Kam Y. Lau
Research Areas
- Information, Data, Network, and Communication Sciences (IDNCS)
- Optoelectronic devices; Microwave and millimeter wave signal transport over optical fiber links
Biography
Kam Y. Lau is Professor emeritus in the EECS department at U.C. Berkeley. He received his B.S., M.S.and Ph.D degrees in 1978, 1978 and 1981 respectively; all in Electrical Engineering from Caltech. Upon obtaining his doctorate, he joined Ortel Corporation as founding staff/chief scientist. His research in semiconductor laser dynamics established fundamental limits in speed and linearity of directly modulated laser diodes, central to linear fiber-optic transmission products for Hybrid-Fiber-Coax (HFC) infrastructure widely deployed today for CATV-distribution and cable-modem internet-access - the basis of Ortel’s successes - its IPO and subsequent acquisition by Lucent/Agere.
He received the 1996 IEEE LEOS William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award, the 1996 IEEE LEOS Distinguished Lecturer Award, the 2008 OSA Nicholas Holonyak Award, the 2009 IEEE David Sarnoff Award, the 2009 IET J.J. Thomson Medal and the 2010 Benjamin Oliver Gold Medal for achievement in engineering from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
He was an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University from 1988-90, and a professor of EECS at U.C. Berkeley since 1990. In 1997, he co-found LGC Wireless, Inc. (“L” of “LGC”.) LGC Wireless delivers cost-effective in-building wireless coverage and capacity solutions around the world. LGC Wireless was acquired by ADC Telecom (NASDAQ:ADCT) in 2007.
Prof. Lau assumed Emeritus status in 2005.
Education
- 1981, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, Caltech
- 1978, B.A./M.S., Electrical Engineering, Caltech
Selected Publications
- L. P. Chen and K. Y. Lau, "Regime where zero-bias is the low-power solution for digitally modulated laser diodes," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 185-187, Feb. 1996.
- D. M. Cutrer and K. Y. Lau, "Ultralow power optical interconnect with zero-biased, ultralow threshold laser--How low a threshold is low enough?," IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 4-6, Jan. 1995.
- K. Y. Lau, C. M. Gee, T. R. Chen, N. Bar-Chaim, and I. Ury, "Signal-induced noise in fiber-optic links using directly modulated Fabry-Perot and distributed-feedback laser diodes," IEEE J. Lightwave Technology, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 1216-1225, July 1993.
- K. Y. Lau, "Narrow-band modulation of semiconductor lasers at millimeter wave frequencies (>100 GHz) by mode locking," IEEE J. Quantum Electronics, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 250-261, Feb. 1990.
- K. Y. Lau, P. L. Derry, and A. Yariv, "Ultimate limit in low threshold quantum well GaAlAs semiconductor lasers," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 88-90, Jan. 1988.
- Y. Arakawa, K. Vahala, A. Yariv, and K. Y. Lau, "Enhanced modulation bandwidth of GaAlAs double heterostructure lasers in high magnetic fields: Dynamic response with quantum wire effects," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 47, no. 11, pp. 1142-1144, Dec. 1985.
- K. Y. Lau and A. Yariv, "Invited Paper: Ultra-high speed semiconductor lasers," IEEE J. Quantum Electronics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 121-138, Feb. 1985.
- K. Y. Lau, N. Bar-Chaim, I. Ury, and A. Yariv, "11-GHz direct modulation bandwidth GaAlAs window laser on semi-insulating substrate operating at room temperature," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 316-318, Aug. 1984.
- K. Y. Lau, C. Harder, and A. Yariv, "Direct modulation of semiconductor lasers at f > than 10 GHz by low-temperature operation," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 273-275, Feb. 1984.
- K. Y. Lau, N. Bar-Chaim, I. Ury, C. Harder, and A. Yariv, "Direct amplitude modulation of short-cavity GaAs lasers up to X-band frequencies," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 1-3, July 1983.
Awards, Memberships and Fellowships
- IEEE James Clerk Maxwell Medal, 2023
- MTTS Microwave Pioneer Award, 2021
- Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award, 2021
- IEEE AESS Pioneer Award, 2013
- Distinguished Award for Excellence in Engineering (formerly the Benjamin H. Oliver Gold Medal for Engineering), 2010
- IET J. J. Thomson Medal for Electronics, 2009
- IEEE David Sarnoff Award, 2009
- Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, 2008
- IEEE Photonics Society William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award, 1996
- IEEE Photonics Society Distinguished Lecturer, 1996
- Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow, 1995
- Optica Fellows (formerly Optical Society of America (OSA) Fellow), 1993
- NSF Presidential Young Investigator (PYI), 1989
Photo
