In thisHong Kong name, thesurname isKao. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Charles Kao and the Chinese-style name is Kao Kuen.
Charles Kuen Kao was born on November 4, 1933, inShanghai, China, and lived with his parents in theShanghai French Concession.[15]: 1 He studiedChinese classics at home with his brother, under a tutor.[16][15]: 41 He also studied English and French at the Shanghai World School (上海世界學校)[17] that was founded by a number of progressive Chinese educators, includingCai Yuanpei.[18]
After theCommunist Revolution in 1949, Kao's family settled inHong Kong—which at the time was a Britishcrown colony. Much of his mother's siblings moved to Hong Kong in the late 1930s; among them, his mother's youngest brother took good care of him.[15]: 1 [19]
Kao's family lived on Lau Sin Street—at the edge of theNorth Point—a neighbourhood of Shanghai immigrants.[15] During Kao's time in Hong Kong, he studied atSt. Joseph's College for five years and graduated in 1952.[20][21]
Kao obtained high score in the Hong Kong School Certificate Examination, which at the time was the territory's matriculation examination—qualifying him for admission to theUniversity of Hong Kong (HKU). However,electrical engineering wasn't a programme available at HKU, the territory's then onlytertiary education institute.[22][23]
Kao met his future wife Gwen May-Wan Kao (néeWong;黃美芸) in London after graduation, when they worked together as engineers at STC. She wasBritish Chinese. They were married in 1959 in London, and had a son and a daughter, both of whom reside and work inSilicon Valley, California.[34][35] According to Kao's autobiography, Kao was a Catholic who attendedCatholic Church while his wife attended theAnglican Communion.[15]: 14–15
A bundle ofsilica glass fibres for optical communication, which are the de facto worldwide standard. Kao also first publicly suggested thatsilica glass of high purity is an ideal material for long range optical communication.[36]
In the 1960s atStandard Telecommunication Laboratories (STL) based inHarlow, Essex, England, Kao and his coworkers did their pioneering work in creatingfibre optics as a telecommunications medium, by demonstrating that the high-loss of existing fibre optics arose from impurities in the glass, rather than from an underlying problem with the technology itself.[37]
In 1963, when Kao first joined the optical communications research team he made notes summarising the background[38] situation and available technology at the time, and identifying the key individuals[38] involved. Initially Kao worked in the team ofAntoni E. Karbowiak (Toni Karbowiak), who was working underAlec Reeves to study optical waveguides for communications. Kao's task was to investigate fibreattenuation, for which he collected samples from different fibre manufacturers and also investigated the properties of bulk glasses carefully. Kao's study primarily convinced him that the impurities in material caused the high light losses of those fibres.[39] Later that year, Kao was appointed head of the electro-optics research group at STL.[40] He took over the optical communication program of STL in December 1964, because his supervisor, Karbowiak, left to take the chair in Communications in the School of Electrical Engineering at theUniversity of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia.[41]
Although Kao succeeded Karbowiak as manager of optical communications research, he immediately decided to abandon Karbowiak's plan (thin-film waveguide) and overall change research direction with his colleagueGeorge Hockham.[39][41] They not only consideredoptical physics but also the material properties. The results were first presented by Kao to theIEE in January 1966 in London, and further published in July with George Hockham (1964–1965 worked with Kao).[42][a] This study proposed the use of glass fibres for optical communication. The concepts described, especially the electromagnetic theory and performance parameters, are the basis of today's optical fibre communications.[43][44]
"What Kao did in Harlow transformed the world and provided a backbone for the internet. He was the father of fiber optics."
