Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • About
  • Past Ceremonies
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Past Awardees
  • Video Highlights
Search
Asia Game Changer Awards
  • About
  • Past Ceremonies
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Past Awardees
  • Video Highlights

  • 2022
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Program
  • 2021
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Video
    • Program
  • 2020
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Video
    • Program
  • 2019
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
  • 2018
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
    • Awards Dinner
  • 2017
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
    • Awards Dinner
  • 2016
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video
  • 2015
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video
  • 2014
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video

Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura

For lighting our world in a groundbreaking and sustainable way

Nobel physics laureates 2014 (L-R) Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akasaki, and Hiroshi Amano. (Janerik Henriksson/AFP/Getty Images)

ISAMU AKASAKI, HIROSHI AMANO, SHUJI NAKAMURA

2014 Nobel Prize in Physics

Japan

By now you’ve probably seen an LED light bulb, or even used one in your own home. And you likely know they are energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and, over time, easy on the pocket book. But few actually stop to think about the remarkable technology housed inside these devices — or the three history-making Japanese scientists who made it all possible.

The introduction of LEDs, short for light-emitting diodes, has sparked a transformation of the lighting industry, but it also marked the end of a long, arduous journey for the scientific community. White LED lamps require a combination of red, green, and blue light, and while researchers were able to create red and green LEDs back in the 1950s and 1960s, they struggled for three decades to create the elusive blue. The barrier was finally broken when Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano of Nagoya University first made a simple diode from semiconductors in the late 1980’s, followed by Shuji Nakamura of the Nichia Corporation, who discovered the remaining missing layers needed to produce a bright blue light emitting diode in the early 1990s.

Sound confusing? Arcane? Maybe, but the consequences have proved game-changing on a global scale. Lighting accounts for one-fourth of the world’s electricity consumption, and LED technology contributes to conserving the Earth’s resources, as well as providing an affordable source of light for millions around the world without access to electricity grids (due to low wattage requirements, LEDs can utilize cheap solar power).

For their innovation, Akasaki (Meijo University), Amano (Nagoya University), and Nakamura (University of California, Santa Barbara) were awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. Frances Saunders, president of the Institute of Physics, hailed their accomplishments: “This is physics research that is having a direct impact on the grandest of scales, helping protect our environment, as well as turning up in our everyday electronic gadgets.” 

  • 2022
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Program
  • 2021
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Video
    • Program
  • 2020
    • Awardees
    • Recap
    • Video
    • Program
  • 2019
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
  • 2018
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
    • Awards Dinner
  • 2017
    • Awardees
    • Recap & Photos
    • Video
    • Awards Dinner
  • 2016
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video
  • 2015
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video
  • 2014
    • Awardees
    • Awards Dinner
    • Photos & Video
About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC