CCDs

Willard Boyle and George Smith take part of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2009 for their invention of CCDs. Widely used in astronomy and everyday cameras, CCDs have become a staple of modern life. The prize also highlights how private investment (when done smartly) may help fund new ideas. Boyle and Smith are just the latest recipients to have worked at Bell Labs (8 Nobel Prizes in total). Unfortunately, most of their research division is now closed.