George Elwood Smith was a distinguished American physicist renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to semiconductor imaging technology. Born on May 10 1930 in White Plains New York he earned his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955 before completing his master's and doctorate in physics at the University of Chicago in 1956 and 1959 respectively. Smith began his career at Bell Laboratories in 1959 where he initially worked in pure research under Willard S. Boyle before transitioning to applied research with a specialization in device concepts. His early work at Bell Labs laid the foundation for his later revolutionary contributions to digital imaging technology.
Smith's most significant achievement came in 1969 when alongside Willard Boyle he conceived and developed the charge-coupled device a semiconductor circuit that revolutionized digital imaging technology. The CCD's remarkable sensitivity to light and precise linear detection properties enabled it to replace traditional film as the primary recording medium in photography fundamentally transforming how images are captured and processed. This invention became the heart of digital cameras and found extensive applications in astronomy where its ability to accurately measure incoming light transformed observational capabilities. For this pioneering work Smith and Boyle were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2009 with the Nobel Committee recognizing their invention as an imaging semiconductor circuit the CCD sensor.
Throughout his career Smith received numerous prestigious honors including the Franklin Institute's Ballantine Medal in 1973 the IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award in 1974 and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. His leadership extended beyond research as he served as founding editor of the IEEE publication Electron Device Letters and held positions including head of the Device Concepts Department and later the VLSI Device Department at Bell Labs. Smith's contributions to semiconductor technology have had an enduring impact across multiple scientific disciplines from consumer photography to astronomical research and medical imaging. He passed away on May 28 2025 in Barnegat Township New Jersey leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape imaging technology worldwide.
