As of 2003 he is the John Bardeen Endowed Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is investigating methods for manufacturing quantum dot lasers.
Demonstrating an affinity for electrical engineering in childhood, NickHolonyak, Jr., invented the first practical LED (light emitting diode), the first visible-spectrum semiconductor laser and the household dimmer switch.
Holonyak, who holds 31 patents, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), among others.
Holonyak was recognized for his light-emitting diode and semiconductor laser technology.
After graduation, Holonyak joined the prestigious Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J. He served in the Army Signal Corp from 1955 to 1957, and then was hired by GEs Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory in Syracuse, N.Y., where he worked as a consulting scientist on semiconductor devices.
Holonyaks red LEDs were first used commercially in the Hamilton Pulsar watch developed with Monsanto in 1972 and in Mattels Electronic Football Game.
Holonyak returned home and to his alma mater in 1963, becoming a professor in electrical and computer engineering and working in Illinois Materials Research Laboratory and Electrical Engineering Research Laboratory, where he still works primarily on lasers and LED technology.
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