In 1965,[40][46][b] Kao with Hockham concluded that the fundamental limitation for glass light attenuation is below 20dB/km (decibels per kilometer, is a measure of the attenuation of a signal over a distance), which is a key threshold value for optical communications.[47] However, at the time of this determination, optical fibres commonly exhibited light loss as high as 1,000 dB/km and even more. This conclusion opened the intense race to find low-loss materials and suitable fibres for reaching such criteria.[citation needed]
Kao, together with his new team (members including T. W. Davies, M. W. Jones and C. R. Wright), pursued this goal by testing various materials. They precisely measured the attenuation of light with different wavelengths in glasses and other materials. During this period, Kao pointed out that the high purity of fused silica (SiO2) made it an ideal candidate for optical communication. Kao also stated that the impurity of glass material is the main cause for the dramatic decay of light transmission inside glass fibre, rather than fundamental physical effects such asscattering as many physicists thought at that time, and such impurity could be removed. This led to a worldwide study and production of high-purity glass fibres.[48] When Kao first proposed that such glass fibre could be used for long-distance information transfer and could replace copper wires which were used for telecommunication during that era, his ideas were widely disbelieved; later people realized that Kao's ideas revolutionized the whole communication technology and industry.[49]
He also played a leading role in the early stage of engineering and commercial realization of optical communication.[50] In spring 1966, Kao traveled to the U.S. but failed to interestBell Labs, which was a competitor of STL incommunication technology at that time.[51] He subsequently traveled to Japan and gained support.[51] Kao visited many glass andpolymer factories, discussed with various people including engineers, scientists, businessmen about the techniques and improvement of glass fibre manufacture. In 1969, Kao with M. W. Jones measured the intrinsic loss of bulk-fused silica at 4 dB/km, which is the first evidence of ultra-transparent glass. Bell Labs started considering fibre optics seriously.[51] As of 2017, fibre optic losses (from both bulk and intrinsic sources) are as low as 0.1419 dB/km at the 1.56 μm wavelength.[52]
Kao developed important techniques and configurations for glass fibre waveguides, and contributed to the development of different fibre types and system devices which met both civil andmilitary[c] application requirements, and peripheral supporting systems for optical fibre communication.[50] In mid-1970s, he did seminal work on glass fibrefatigue strength.[50] When named the first ITT Executive Scientist, Kao launched the "Terabit Technology" program in addressing the high frequency limits of signal processing, so Kao is also known as the "father of the terabit technology concept".[50][53] Kao has published more than 100 papers and was granted over 30 patents,[50] including the water-resistant high-strength fibres (with M. S. Maklad).[54]
At an early stage of developing optic fibres, Kao already strongly preferredsingle-mode for long-distance optical communication, instead of usingmulti-mode systems. His vision later was followed and now is applied almost exclusively.[48][55] Kao was also a visionary of modernsubmarine communications cables and largely promoted this idea. He predicted in 1983 that world's seas would be littered with fibre optics, five years ahead of the time that such a trans-oceanic fibre-optic cable first became serviceable.[56]
Ali Javan's introduction of a steadyhelium–neon laser and Kao's discovery of fibre light-loss properties now are recognized as the two essential milestones for the development of fibre-optic communications.[41]
Kao joined theChinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 1970 to found the Department of Electronics, which later became the Department of Electronic Engineering. During this period, Kao was thereader and then thechair Professor of Electronics at CUHK; he built up both undergraduate and graduate study programs of electronics and oversaw the graduation of his first students. Under his leadership, the School of Education and other new research institutes were established. He returned toITT Corporation in 1974 (the parent corporation of STC at that time) in the United States and worked inRoanoke, Virginia, first as Chief Scientist and later as Director of Engineering. In 1982, he became the first ITT Executive Scientist and was stationed mainly at the Advanced Technology Center inConnecticut.[9] While there, he served as an adjunct professor and Fellow of Trumbull College atYale University. In 1985, Kao spent one year inWest Germany, at the SEL Research Center. In 1986, Kao was the Corporate Director of Research at ITT.
Kao was the vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1996.[58] From 1991, Kao was an Independent Non-Executive Director and a member of the Audit Committee of the Varitronix International Limited in Hong Kong.[59][60] From 1993 to 1994, he was the President of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL).[61] In 1996, Kao donated toYale University, and theCharles Kao Fund Research Grants was established to support Yale's studies, research and creative projects in Asia.[62] The fund currently is managed by Yale University Councils on East Asian and Southeast Asian Studies.[63] After his retirement from CUHK in 1996, Kao spent his six-month sabbatical leave at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering ofImperial College London; from 1997 to 2002, he also served as visiting professor in the same department.[64]
Kao was chairman and member of the Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) of Hong Kong for two years, and retired from the position on July 15, 2000.[65][66] Kao was a member of the Council of Advisors on Innovation and Technology of Hong Kong, appointed on April 20, 2000.[67] In 2000, Kao co-founded theIndependent Schools Foundation Academy, which is located inCyberport, Hong Kong.[68] He was its founding chairman in 2000, and stepped down from the board of the ISF in December 2008.[68] Kao was thekeynote speaker atIEEEGLOBECOM 2002 inTaipei, Taiwan.[69] In 2003, Kao was named a Chair Professor by special appointment at the Electronics Institute of the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,National Taiwan University.[69] Kao then worked as the chairman and CEO of Transtech Services Ltd., a telecommunication consultancy in Hong Kong. He was the founder, chairman and CEO of ITX Services Limited. From 2003 to January 30, 2009, Kao was an independentnon-executive director and member of the audit committee ofNext Media.[70][71]
Alexander Graham Bell, pioneer of telecommunication and an alumnus of University College London (UCL), was awarded the firstU.S. patent for telephone in 1876. After 90 years in 1966, Kao and Hockham published their groundbreaking article infibre-optic communication. Kao is also an alumnus of UCL, and was awarded the prestigiousAlexander Graham Bell Medal ofIEEE in 1985. Kao was awarded an honorary doctorate by UCL in 2010.
