John Tyndall Award
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John Tyndall Award
Presented to an individual who has made outstanding contributions in any area of optical-fiber technology, including optical fibers themselves, the optical components used in fiber systems, as well as transmission systems and networks using fibers.
Contributions should have met the test of time and been of proven benefit to science, technology, or society. The contributions may be experimental or theoretical.
The award was established in 1987 to honor the memory of John Tyndall who made distinguished contributions to physics, particularly his demonstration of total internal reflection in a continuous stream of water. It is jointly presented by Optica and IEEE Photonics Society at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC), and is funded by Corning, Incorporated.
Winners
2024
For pioneering contributions to the development of optical fibers and their applications and commercialization in fiber lasers and optical communications
2022
For leadership in building a photonic integration ecosystem, and pioneering contributions to key photonic devices including the arrayed waveguide grating
2021
In recognition of her fundamental and technological advances in integrated photonic devices
2020
For seminal research in silicon photonics and for driving the foundry model in this field
2019
For pioneering contributions to the development of practical coherent communication systems
2018
For contributions to understanding and advancing the capacity of coherent optical communication systems including advanced modulation formats and spatial multiplexing
2017
For pioneering leadership in optical fiber development and outstanding contributions to nonlinear fiber optics and optical fiber amplifiers
2016
For sustained pioneering research contributions that drove commercialization of high-speed, high-capacity lightwave communication systems
2015
For pioneering and sustained contributions to the development of metal organic chemical vapor deposition and high performance quantum well semiconductor lasers
2014
For pioneering contributions to the fundamental understanding of coherent detection techniques
2013
For contributions to semiconductor lasers and photonic materials, processing and device designs, including high reliability strained-layer lasers
2012
For pioneering research in hybrid-silicon lasers and photonic integrated circuits
2011
For seminal contributions to photonic ICs and semiconductor lasers deployed in fiber optic communication systems around the world
2010
For seminal contributions to advanced lightwave communications networks including erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, fiber Bragg grating-based subsystems, and MEMs crossconnects
2009
For seminal contributions to the understanding, design and telecommunication systems implementation of avalanche photodiodes
2008
For pioneering breakthroughs in high-capacity transmission systems and networks, including the invention of NZDF (non-zero dispersion fiber) and dispersion management of optical fiber nonlinearities
2007
For pioneering contributions to the physical and theoretical understanding of Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers and to their early development
2006
For seminal contributions to semiconductor laser diode technology that power the optical fiber networks and as an entrepreneur in creating one of the premier companies that bring to practice the semiconductor diode laser technology to serve the fiber optics industry
2005
For fundamental contributions to the understanding of optical fiber nonlinearities, including the identification and understanding of stimulated Raman scattering in fibers
2004
For contributions to semiconductor laser diode technology, including widely tunable DBR lasers and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers
2003
For pioneering research on optical fiber nonlinearities and their dispersion management, and leading WDM fiber transmission systems beyond Tbit/s capacities
2002
For outstanding technical contributions and leadership in the advancement of global undersea fiber-optic communication systems
2001
For contributions to vapor-phase axial deposition for optical-fiber fabrication and pioneer work on silica-based planar lightwave circuits
2000
For his pioneering research in optical receiver design, system engineering, and optical time domain reflectometry, and for leadership in education and the promotion of fiber optics
1999
For the invention and development of the MCVD process, which is one of the major techniques for the manufacture of low loss optical fibers and for high purity overcladding tubes using sol-gel techniques
1998
For pioneering contributions in the development of surface emitting lasers and planar microlens arrays for parallel optoelectronics
1997
For contributions to lightwave device technology involving high-speed modulation, integrated optics, semiconductor lasers, polarization effects in fiber, and WDM components, and to optical FDM networks
1996
For the discovery of photosensitivity in optical fibers and its application to Bragg gratings used in device applications in optical communications and sensor systems
1995
For sustained advances in high-capacity optical fiber communication systems created by his pioneering research, leadership, and personal contributions over more than two decades
1994
For pioneering contributions to optical propagation in fiber and rare-earth doped lasers and amplifiers
1993
For contributions to wideband optical fiber communication through his dynamic single-mode lasers and semiconductor-based integrated optics
1992
For the invention and development of methods for manufacture and measurement of devices for optical communication, including low attenuation fibers
1991
For outstanding contributions to the design, measurement, and fabrication of optical fibers and active fiber devices
1990
For significant technical, management, and professional contributions to the development and applications of fiber optics and optical fiber sensor technology
1989
For foresight, dedication, technical contributions and pioneering leadership in building the broad foundations for today's fiber optic telecommunications systems
1988
In recognition of his invention of devices and instruments fundamental to fiber optic technology, and the leadership that he has exerted both in professional societies and in industry in advancing optical communication technology
1987
For contributions to the discovery and understanding of materials and techniques for the fabrication of glass fiber waveguides for optical communication
* Deceased