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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary
4of the light-emitting diode (LED) and honor the inventor of the
5LED, Nick Holonyak Jr.; and
 
6    WHEREAS, LED technology is used in literally every aspect
7of our lives, including the aviation, transportation and safety
8(traffic lights), theatre, photography, architecture, and
9aerospace industries; LEDs are also used in countless consumer
10electronics, including flashlights, mobile phones,
11automobiles, and light bulbs; and
 
12    WHEREAS, LEDs produce more lumens per watt than both
13incandescent and halogen lighting sources, making them more
14environmentally-friendly and cost-effective; LED's also have
15more than 10 times the life span of an incandescent bulb,
16making them perfectly suited for use in automotive dashboards,
17taillights, and headlights, as well as in traffic signals and
18consumer electronics; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Nick Holonyak Jr. was born, raised, and educated
20in Illinois; he earned his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D.
21degrees in electrical engineering from the University of
22Illinois; he was also the first graduate student of John

 

 

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1Bardeen, the only 2-time recipient of the Nobel Prize in
2Physics; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Nick Holonyak Jr. began his career at Bell
4Telephone Labs, where he helped develop silicon-diffused
5transistor technology; several years later, while working at
6General Electric, he invented the first practical
7light-emitting diode and the first semiconductor laser to
8operate in the visible spectrum; he also developed the first
9electronic devices in III-V compound semiconductor alloys and
10the basic silicon device used in household light-dimmer
11switches; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Nick Holonyak Jr. joined the faculty of the
13University of Illinois in 1963; upon his arrival at the
14University of Illinois, he and his students developed the first
15quantum-well laser, a practical laser used for fiber-optic
16communications, compact disc players, medical diagnosis,
17surgery, ophthalmology, and many other applications; in the
18early 1980s, his group introduced impurity-induced layer
19disordering, which converts layers of a semiconductor
20structure into an alloy with important electronic properties;
21this discovery solved the problem of a laser's low reliability
22and paved the way for the reliable and durable lasers now used
23in DVD players and other optical storage equipment; during the
24last decade, his group invented a process that enables the

 

 

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1formation of high-quality oxide layers on any aluminum-bearing
2III-V compound semiconductor; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Nick Holonyak Jr. is currently researching
4transistor lasers; this research, currently in the early stages
5of development, could dramatically improve the speed and
6availability of electronic communications; and
 
7    WHEREAS, On October 24-25, 2012, the University of Illinois
8will hold a symposium on its Urbana campus to celebrate the
9invention of the LED and honor its inventor; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Nick Holonyak Jr. serves as a model of hard work,
11integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of
12Illinois; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
14NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the LED, honor and thank
16Nick Holonyak Jr. for creating this important technology, and
17wish Mr. Holonyak continued success and happiness in his future
18endeavors; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
20presented to Nick Holonyak Jr. and the University of Illinois
21as a symbol of our esteem and respect.