitted by the ammonia MASER (microwave amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation) which had been invented in 1955 and operated at 23,870 mega- cycles/s. Since the first LASER (light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation)—a solid-state device based upon discrete-energy-state Cr-ion impurity transitions—was demonstrated in 1960, some researchers who were exploring semiconductor p-n junction diodes had wondered if a semiconductor had the necessary qualities to support stimulated emission and laser operation. Some were convinced that such a device could not be made since the physics was so different from the ruby laser. However, others believed that such a possibility might indeed exist. However, no one had any solid idea about how to take the ideas about the operation of a laser using the “discrete electronic quantum states” of isolated Cr ions in ruby and apply this to the very different electronic band structure of a semiconductor. The pioneering work by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory group led by Dr. Robert Rediker, on GaAs diffused p-n junction infrared LEDs, was a catalyst for the increased efforts to make a semiconductor laser from July 1962. The MIT-LL group announced on July 9, 1962 at the IEEE Device Research Conference in New Hampshire that their GaAs p-n junctions had an almost 100% internal quantum efficiency of the spontaneous emission.[1] Many attendees of this conference, including Robert Hall from GE Schenectady, Nick Holonyak, Jr. from GE Syracuse, and Marshall Nathan from IBM Research Labs in Yorktown Heights NY as well as others, were excited by these results and the implication that a semiconductor laser could be created using such an efficient light source. The MIT-LL work set off a rush and many labs to exploit this compound semiconductor materials system. The demonstration of the first GaAs diffused p-n injection laser diode by Robert Hall, et al. at the GE Corporate Research Center in Schenectady, (now Niskayuna) NY on September 16, 1962 [2,3] and the first demonstration of an alloy visible p-n injection laser diode by Nick Holonyak, Jr., et al., a few weeks later on October 6, 1962 that Holonyak had developed at the GE Research Laboratory in Syracuse NY (but actually demonstrated using Hall’s facilities at the GE Corporate Research Center) make this an important site for IEEE Historical Site Recognition.[4,5] Furthermore, the pioneering work by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory group and their subsequent independent demonstration of a p-n junction laser diode was an important confirmation of Hall, et al.’s work at GE, the results of which had just been published.[6,7] Additionally, the IBM Research Labs group, led by Marshall Nathan, at about this same time also published a paper on stimulated emission in GaAs p-n junctions.[8] 4. Summary and Impact of the Work These four independent seminal demonstrations of the operation of a compound semiconductor injection laser diode set the stage for the future work that has created an extensive multi-billion USD market and expanded greatly the applications for coherent light sources across the near-UV, visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared spectral regions. The development of the semiconductor diode laser has created products that greatly improve the welfare, life, safety, and health of many people on earth and will have an expanding role in the improvement of the human condition in the future. I give my strongest support to the recognition of these important events by the establishment of the IEEE Historical Site Plaques at the designated locations.

Professor Emeritus Russell D. Dupuis Georgia Institute Technology dupuis@ieee.org

References

1 R. J. Keyes and T. M. Quist, “Recombination radiation emitted by gallium arsenide diodes,” presented at the IEEE Solid-State Device Research, Conf., Durham, NH, Jul. 1962. 2 R. N. Hall, G. E. Fenner, J. D. Kingsley, T. J. Soltys, and R. O. Carlson, “Coherent light mission from GaAs junctions,” Phys. Rev. Lett., Vol. 9, No. 9, pp. 366–368, Nov. 1, 1962, Received on September 24, 1962. 3 R. N. Hall, “Injection lasers,” IEEE Trans. Elect. Dev., vol. ED-23, no.7, Jul. 1976 4 N. Holonyak, Jr. and S. F. Bevacqua, “Coherent (visible) light emission from Ga(AsP) junctions,” Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 82–83, Dec. 1, 1962, Received on October 17, 1962. 5 N. Holonyak, Jr., “The semiconductor laser: A thirty-five-year perspective,” Proc. IEEE, Vol. 85, No. 11, pp. 1678– 1693, Nov. 1997. 6 T. M Quist, R. H. Rediker, R. J. Keyes, W. E. Krag, B. Lax, A. L. McWhorter, and H. J. Zeigler, “Semiconductor maser of GaAs”, Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 91-92, Dec. 1, 1962. Received on Nov. 5, 1962. 7 R. H. Rediker, “Semiconductor diode luminescence and lasers—A perspective,” IEEE J. Sel. Topics Quantum Electron., Vol. 6, No. 6, pp. 1355–1362, Nov./Dec. 2000 8 M. I. Nathan, W. P. Dumke, G. Burns, F. H. Dill, and G. Lasher, “Stimulated emission of radiation from GaAs p