Guglielmo Marconi, pioneer of wireless telecommunication, was awarded half of the 1909Nobel Prize in Physics. In 2009, the century anniversary of Marconi's Nobel, Kao was awarded half of the same prize for his pioneer work on optical fibre which has "rewired the world". Kao was also awarded theMarconi Prize in 1985, and is a Fellow of theMarconi Society.
The 2010OFC/NFOEC Conferences[e] were dedicated to Kao, March 23–25, San Diego, California, U.S.A.[130][131][132]
May 14–15, 2010: Two sessions were dedicated to Kao at the 19th Annual Wireless and Optical Communications Conference (WOCC 2010), Shanghai, P.R. China.[133][134]
Kao's international travels led him to opine that he belonged to the world instead of any country.[139][140] An open letter published by Kao and his wife in 2010 later clarified that "Charles studied in Hong Kong for his high schooling, he has taught here, he was the Vice-Chancellor ofCUHK and retired here too. So he is aHong Kong belonger."[141]
Pottery making was a hobby of Kao's. Kao also enjoyed readingWuxia (Chinese martial fantasy) novels.[142]
Kao suffered fromAlzheimer's disease from early 2004 and hadspeech difficulty, but had no problem recognising people or addresses.[143] His father suffered from the same disease. Beginning in 2008, he resided inMountain View, California,United States, where he moved from Hong Kong in order to live near his children and grandchild.[5]
On October 6, 2009, when Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the study of the transmission of light in optical fibres and for fibrecommunication,[144] he said, "I am absolutely speechless and never expected such an honor."[145] Kao's wife Gwen told the press that the prize will primarily be used for Charles's medical expenses.[146] In 2010 Charles and Gwen Kao founded the Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease to raise public awareness about the disease and provide support for the patients.
In 2016, Kao lost the ability to maintain his balance. At the end-stage of hisdementia he was cared for by his wife and intended not to be kept alive with life support or have CPR performed on him.[147] Kao died atBradbury Hospice inHong Kong on September 23, 2018, at the age of 84.[148][149][150][151]
A Choice Fulfilled: the Business of High Technology; by Charles K. Kao. The Chinese University Press/ Palgrave Macmillan; 1991, 203 pages.ISBN962-201-521-2ISBN978-962-201-521-0
Tackling the Millennium Bug Together: Public Conferences; by Charles K. Kao.Central Policy Unit, Hong Kong; 48 pages, 1998.
Technology Road Maps for Hong Kong: a Preliminary Study; by Charles K. Kao. Office of Industrial and Business Development, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; 126 pages, 1990.
Nonlinear Photonics: Nonlinearities in Optics, Optoelectronics and fibre Communications; by Yili Guo, Kin S. Chiang, E. Herbert Li, and Charles K. Kao. The Chinese University Press, Hong Kong; 2002, 600 pages.
