Nobel prize for blue LED invention

The 2014 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to a trio of Japanese scientists for the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs), the BBC reports. 

The blue LEDs developed by Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura helped produce bright, energy-efficient white light sources.

The winners, named at a press conference in Sweden, will share prize money of eight million kronor (£0.7m).

The physics Nobel has been awarded to 196 other laureates since 1901.

Prof Nakamura, who was woken up in Japan to receive the news, told the press conference, "It's unbelievable."

Making the announcement, representatives of the Nobel Foundation emphasised the usefulness of the invention, adding that the Nobel Prizes were established to recognise developments that delivered "the greatest benefit to mankind".

"These uses are what would make Alfred Nobel very happy," said Prof Olle Inganas, a member of the prize committee from Linkoping University.

The committee chair, Prof Per Delsing, from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, emphasised the winners' dedication.

"What's fascinating is that a lot of big companies really tried to do this and they failed," he said. "But these guys persisted and they tried and tried again - and eventually they actually succeeded."