Comments on the Proposal and Expert Reviews -- Bberg (talk) 18:23, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

I extend a hearty thanks to all of those responsible for this excellent proposal, including the 3 support sections and the Expert Reviewer comments. I verified that the 69-word citation is under the 70-word limit, and I note that it has been expertly composed to read smoothly while encapsulating many key points!

I do note, however, that the 3 support sections each read as one long paragraph. In order to improve their readability, I recommend that you incorporate a pair of HTML br tags wherever you want to start a new paragraph so that a blank line is included as a separator. Please note that this is what I did in this comment so as to break it into 3 paragraphs, and that it is thus a very easy change. This has apparently already been done to some degree with the Expert Reviews here on the Comments page.

I note that the Ethernet proposal (for which I am the Advocate) used this simple technique in order to break its lengthier support sections into a series of paragraphs as well.

minor tightening up of citation -- Amy Bix (talk) 02:13, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

Nice milestone! I would just recommend some tightening up of the citation (it looks better if it's not too close to the upper limit word count) as follows:

> In the autumn of 1962, four research laboratories

Can we just make this "In 1962"? - I"m not sure why "autumn" is essential (and in fact, we often also leave out the year sometimes when it's in the plaque title....)

> the semiconductor laser has become the light source

How about just "the semiconductor laser became the light source"?

Re: minor tightening up of citation -- Jbart64 (talk) 21:49, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

I agree with the comments and suggestions and fully support this revised milestone. Well done!! Dave Bart

All - thank you greatly for the suggestions, which we've incorporated. The only change we didn't make was the removal of the reference the 'autumn'. The authors discussed removing, as per your suggestion, because you are correct that it would be more direct to do so. However, uniquely for this citation, we thought it was highly relevant to include the time-frame in the abstract given the four almost simultaneous reports of semiconductor lasers.

Re: Re: minor tightening up of citation -- Bberg (talk) 07:06, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

I agree that "autumn" should be included as it clarifies the near simultaneity of the work at each site.

Re: Re: Re: minor tightening up of citation -- Bberg (talk) 20:52, 18 April 2023 (UTC)

I have a suggestion for a change to the phrase "General Electric at both Schenectady and Syracuse locations" as the word "locations" seems too "bland." I suggest instead "General Electric at its Schenectady and Syracuse plants" since "plant" is a term used extensively, for example, in the 2014 book Electric City: General Electric in Schenectady, and this is a term used widely for the type of facility that companies like GE occupy. This would not change the word count, and this wording reads more smoothly.

Minor wording change to citation -- Dmichelson (talk) 10:30, 19 April 2023 (UTC)

"In the autumn of 1962, four research laboratories (General Electric at both Schenectady and Syracuse locations, IBM, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory) independently reported the first demonstrations of the semiconductor laser. Smaller than a grain of rice, powered using direct current injection, and available at wavelengths spanning the ultraviolet to the infrared, the semiconductor laser became the light source that powers modern communications, data storage, and precision measurement systems."

I generally like the citation but "that powers" seems wrong. I suggest:

"In the autumn of 1962, four research laboratories (General Electric at both Schenectady and Syracuse locations, IBM, and MIT Lincoln Laboratory) independently reported the first demonstrations of the semiconductor laser. Smaller than a grain of rice, powered using direct current injection, and available at wavelengths spanning the ultraviolet to the infrared, the semiconductor laser has become ubiquitous in modern communications, data storage, and precision measurement systems."

which saves two words.