Federico Capasso and Jérôme Faist recognized for their invention of Quantum Cascade Lasers

On June 14, the European Patent Office (EPO) honored outstanding inventors for their contribution to social, economic, and technological progress with the presentation of the European Inventor Award (EIA), Europe’s most prestigious prize for innovation.

The Danish Crown Prince and Princess, around 350 economic and political decision makers, researchers, scientists, and intellectual property specialists attended the award ceremony at the Royal Danish Playhouse in Copenhagen.

Federico Capasso was among those nominated for the prize in the “Non-European Countries” category for his work on laser technology. The EPO award ultimately went to Dr. John O’ Sullivan, Graham Daniels, Dr. Terence Percival, Diethelm Ostry and John Deane from Australia who laid the foundation for today’s wireless networking technology (Wi-Fi).

“It was an honor just to be nominated and to be in such good company,” said Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences… [more]