IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 7

2013 IEEE MEDALS

IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal

IEEE Edison Medal

Sponsored by Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent

Sponsored by Samsung Electronics
Company, Ltd.

Ivan Paul Kaminow

Andrew R. Chraplyvy
Robert W. Tkach
For contributions to the
science and technology
of optical communications enabling high-speed
wavelength division
multiplexing through the
mitigation of the effects of
fiber nonlinearity

For pioneering, life-long contributions to
and leadership in photonic devices and
networks instrumental to global highcapacity optical networks

The insight of Andrew R. Chraplyvy and Robert W. Tkach into 
understanding and overcoming the limitations of nonlinearities in
optical fiber communications systems revolutionized the telecommunications industry by providing the speed and capacity needed
for today's demanding data transmission. Optical communications
involves transmitting information as pulses of light that are converted into words, images, and sounds upon reception. When using multiple wavelengths on a single optical fiber, nonlinearities
can occur that garble the pulses of data.Working at Bell Labs, Drs.
Chraplyvy and Tkach recognized that these nonlinear effects limit
the capacity and transmission distances of optical communication
systems. The pair developed the dispersion management concept
to combat the effects of these optical nonlinearities. The success
of their work has provided the high-capacity, high-speed transmission systems that serve as the backbone of the Internet and
modern telecommunications systems. Drs. Chraplyvy and Tkach
also developed a new type of optical fiber known as non-zero
dispersion shifted fiber. This was adopted by AT&T and later Lucent Technologies as TrueWave Fiber and has become an industry
standard. Over 70 million kilometers of this fiber has been installed worldwide and is a key component of most transoceanic
lightwave submarine cable systems. The pair's accomplishments
have enabled wavelength division multiplexing fiber transmission
systems with capacities beyond 1 Tb/s per fiber, representing a
100-fold increase in transmission capacity in a 10-year period.
Drs. Chraplyvy and Tkach are both IEEE Fellows and Fellows
of the Optical Society of America. They are both members of
the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Their many honors
include the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award (1999), the IEEE/
OSA John Tyndall Award (2003 and 2008, respectively) and the
Marconi International Fellowship Award (2009). Dr. Chraplyvy is
vice president of Optical Technologies Research and Dr. Tkach is 
director of the Advanced Photonics Research Department at Bell 
Labs, Alcatel-Lucent, Holmdel, N.J.

A photonics luminary, Ivan Paul Kaminow's pioneering contributions have advanced the field of optical fiber communications
for nearly five decades. Photonic devices within optical communication systems transfer information using light pulses, enabling
high-rate sending and receiving of data. Dr. Kaminow's innovations have enabled high-capacity and low-cost optical fiber networks important to the development and growth of the Internet.
Dr.  Kaminow  explored  electro-optic  materials  for  high-speed 
modulation of optical signals and developed a titanium-diffused
waveguide for lightwave communications at microwave frequencies up to 100 GHz. His modulator is the technology of choice
for today's long-distance broadband lightwave systems. He also
pioneered  the  distributed  Bragg  reflector  (DBR)  laser  and  the 
ridge-waveguide structure for semiconductor lasers at telecommunication wavelengths. These devices are found in many of today's  commercial  lightwave  systems.  Importantly,  Dr.  Kaminow 
also led research that resulted in early wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems, which combines several laser beams
of different wavelengths in a single glass fiber. Each beam can
carry one million phone calls or 10,000 television channels over
thousands of miles. With huge information capacity at low cost,
WDM systems made the high-capacity, commercial Internet a
practical reality.
An IEEE Life Fellow and Fellow of the American Physical
Society and Optical Society of America (OSA), Dr. Kaminow's 
many honors include the IEEE Quantum Electronics Award
(1983), IEEE Third Millennium Medal (2000), IEEE Photonics
Award (2010), and OSA Ives Medal (2011). Dr. Kaminow is an 
adjunct professor with the Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science Department at University of California, Berkeley.

Scope: For exceptional contributions to the advancement of communications sciences and engineering

Scope: For a career of meritorious achievement in electrical
science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts

7 | 2013 IEEE AWARDS BOOKLET



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013

IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - Cover1
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - Cover2
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 1
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 2
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 3
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 4
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 5
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 6
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 7
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 8
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 9
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 10
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 11
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 12
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 13
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 14
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 15
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 16
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 17
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 18
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 19
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 20
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 21
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 22
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 23
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 24
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 25
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 26
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 27
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 28
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 29
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 30
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 31
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 32
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 33
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 34
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 35
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - 36
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - Cover3
IEEE Awards Booklet - 2013 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/awards_2009
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com