Inventor of laser technology. He came up with the term laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) but missed most of the glory. In 1957 he envisioned a device that would emit a potent stream of light that could cut and weld; recorded notes on the concept; and then had them notarized. The following year, before he filed for a patent, mistakenly thinking he had to build a prototype first, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow published a paper on lasers, which led to Townes and two others winning the Nobel Prize. After decades of lawsuits against various companies, he won several patents, and, finally, because by then (in 1988) the laser was in widespread use, some $30 million in royalties. In 1984 he personally benefited from his own device when a detached retina was repaired using laser technology.
Inventor of laser technology. He came up with the term laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) but missed most of the glory. In 1957 he envisioned a device that would emit a potent stream of light that could cut and weld; recorded notes on the concept; and then had them notarized. The following year, before he filed for a patent, mistakenly thinking he had to build a prototype first, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow published a paper on lasers, which led to Townes and two others winning the Nobel Prize. After decades of lawsuits against various companies, he won several patents, and, finally, because by then (in 1988) the laser was in widespread use, some $30 million in royalties. In 1984 he personally benefited from his own device when a detached retina was repaired using laser technology.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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