Willard boyle and george e. smith

Canadian physicist (1924–2011)

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]

Early life

Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on August 19, 1924, Boyle was the son of a medical doctor and moved to Quebec with his father and mothe George E.

Smith – Nobel Lecture - LEXUC