^a: Kao's major task was to investigate light-loss properties in materials of optic fibers, and determine whether they could be removed or not. Hockham's was investigating light-loss due to discontinuities and curvature of fiber. ^b: Some sources show around1964,[152][153] for example, "By1964, a critical and theoretical specification was identified by Dr. Charles K. Kao for long-range communication devices, the 10 or 20 dB of light loss per kilometer standard." fromCisco Press.[152] ^c: In 1980, Kao was awarded the Gold Medal from AmericanArmed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, "for contribution to the application of optical fiber technology to military communications".[50] ^d: In theUnited States National Academy of Engineering Membership Website, Kao's country is indicated as "People's Republic of China".[81] ^e: OFC/NFOEC – Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference[132] ^a: Kao's major task was to investigate light-loss properties in materials of optic fibers, and determine whether they could be removed or not. Hockham's was investigating light-loss due to discontinuities and curvature of fiber. ^b: Some sources show around1964,[152][153] for example, "By1964, a critical and theoretical specification was identified by Dr. Charles K. Kao for long-range communication devices, the 10 or 20 dB of light loss per kilometer standard." fromCisco Press.[152] ^c: In 1980, Kao was awarded the Gold Medal from AmericanArmed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, "for contribution to the application of optical fiber technology to military communications".[50] ^d: In theUnited States National Academy of Engineering Membership Website, Kao's country is indicated as "People's Republic of China".[81] ^e: OFC/NFOEC – Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference[132] ^f: for making communication at optical frequencies practical by discovering, inventing, and developing the material, techniques and configurations for glass fibre waveguides and, in particular, for recognizing and proving by careful measurements in bulk glasses that silicon glass could provide the requisite low optical loss needed for a practical communication system ^g: for contribution to the materials research and development that resulted in practical low loss optical fibres, one of the cornerstones of optical communications technology ^h: in recognition of his pioneering work which led to the invention of optical fibre and for his leadership in its engineering and commercial realization; and for his distinguished contribution to higher education in Hong Kong ^i: for pioneering research on wide-band, low-loss optical fibre communications ^j: co-recipient with Robert D. Maurer and John B. MacChesney ^k: for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication
^高錕.香港百人 (in Cantonese, Chinese, and English). Asia Television. 2011.
^abcdefgKao, Charles K. (2005).潮平岸闊 – 高錕自傳 [A Time And A Tide: Charles K. Kao – A Memoir]. Translated by 許迪鏘 (First ed.). Hong Kong: Joint Publishing.ISBN978-962-04-3444-0.
^abcFan, Yanping (范彦萍) (October 10, 2009).诺贝尔得主高锟的堂哥回忆:他兒时国学功底很好 [Interview of Kao's cousin].Youth Daily (in Chinese (China)). Shanghai.Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. RetrievedOctober 9, 2009 – via eastday.com.
^高錕.傑出華人系列 (documentary and oral history) (in Cantonese, Chinese, and English). Radio Television Hong Kong. 2000. Event occurs at 12:00 to 13:00. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.
^陶家骏 (June 1, 2008).著名女教育家陶玄 [Famous Female Educator Tao Xuan].绍兴县报 [Shaoxing County News] (in Chinese). Archived fromthe original on March 13, 2012. RetrievedOctober 9, 2009.
^「光纖之父」高錕離世 享年84歲 (16:56). Online instant news section.Ming Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Media Chinese International. September 23, 2018.Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.
^"Prof Charles K. Kao". Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering. University College London. September 24, 2018. Archived fromthe original on September 14, 2010. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.
^参加南社纪念会姓氏录 [List of Nan Society member] (in Chinese). 南社研究網 [Research of Nan Society]. Archived fromthe original on November 21, 2008. RetrievedOctober 8, 2009.
^高平子先生简介 (in Chinese). 青岛天文网--中国科学院紫金山天文台青岛观象台/青岛市天文爱好者协会. February 8, 2006. Archived fromthe original on July 7, 2011. RetrievedOctober 8, 2009.
^高锟个人简历 [The biography of Charles K. Kao] (in Chinese). chinanews.com.cn. October 6, 2009.Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. RetrievedOctober 9, 2009.
^高錕.傑出華人系列 (documentary and oral history) (in Cantonese, Chinese, and English). Radio Television Hong Kong. 2000. Event occurs at around 20:00. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.
^"Draper Prize". draper.comg. Archived fromthe original on February 14, 2010. RetrievedNovember 4, 2009. "Charles Kao is credited forfirst publicly proposing the possibility of practical telecommunications using fibers in the 1960s."
^Montgomery, Jeff D. (March 22, 2002). "Chapter 1 – History of Fiber Optics". In DeCusatis, Casimer (ed.).Fiber optic data communication: technological trends and advances (1st ed.). Academic Press. 1.3.1. Long Road to Low-Loss Fiber (pp. 9–16).ISBN978-0-12-207891-0.
^Kao, K. C.; Hockham, G. A. (1966). "Dielectric-fibre surface waveguides for optical frequencies".Proc. IEE.113 (7):1151–1158.doi:10.1049/piee.1966.0189.
