Innovators Richard Ruby, John Larson, and Paul Bradley Win the 2014 AIP Industrial Application of Physics Prize
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 12, 2015—The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announces the 2014 recipients of the AIP Industrial Application of Physics Prize. Electrical engineers Richard Ruby and John Larson, and physicist Paul Bradley, of Avago Technologies, were jointly honored “for the development of Film Bulk Acoustic Resonators that enabled the miniaturization of mobile telecommunications devices.”
The award will be presented on May 20 at the Acoustical Society of America’s 169th Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA.
A film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is a piezoelectric resonator sandwiched between two electrodes. It is used in a vast majority of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cell phones. Since 2001, the technology has had a huge economic impact for the cell phone industry by enabling dramatic size reduction in cell phones. Approximately three billion FBARs are sold per year, with even more promising projections due to their usage in prevalent LTE cellular technology. The FBAR was invented at Hewlett Packard, was commercialized at Agilent, and has become the most successful business for Avago.
About the Winners:
Richard Ruby is an electrical engineer who received his BS, MSEEE, and PhD from UC Berkeley. He started his career at Hewlett-Packard Labs and subsequently transitioned from HP to Agilent Laboratories, and then to Avago Technologies where he is currently Fellow, Director of Technology, and Manager of the Orthogonal Markets Team. He is a fellow of the IEEE and recipient of numerous prizes, awards, and patents for his role in the invention of FBAR.
John Larson is an electrical engineer who received his SBEE from MIT, and his MSEE and PhD from Stanford. He did a postdoc at the Technical University of Denmark and then moved to Hewlett-Packard Labs. He subsequently transitioned from HP to Agilent Laboratories, and then to Avago Technologies where he is currently Master Scientist. Larson is a Fellow of IEEE and holds many patents for his work on FBAR and other devices.
Paul Bradley is a physicist who received his BS from Yale and his PhD from UC Berkeley. He started his career at Hypres, and then moved to Hewlett-Packard Labs and subsequently transitioned from HP to Agilent Laboratories, and then to Avago Technologies where is a Fellow. He is the recipient of numerous prizes, awards and patents for his role in FBAR.
About the Prize
Established in 1977, the Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual or individuals to the industrial applications of physics. The objectives are to publicize the value of physics research in industry, to encourage physics research in industry, to enhance students’ awareness of the role of physics in industrial research. The American Institute of Physics (AIP) Corporate Associates and the American Physical Society (APS) alternate in co-sponsoring this $10,000 award with General Motors. Where the AIP award recognizes scientists who have developed proven technologies, the APS award recognizes research that has excellent potential for future success. For more information, see: www.aip.org/aip/awards/industrial-physics-prize .
About AIP
The American Institute of Physics is a federation of scientific societies in the physical sciences, representing scientists, engineers, and educators. AIP offers authoritative information, services, and expertise in physics education and student programs, science communication, government relations, career services for science and engineering professionals, statistical research in physics employment and education, industrial outreach, and the history of physics and allied fields. AIP publishes Physics Today, the most closely followed magazine of the physical sciences community, and is also home to the Society of Physics Students and the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. AIP owns AIP Publishing LLC, a scholarly publisher in the physical and related sciences. http://www.aip.org
