Millstone River Photonickers

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Millstone River Photonickers is an informal affinity association of those individuals associated with the development of semiconductor diode laser technology at RCA Laboratories and its successor organization Sarnoff Corporation, as well as companies and government or university groups which have grown out of the RCA Laboratories' optoelectronics tradition.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

RCA Laboratories, located on ca. 300 acres along the Millstone River in Princeton, NJ, is one of several organizations that, in 1962, simultaneously performed the historic demonstration of near-100% internal quantum efficiency in the conversion of electron-hole pairs to photons. The others were Texas Instruments, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, General Electric, and IBM.

RCA Laboratories was the organization to develop liquid phase epitaxy, the dominant form of epitaxial crystal growth enabling the development of high performance diode lasers in early years. (It has now been supplanted by molecular beam epitaxy and metallorganic chemical vapor phase deposition.)

RCA Laboratories demonstrated the very first gallium nitride based blue LEDs in the early 1970s. These were the forerunners of solid-state lighting which is poised to improve lighting efficiency in the early 21st century.

In the 1970s and 1980s, RCA Laboratories demonstrated and developed the technology for optical data recording on disks, leading to CD, DVD, BluRay, and other technologies in wide use since the 1970s.

RCA Laboratories and successor organization Sarnoff Corporation today makes a unique claim as the longest-continuously operating industry R&D facility in the field of diode laser science and technology. It has specialized in government-sponsored R&D, including flying the first laser in space onboard a NASA Gemini flight in 1967.

[edit] Other Individual Affiliations

Along with the enviable history of RCA Laboratories and Sarnoff Corporation in semiconductor diode lasers, numerous spin-off and daughter companies have been founded by Sarnoff personnel.

Optoelectronics companies founded by, or with key staff being among, RCA Laboratories/Sarnoff Corporation's optoelectronics personnel include the following: Alfalight, Arradiance, Bridgelux, Epitaxx, Innovative Photonic Solutions, Laser Diode Inc., Lytel, Medeikon, Nanogen, Nanotrope, PD-LD, Photodigm, Princeton Lightwave Inc., Princeton Optronics, Sensors Unlimited Inc., and Trumpf Photonics. Several of these organizations have since been incorporated as part of larger companies. Industries served include medical, telecommunications, night vision, manufacturing, displays, and solid state lighting.

Some organizations which have employed or have been led by Millstone River Photonickers are Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Motorola, AmberWave, Lumileds, Applied Materials, Hewlett-Packard, Judson Infrared, Newport, Applied Optoelectronics, IRE-Polus Group (IPG), U.S. Army Night Vision Laboratory, University of Colorado, Carnegie Mellon University, Rider University, Ohio University, Northwestern University, Southern Methodist University, Drexel University, Pranalytica, Suzmar, Warburg Pincus, Samdai, and GHO Ventures.

[edit] The Commercial Spirit of the Millstone River

The Millstone River lends its historical commercial spirit to the R&D mission performed at RCA Laboratories in Princeton. For, the R&D performed at RCA Laboratories was always focused on commercial applications in distinction to that of other major R&D institutions, including corporate R&D institutions. Many non-photonic breakthroughs were achieved along its banks, including the invention of CMOS, the basis for essentially all computer chips manufactured today.

For further information, see Millstone River#Commercial history

The Olsen farm, situated along the Millstone River where it crosses U.S. Route 1 in Princeton was sought and eventually purchased by RCA Corporation in the late 1930s.

[edit] References