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Hiroshi Amano
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Hiroshi Amano

Japanese physicist who co-created the blue LED as a graduate student

11 September 1960 Japan Verified by our editors
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66 yrs
Birthday in 309 days
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Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese physicist at Nagoya University who, as a student of Isamu Akasaki in the 1980s, solved key problems in growing gallium nitride crystals and making p-type GaN, enabling blue LEDs. He shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Biography

Student researcher

Amano studied at Nagoya University, joining Isamu Akasaki’s laboratory in 1982. He ran thousands of crystal-growth experiments, often working through nights.

Breakthroughs

In 1985–86 he found that a thin aluminium nitride buffer layer allowed smooth gallium nitride crystals to grow. In 1989 he discovered that electron-beam irradiation activated p-type doping, making the first p-n junction blue LED possible.

Career

Amano taught at Meijo University before returning to Nagoya University as a professor in 2010. He works on GaN power electronics to save energy.

Nobel Prize

He shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics with Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura, and received Japan’s Order of Culture the same year.

Timeline

  1. 1960

    Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan

  2. 1982

    Joins Akasaki’s laboratory

  3. 1986

    High-quality GaN crystals

  4. 1989

    p-type GaN; first p-n blue LED

  5. 2010

    Professor at Nagoya University

  6. 2014

    Nobel Prize in Physics

Notable works

  • 1989

    Gallium nitride blue LED Invention

    With Isamu Akasaki.

Awards and honours

  • Nobel Prize in Physics

    2014

  • Order of Culture

    2014

Did you know?

  1. 1

    He did his Nobel-winning work as a graduate student.

  2. 2

    He has said he struggled at school before discovering engineering.

  3. 3

    He was in a plane when the Nobel Prize was announced.

Connections

Related people

Also born on 11 September

Frequently asked

Who is Hiroshi Amano?

Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese physicist at Nagoya University who, as a student of Isamu Akasaki in the 1980s, solved key problems in growing gallium nitride crystals and making p-type GaN, enabling blue LEDs. He shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics.

How old is Hiroshi Amano?

Hiroshi Amano is 66 years old, born on 11 September 1960 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

Where is Hiroshi Amano from?

Hiroshi Amano was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

What is Hiroshi Amano known for?

Hiroshi Amano is best known for Growing gallium nitride crystals; p-type GaN; Nobel Prize in Physics 2014.

What awards has Hiroshi Amano received?

Notable honours include Nobel Prize in Physics (2014), Order of Culture (2014).

References

  1. Hiroshi Amano — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. Hiroshi Amano — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. Hiroshi Amano — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  4. Hiroshi Amano — Nobel Prize facts. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  5. Hiroshi Amano — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  6. Hiroshi Amano (Q11443689) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Hiroshi Amano”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Wikipedia
Filed under JapanLEDNobel Prize EngineerPhysicistProfessor

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“Hiroshi Amano.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/hiroshi-amano

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