Ching Tang Is Co-Inventor of the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)
Ching Tang, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester’s Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is being recognized as one of the most influential researchers in the field of chemistry. Thomson Reuters has named Tang one of this year’s 26 Citation Laureates for his role in inventing the organic light-emitting diode (OLED).
Tang has called it “highly satisfying” to see OLED technology being used in millions of mobile phones all over the world. “And there is no doubt OLED TVs will set the standard for the next generation,” he said.” I am very pleased to have contributed to this transformation.”
Tang, along with Steven Van Slyke—who was also named one of this year’s Citation Laureates—invented the OLED in the 1970s, giving birth to a multi-billion-dollar industry. The OLED is replacing the current liquid crystal display (LCD) technology employed on video displays, including flat screen televisions, computer monitors, and smart phones. OLED displays work without a backlight and are more energy efficient, thinner and have a better picture quality than LCD displays.
When he published his seminal paper on the technology in 1987 in the journal Applied Physics Letters, Tang was employed by the Eastman Kodak Company. To this day, that paper has been cited by more scientists than any other paper in the history of the well-regarded journal.
Widely recognized as a leader in organic electronic technology and photovoltaics, Tang was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006. He was also awarded the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2011 and honored by the Eduard Rhein Foundation of Germany and the Consumer Electronics Association in 2013.
Last year, Tang accepted an additional appointment at the Institute of Advanced Study, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Thomson Reuters is an international information and media company based in New York City. It’s Citation Laureate selections are based on an analysis of proprietary data within the Web of Science—a global search and discovery platform for the sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities—which identifies the most influential researchers in chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine, and economics.
According to Thomson Reuters, its annual list of Citation Laureates has accurately forecast 35 Nobel Prize winners since its inception in 2002.
