Fang Professor of Engineering Prof Kei May Lau, Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been selected as the 2017 honoree of the IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award for “exceptional contributions to hetero-epitaxy of highly mismatched III-V photonics devices by MOCVD”.

The Aron Kressel Award recognizes individuals who have made important contributions to opto-electronic device technology. The device technology cited is to have had a significant impact on their applications in major practical systems. The intent is to recognize key contributors to the field for developments of critical components, which lead to the development of systems enabling major new services or capabilities. These achievements have been accomplished in a prior time frame sufficient to permit evaluation of their lasting impact.

In the citation, IEEE Photonics Society highlighted that “Prof Lau’s research in compound semiconductor materials and devices has had a major and singular impact on today’s high-performance and energy-saving photonics technologies ranging from lasers for ubiquitous communication to energy-efficient displays and lighting.”

She was commended for “not only strategically targeting technological challenges and goals that produced the high-performance light-emitting devices and III-V transistors directly grown on silicon, but with an eye to ultimate manufacturability and volume production as well. Thus, her long-term and consistent investment in direct growth of III-V devices on silicon by MOCVD has not only demonstrated record performance devices, but also facilitates natural device integration that leverages mature and cost-effective Si IC manufacturing.”

Her contribution to the industry was also highly praised as “her early reports of III-V/GaN on Silicon photonic devices and transistors stimulated and reinforced industrial commitments in the pursuit of commercialization of these devices. Companies worldwide have invested heavily in these directions in recent years. Her work on III-V lasers and transistors on silicon has generated tremendous interests in major corporations including Intel, TSMC, IMEC and Huawei.”

The annual award has been presented since 2000 and is given to an individual or group, up to three in number. Prof Lau is the only honoree this year and she will receive the award at the 2017 IEEE Photonics Conference in Florida, US in October.

Related link:

• Aron Kressel Award Citation