ArticleslgStudy

physics

Hiroshi Amano

Hiroshi Amano is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hiroshi Amano rather than just read about it. In short: Hiroshi Amano (天野 浩, Amano Hiroshi; born September 11, 1960) is a Japanese materials scientist specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. He is a co-inventor of the blue LED, for which he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura.

Hiroshi Amano — main illustration
Hiroshi Amano — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Hiroshi Amano belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Hiroshi Amano to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Hiroshi Amano from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hiroshi Amano (天野 浩, Amano Hiroshi; born September 11, 1960) is a Japanese materials scientist specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. He is a co-inventor of the blue LED, for which he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura.

Early life and education Hiroshi Amano was born on September 11, 1960, in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, the son of father Tatsuji and mother Yoshiko. During elementary school days, Amano played soccer as a goalkeeper and softball as a catcher. He was also passionate about amateur radio and despite hating studying, he was good at mathematics. Upon entering high school, he began taking his studies seriously and became a top student by studying every day late into the night. In 1979, Amano entered Nagoya University, where he graduated from the School of Engineering in 1983. He then completed a master's course in the Graduate School of Engineering in 1985, and received his D.Eng. in 1989.

Career In 1988, Amano became a research associate in the School of Engineering at Nagoya University. From 1992 to 2010, he was an assistant professor, associate professor, and a professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology at Meijo University. In 2010, Amano returned to Nagoya University, where he is currently a professor in the Graduate School of Engineering. He has been director of the Akasaki Research Center since 2011.

Research

Amano joined Professor Isamu Akasaki's group in 1982 as an undergraduate student. Since then, he has been doing research on the growth, characterization and device applications of group III nitride semiconductors, which are well known as materials used in blue light-emitting diodes today. In 1985, he developed low-temperature deposited buffer layers for the growth of group III nitride semiconductor films on a sapphire substrate, which led to the realization of group-III-nitride semiconductor based light-emitting diodes and laser diodes. In 1989, he succeeded in growing p-type GaN and fabricating a p-n-junction-type GaN-based UV/blue light-emitting diode for the first time in the world. Known to be keen on research, Amano's laboratory was always lit late at night, such as weekdays, holidays, New Year's Day, and was called "no night castle". According to his students in the laboratory, Amano has an optimistic and temperate personality, and is never angry.

Family Amano's wife was a Japanese lecturer at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Recognition

Awards

Memberships

Honorary degrees

Selected publications Amano, H.; Sawaki, N.; Akasaki, I.; Toyoda, Y. (February 3, 1986). "Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial growth of a high quality GaN film using an AlN buffer layer". Applied Physics Letters. 48 (5). AIP Publishing: 353–355. Bibcode:1986ApPhL..48..353A. doi:10.1063/1.96549. ISSN 0003-6951. Amano, Hiroshi; Akasaki, Isamu; Kozawa, Takahiro; Hiramatsu, Kazumasa; Sawaki, Nobuhiko; Ikeda, Kousuke; Ishii, Yoshikazu (1988). "Electron beam effects on blue luminescence of zinc-doped GaN". Journal of Luminescence. 40–41. Elsevier BV: 121–122. Bibcode:1988JLum...40..121A. doi:10.1016/0022-2313(88)90117-2. ISSN 0022-2313. Amano, Hiroshi; Kito, Masahiro; Hiramatsu, Kazumasa; Akasaki, Isamu (December 20, 1989). "P-Type Conduction in Mg-Doped GaN Treated with Low-Energy Electron Beam Irradiation (LEEBI)". Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 28 (Part 2, No. 12). Japan Society of Applied Physics: L2112–L2114. Bibcode:1989JaJAP..28L2112A. doi:10.1143/jjap.28.l2112. ISSN 0021-4922. Murakami, Hiroshi; Asahi, Tsunemori; Amano, Hiroshi; Hiramatsu, Kazumasa; Sawaki, Nobuhiko; Akasaki, Isamu (1991). "Growth of Si-doped AlxGa1–xN on (0001) sapphire substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy". Journal of Crystal Growth. 115 (1–4). Elsevier BV: 648–651. Bibcode:1991JCrGr.115..648M. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(91)90820-u. ISSN 0022-0248. Itoh, Kenji; Kawamoto, Takeshi; Amano, Hiroshi; Hiramatsu, Kazumasa; Akasaki, Isamu (September 15, 1991). "Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxial Growth and Properties of GaN/Al0.1Ga0.9N Layered Structures". Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 30 (Part 1, No. 9A). Japan Society of Applied Physics: 1924–1927. Bibcode:1991JaJAP..30.1924I. doi:10.1143/jjap.30.1924. ISSN 0021-4922. S2CID 123428785. I. Akasaki, H. Amano, K. Itoh, N. Koide & K. Manabe, Int. Phys. Conf. Ser. 129, 851 (1992). Akasaki, Isamu; Amano, Hiroshi; Sota, Shigetoshi; Sakai, Hiromitsu; Tanaka, Toshiyuki; Koike, Masayoshi (November 1, 1995). "Stimulated Emission by Current Injection from an AlGaN/GaN/GaInN Quantum Well Device". Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. 34 (11B) L1517. Japan Society of Applied Physics. doi:10.7567/jjap.34.l1517. ISSN 0021-4922. S2CID 122963134.

See also List of Japanese Nobel laureates

Notes

References

External links Hiroshi Amano on Nobelprize.org

Illustrations

Hiroshi Amano illustration
Hiroshi Amano: Blue light-emitting diodes
Blue light-emitting diodes

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hiroshi Amano

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hiroshi Amano claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hiroshi Amano before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hiroshi Amano ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hiroshi Amano

In research
Hiroshi Amano appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Hiroshi Amano in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Hiroshi Amano is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1960 births, 21st-century Japanese physicists, Academic staff of Nagoya University, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Hiroshi Amano outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Hiroshi Amano” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Hiroshi Amano in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Hiroshi Amano means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Hiroshi Amano out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hiroshi Amano in simple terms?

Hiroshi Amano (天野 浩, Amano Hiroshi; born September 11, 1960) is a Japanese materials scientist specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. He is a co-inventor of the blue LED, for which he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura.

Why does Hiroshi Amano matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hiroshi Amano?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hiroshi Amano.

Tags

  • 1960 births
  • 21st-century Japanese physicists
  • Academic staff of Nagoya University
  • Amateur radio people
  • Asia Game Changer Award winners
  • Fellows of the American Physical Society
  • Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
  • International members of the National Academy of Engineering
  • Japanese Nobel laureates
  • Living people
  • Members of the Japan Academy
  • Nagoya University alumni

Keep exploring