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Honors key innovation that impacts communications
today
Paris, October 6, 2009 - Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE:
ALU) today announced that Dr. Willard Boyle and Dr. George Smith, both former
researchers at Bell Labs, the company’s research arm, have been awarded this
year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.
The two former Bell Labs scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for their
invention and development of the charge-coupled device (CCD), a technology that
transforms patterns of light into useful digital information, and is the basis
for many forms of modern digital imaging. This is the seventh Nobel Prize for
Bell Labs and brings the total number of Bell Labs researchers who have won the
prize to thirteen.
Since its invention, this small device, initially about the size of a coin,
has launched entirely new industries and markets. It is widely used in devices
as diverse as digital cameras, video cameras and bar code readers as well as in
security monitoring, medical endoscopy, modern astronomy and video
conferencing.
“We are extremely proud of Willard Boyle and George Smith for what they have
accomplished and the impact their innovations have made on the world we live
in,” said Jeong Kim, President of Bell Labs. “They represent the best of Bell
Labs – world class research focused on transforming the way we communicate.
This spirit continues to be at the heart of Bell Labs – an approach of
intellectual freedom in an environment where many disciplines and perspectives
come together to do truly remarkable things. We would also like to congratulate
Charles Kao, whose work in fiber optics has made a lasting contribution to the
communications industry and enabled the many services that we take advantage of
today.”
Both Boyle and Smith were members of the Semiconductor Components Division
at Bell Labs and began their seminal work on the CCD in 1969. From 1953
to 1979, Dr. Boyle performed research in optical and satellite communications,
digital and quantum electronics, computing, and radio astronomy. He was also
part of the scientific team that helped NASA select the site for the first
Apollo landing on the moon in 1969. Dr. Smith performed research at Bell Labs
from 1959 to 1986. For much of this time, he led research aimed at creating
novel lasers and other semiconductor devices.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted partner of
service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, providing solutions
that deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A
leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies,
applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the unrivalled technical
and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation
powerhouses in the communications industry. With operations in more than 130
countries and the most experienced global services organization in the
industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent
achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France,
with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit
Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
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