Donald Keck

Donald B. Keck (born January 2, 1941 in Lansing , Michigan ) is an American physicist who was a pioneer in fiber optics .

Keck studied physics at Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in 1962, a master's degree in 1964 and a doctorate in 1967. He then went to the Corning Glass Works , where he worked with Robert D. Maurer and Peter C. Schultz in the late 1960s developed the first optical glass fibers suitable for long-range communication, with losses below 20 decibels per kilometer. They were doped with titanium and manufactured in a special heating process.

At Corning he was also significantly involved in the invention of further technological advances in optical glass fibers (germanium-doped glass fibers, Inside Vapor Deposition (IV), Outside Vapor Deposition (OV)).

He became head of development in optical physics and during this time he built up the photonics division at Corning Glass. He became Vice President and Executive Director of Research at Corning Glass in 1997 and retired in 2002. He then built the Infotonics Technology Center in Canandaigu, New York State.

In 2000 he received the National Medal of Technology with Maurer and Schultz, and in 1993 all three were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame . In 2004 he received an honorary doctorate from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute .

Keck has published over 150 papers and holds 36 patents. In 1989 he became editor of the Journal of Light Wave Technology .

Web links

• Donald B. Keck. National Inventors Hall of Fame 
• A Career Filled with Light: Don Keck Retires. corning.com, archived from the original on March 7, 2015 .