Isamu Akasaki
Japanese scientist who made the first gallium-nitride blue LED
- Lived
- 92 yrs
- 1929 – 2021
- Works listed
- 1
- Invention
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 2014
- Profile views
- 0
- 0 followers
Isamu Akasaki was a Japanese engineer and physicist who, with his student Hiroshi Amano at Nagoya University, grew high-quality gallium nitride crystals and created the first p-n junction blue LED in 1989. He shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Biography
Background
Akasaki studied at Kyoto University and worked at Kobe Kogyo, then earned his doctorate at Nagoya University and joined the Matsushita Research Institute.
Betting on gallium nitride
In the 1970s most researchers abandoned gallium nitride as too hard to grow. Akasaki persisted, and at Nagoya University from 1981 he and Amano used a thin buffer layer to grow high-quality GaN crystals in 1986.
The blue LED
They solved the problem of making p-type GaN in 1989 and produced the first blue LED with a p-n junction, paving the way for bright blue and white LEDs and blue lasers.
Honours
Akasaki received the Kyoto Prize in 2009, the Order of Culture in 2011 and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014. He died in 2021 aged 92.
Timeline
-
1929
Born in Chiran, Kagoshima, Japan
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1952
Graduates from Kyoto University
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1981
Professor at Nagoya University
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1986
Grows high-quality GaN with Amano
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1989
First p-n junction blue LED
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2009
Kyoto Prize
-
2014
Nobel Prize in Physics
-
2021
Dies
-
2021
Died, aged 92
Notable works
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1989
Gallium nitride blue LED Invention
With Hiroshi Amano.
Awards and honours
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Kyoto Prize
2009
-
Order of Culture
2011
-
Nobel Prize in Physics
2014
Did you know?
-
1
He said he would “walk alone” on gallium nitride even when others gave up.
-
2
Royalties from his patents funded the Akasaki Institute at Nagoya University.
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3
He was 85 when he received the Nobel Prize.
Connections
Related people
Frequently asked
Who is Isamu Akasaki?
Isamu Akasaki was a Japanese engineer and physicist who, with his student Hiroshi Amano at Nagoya University, grew high-quality gallium nitride crystals and created the first p-n junction blue LED in 1989. He shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics.
When did Isamu Akasaki die?
Isamu Akasaki died on 1 April 2021 at the age of 92.
Where is Isamu Akasaki from?
Isamu Akasaki was born in Chiran, Kagoshima, Japan.
What is Isamu Akasaki known for?
Isamu Akasaki is best known for Gallium nitride crystals; p-n junction blue LED (1989); Nobel Prize in Physics 2014.
What awards has Isamu Akasaki received?
Notable honours include Kyoto Prize (2009), Order of Culture (2011), Nobel Prize in Physics (2014).
References
- Isamu Akasaki — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Isamu Akasaki — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Isamu Akasaki — Nobel Prize facts. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Isamu Akasaki — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Isamu Akasaki (Q1673706) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Isamu Akasaki”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Isamu Akasaki.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/isamu-akasaki
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