^"Sir Charles Kao: Fibre optics genius passes away". BBC. (26 September 2018). Retrieved 21 May 2020
^Maryanne C. J. Large; Leon Poladian; Geoff Barton; Martijn A. van Eijkelenborg. (2008).Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibres.Springer.ISBN978-0-387-31273-6. Page2
^1999 Charles Stark Draper Award PresentedArchived May 5, 2010, at theWayback Machine "Kao, who was working at ITT's Standard Telecommunications Laboratories in the 1960s, theorized about how to use light for communication instead of bulky copper wire and was thefirst to publicly propose the possibility of a practical application for fiber-optic telecommunication."
^Tamura, Yoshiaki; Sakuma, Hirotaka; Morita, Keisei; Suzuki, Masato; Yamamoto, Yoshinori (2017). "Lowest-Ever 0.1419-dB/km Loss Optical Fiber".Optical Fiber Communication Conference: Th5D.1.ISBN978-1-943580-24-8.
^Technology of Our Times: People and Innovation in Optics and Optoelectronics (SPIE Press Monograph Vol. PM04), by Frederick Su;SPIE Publications (July 1, 1990);ISBN0-8194-0472-1,ISBN978-0-8194-0472-5. Page 82–86, Terabit Technology, by Charles K. Kao.
^"Research Awards and Honours". Imperial College London Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering. 2009.Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. RetrievedDecember 24, 2009.
^JILL LAWLESS (June 13, 2010)."Right royal boost for Zeta".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. RetrievedJune 12, 2010.
^abThe HKIE Secretariat (October 7, 2009)."The HKIE – News". The HKIE. Archived fromthe original(asp) on July 21, 2011. RetrievedOctober 26, 2009.
^高锟：厚道长者 毕生追求(shtm) (in Chinese). news.sciencenet.cn (科學網·新聞). October 14, 2009.Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. RetrievedJuly 11, 2010.
^"The HKIE – News". The Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE). October 7, 2009. Archived fromthe original(asp) on July 21, 2011. RetrievedJuly 19, 2010.
^美洲中國工程師學會2010年工程獎章得獎名單出爐（2/27）(asp) (in Chinese and English). AAEOY. February 23, 2010.Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2010.
^华裔科学家高锟荣获影响世界华人大奖 (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. March 11, 2010. Archived fromthe original on March 16, 2010. RetrievedMarch 11, 2010.
^香港两座建筑物将以高锟及饶宗颐名字命名(图) [Two landmark buildings in Hong Kong are named after Charles K. Kao and Rao Zongyi (with photos)](shtml) (in Chinese (China)).Ifeng News. December 30, 2009.Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2009.
^高錕.傑出華人系列 (documentary and oral history) (in Cantonese, Chinese, and English). Radio Television Hong Kong. 2000. Event occurs at around 38:00. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.我對每一個國家，每一個種族感情都差不多。。。。。。我是以人為主，不是以國家或種族為主。。。。。。我變成了世界中間的一部份，不是任何國家的一部份。
^諾獎得主光纖之父高錕逝世 慈善基金：最後心願助腦退化病人.Ming Pao (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Hong Kong: Media Chinese International. September 24, 2018.Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2018.
^"In memory of Sir Charles K. Kao (1933-2018)" (Press release). Hong Kong: Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer's Disease. September 23, 2018.Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2018.
Hecht, Jeff (1999).City of Light, The Story of Fiber Optics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-510818-7.
Kao, K. C.; Hockham, G. A. (1966). "Dielectric-fibre surface waveguides for optical frequencies".Proc. IEE.113 (7):1151–1158.doi:10.1049/piee.1966.0189.
高錕.傑出華人系列 (documentary and oral history) (in Cantonese, Chinese, and English). Radio Television Hong Kong. 2000. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.
"Oral-History:Charles Kao".Engineering and Technology History Wiki (oral history transcript). Interview Conducted by Robert Colburn. September 26, 2018 [interview conducted in 2004]. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
Kao, Charles K. (2010).A Time and A Tide: Charles K. Kao ─ A Memoir (autobiography). Chinese University Press.ISBN9789629969721.
Kao, Charles K. (2005).潮平岸闊——高錕自傳 [A Time And A Tide: Charles K. Kao ─ A Memoir] (autobiography) (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Translated by 許迪鏘. Joint Publishing (Hong Kong).ISBN978-962-04-3444-0.
