IEEE Recognizes James L. Fergason as Inventor of the LCD
MENLO PARK CA February 13, 2008 — The Board of Directors of IEEE, the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology, recently announced James L. Fergason as a co-recipient of the 2008 IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal with the following citation: “For pioneering development of twisted-nematic liquid crystal technology.” Other recipients of the award with Dr. Fergason are Wolfgang Helfrich and Martin Schadt.
The IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal is presented for outstanding contributions to material and device science technology, including practical application. The criteria considered in making the award include: quality of the technical achievement, enhancement of technology, impact on the relevant technical community, impact on the profession and benefit to the society, publications and patents and the quality of the nomination.
The award will be presented at the IEEE Annual Honors Ceremony in Quebec City, Canada, on 20 September 2008.
“I especially appreciate the recognition of our contributions from the IEEE”, commented Dr. Fergason. “The TN LCD has truly proved to be an incredible technical breakthrough and a huge commercial success. I really don’t know what has been more exciting. Being there at the beginning or seeing the amazing accomplishments of all those who came after us in furthering the technology”.
Dr. Fergason has had a long and illustrious career as a scientist, entrepreneur and inventor. The invention of the twisted nematic (TN) LCD ignited the explosive growth of flat panel displays in the early 1970s by enabling electronic watches and portable calculators. The TN architecture is still the standard in mobile and portable electronics today, more than 30 years later.
The TN invention followed close on the heels of Dr. Fergason’s invention of the first room temperature liquid crystal materials and in turn was followed by three decades of invention that resulted in his more than 150 US and 500 foreign patents. For more information on Dr. Fergason see his biography at http://www.fergasonpatents.com/company/jlfbio.php.
Dr. Fergason is chairman of Fergason Patent Properties.
About IEEE. A non-profit organization, IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology. Through its global membership, IEEE is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics among others. Annual IEEE awards recognize outstanding contributions to technology, society and the engineering profession.
About Fergason Patent Properties. FPP develops and licenses technology and IP related to displays and LCDs. Currently, there are more than ten licensees for their High Dynamic Range or Dynamic Contrast Ratio technology including Panasonic, LPL, Sharp, Samsung, Sony, and JVC. For more information, see www.fergasonpatents.com or contact Chuck McLaughlin at chuck@mcgweb.com.
