Willard Boyle

Willard Boyle
CC
Boyle in 2009
Born
Willard Sterling Boyle

(1924-08-19)August 19, 1924
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedMay 7, 2011(2011-05-07) (aged 86)
Truro, Nova Scotia,[1] Canada
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States[2]
Alma mater
Known forCharge-coupled device[3]
Spouse
Betty Boyle
​
(m. 1946)​
Children4
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsApplied physics
InstitutionsBell Labs
ThesisThe construction of a Dempster type mass spectrometer: its use in the measurement of the diffusion rates of certain alkali metals in tungsten (1950)
Doctoral advisorH.G.I. Watson

Willard Sterling Boyle, CC (August 19, 1924 – May 7, 2011) was a Canadian physicist.[4] He was a pioneer in the field of laser technology and co-inventor of the charge-coupled device.[5] As director of Space Science and Exploratory Studies at Bellcomm he helped select lunar landing sites and provided support for the Apollo space program.[6]

On October 6, 2009, it was announced that he would share the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for "the invention of an imaging semiconductor circuit – the CCD sensor, which has become an electronic eye in almost all areas of photography".[2]

He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada – the award's highest level – on June 30, 2010.[7]

  1. ^ Willard Sterling Boyle
  2. ^ a b Willard Boyle on Nobelprize.org Edit this at Wikidata
  3. ^ Smith, George (2011). "Willard Boyle (1924–2011) Physicist who helped invent the 'eye of the digital camera'". Nature. 474 (7349): 37. doi:10.1038/474037a. PMID 21637246.
  4. ^ Chang, Kenneth (October 7, 2009). "Nobel Awarded for Harnessing Light". The New York Times. New York. p. A20. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  5. ^ "Canadian scientist shares Nobel physics prize". CBC News. Toronto. October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference canpress was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Governor General of Canada (June 30, 2010). "Governor General announces 74 new appointments to the Order of Canada". It's an Honour. Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.