Basic Research Award 1997

Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. Yashura Suetmatsu

  • für seine wegweisenden Arbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Halbleiterlaser und der integrierten Optik für Anwendungen in der optischen Kommunikationstechnik. 
  • for his pioneering work on semiconductor lasers and integrated optics for application in optical communication systems.
  • Curriculum Vitae von Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c.mult. Yashura Suetmatsu

    22.9.1932 geboren in Bezirk Gifu, Japan.
    1955/57/70 B.Sc., M.Sc. und D.Sc. in Ingenieurwissenschaften; Tokyo Institute of Technology
    1960/73 Assistenzprofessor und Professor für Physikalische Elektronik.
    1986-88 Dekan der Fakultät für Ingernieurwissenschaften und
    1989-93 Präsident des Tokyo Institute of Technology
    1992 Präsident des japan, Instituts für Elektronik, Informatik und Nachrichtentechnik.
    1993 Professor Emeritus, Tokyo Institute of Technology.
    1994 Kommisar der Raumfahrtkommission im Büro des Premierminister.
    1994-95 Direktor der japan, Gesselschaft zur Förderung des Wissenschaften.
    1995-97 Generaldirektor des Instituts für interdiszipl. Forschung.
    1997- Präsident der Techn. Universität Kochi und Vorsitzender des Rates für die Gründung und Zusammenarbeit von Universitäten beim Miniterium für Ausbildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur.
    Ehrungen
    193 Valmer Paulsens Goldmedaille Der Dänischen Akademie der techn. Wissenschaften.
    1985 The Electronics Letter Premium IEE.
    1993 Foreign Associate, National Academy of Engineering, USA
    1994 John Tyndall Award, LEOS IEEE; C & C Award , C&C Stiftung; Ehrung für herausragende Beiträge im Bereich Nachrichtentechn., NHK.
    1996 Medailler am lila Band (Sijuho-shoh) des japan, Premierministers
    Ehrenpromotionen
    1992 Ehrendoktor der Universität Maryland, USA
    1994 Ehrendoktor der Universität Surrey, England.
    Publikationen
    Mehr als 260 wissenschaaftl. Arbeiten und Bücher; beispielweise
    1976 Introduction to Optical Fiber Communications
    1985 Optical Devices
    1994 Semiconductor Laser and Photonic Integrated Circuits

    The laser in Optcal Communication Systems

    Since beginning his research in the 1960s, Prfessor Yasuharu   Suematsu of Japan has contributed signifcantly to the development of optical communication based on fiber optic networks. His scientific interest was primarly focused upon semiconductor lasers, which constitute one of the key elements of such systems; without them the tremendendous progress in optical communication which is still going on could hardly have taken place.

    Professor Suematsu  was the first to point out the potential of semiconductor lasers as high bitratr transmitters and initiate both theoretical and experimental work on the subject. He presented the results of this research to the scientific community on the occasion of the 1967 International Semiconductor Laser Conference in Las Vegas. In particular, he developed concepts og high frequency modulated lasers at a time when it was not yet possible to drive a laser diode under cw operating conditions.

    A further area of particular interest to professor Suematsu has been the spectral peoperties of semiconductors lasers. Following hist investigations of the transmissions properties of optical fibers he soon recognized the need dor dynamic single mode (DSM) lasers if signals were to be transmitted over long distances. As a consequence Professor Suematsu  devoted much of his subsequent work to DSM-lasers. He has made valuable contributions in the fields of physics and technology, notably with respect to the development of distributed feedback (DFB-) and distributed Bragg refector (DBR-) lasers.

    DFB- and DBR-lasers not only exhibit dynamic single mode behavior, but also lend themselves to monolithic integration. As a consequence Professor Suematsu   has dedicated much time to this question, and his original research provided the fundamentals for a whole group of devices called optoelectronic or photonic integrated circuits (OEICs or PICs, repectively).

    The award of the Eduard Rhein Prize is in honor of the outstanding nature of Professor Suematsu 's work over the course of three decades, which, by developing and providing key components, has helped to render the introduction of optical communication possible. Professor Suematsu 's scientific career has always been characterized by his capacity to combine basic physics, technological aspects, and industrial application with such succes that the results of his research have received worldwide recognition.

    Dr. Norbert Grote, Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin

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