Willard Boyle
Willard S. Boyle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 19, 1924 |
| Died | May 7, 2011(aged 86) |
| Citizenship | Canada |
| Alma mater | McGill University Lower Canada College |
| Known for | Charge-coupled device |
| Awards | IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award Draper Prize Nobel Prize in Physics(2009) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied physics |
| Institutions | Bell Labs |
Willard Sterling Boyle,CC (August 19, 1924– May 7, 2011)[2]was aCanadianphysicist[3][4]and co-inventor of thecharge-coupled device.[5]On October 6, 2009, he won the 2009Nobel Prize in Physicsfor "the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit—the CCD sensor".[6]
Life[change|change source]
Born inAmherst, Nova Scotia,he was the son of amedical doctorand moved toQuebecwith his father and mother Beatrice when he was three.[7]He was home schooled by his mother until age fourteen, when he attendedMontreal'sLower Canada Collegeto complete his secondary education.[7]Boyle attendedMcGill University,but his education was interrupted in 1943, when he joined theRoyal Canadian NavyduringWorld War II.[7]He was loaned to theBritain's Royal Navy,where he was learning how to landSpitfiresonaircraft carriersas the war ended.[7]He gained a Bachelor of Science (1947),Master of Science(1948) andPhD(1950) from McGill University.[8]
Career[change|change source]
After receiving his doctorate, Boyle spent one year at Canada's Radiation Laboratory and two years teaching physics at theRoyal Military College of Canada.[7]In 1953 Boyle joinedBell Labsa part of Bellcomm, where he invented the first continuously operatingruby laserwith Don Nelson in 1962.[9]He also helped invent asemiconductorinjectionlaser.[9]He became director of Space Science and Exploratory Studies at the Bell Labs in 1962. They provided support for theApollo space programand helped to selectMoonlanding sites.[9]He returned to Bell Labs in 1964, working on the development ofintegrated circuits.[9]
In 1969, Boyle andGeorge E. Smithinvented thecharge-coupled device(CCD). Before CCDs were used in cameras, all cameras used chemicals to capture photographic images. CCDs made electronic photography possible. Boyle and Smith jointly received theFranklin Institute'sStuart Ballantine Medalin 1973, the 1974IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award,the 2006Charles Stark Draper Prize,and the 2009Nobel Prize in Physicsfor inventing the CCD.[8][9]NASAused the CCD to send clear pictures toEarthback from space. CCD is also used in many digital cameras today. Smith said of their invention: "After making the first couple of imaging devices, we knew for certain that chemistry photography was dead."[10]
Boyle was Executive Director of Research for Bell Labs from 1975 until his retirement in 1979. In retirement, he split his time between Halifax andWallace, Nova Scotia[1]where he helped launch an art gallery with his wife Betty, a landscape artist.[7]He married Betty in 1947, and has four children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.[5]He was appointed a Companion of theOrder of Canadain 2010.[11]Boyle died in Wallace from kidney disease.[1]
References[change|change source]
- ↑1.01.11.2Jeffrey, Davene."Willard Boyle, Nova Scotian Nobel Prize winner, dies at 86".The Chronicle Herald.ca.Retrieved9 May2011.[permanent dead link]
- ↑"Nobel laureate dies Saturday".Amherst Daily News.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-05-27.Retrieved9 May2011.
- ↑Bellair, Amber (6 October 2009)."From Lester Pearson to today".The Globe and Mail.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-09.Retrieved2009-10-09.
- ↑ Chang, Kenneth (7 October 2009)."Nobel Awarded for Harnessing Light".The New York Times.p. A20.Retrieved2009-10-09.
- ↑5.05.1 "Canadian scientist shares Nobel physics prize".The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.6 October 2009.Retrieved2009-10-09.
- ↑ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 2009".Nobel Foundation.6 October 2009.Retrieved2009-10-06.
- ↑7.07.17.27.37.47.5Baxter, Joan (16 February 2006)."A modest man's big idea Digital chip changed the world".The Toronto Star:A3. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-11-13.Retrieved2009-10-06.
- ↑8.08.1 "McGill congratulates its second Nobel-winning alumnus of 2009".Alumni News.McGill University.6 October 2009.Retrieved2009-10-15.
- ↑9.09.19.29.39.4The Canadian Press (6 October 2009)."Canadian shares Nobel in physics".The Globe and Mail.Toronto. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-10.Retrieved2009-10-14.
- ↑Willard BoyleArchived2012-05-10 at theWayback Machine,Honorary Unsubscribe fromRandy Cassingham'sThis is Truenewsletter
- ↑Governor General announces 74 new appointments to the Order of Canada
Other websites[change|change source]
Media related toWillard Boyleat Wikimedia Commons
- Nobel Prize information
- ObituaryArchived2011-05-13 at theWayback Machine
