To amplify, it strikes me as in the spirit of the prize for the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). All of the conceptual pieces were present, it was not a huge intellectual leap to put it together. That said, actually working out the details of the tip and controller etc to produce the beautiful results was, well, you knew it was sublime when you laid eyes on it.
Many groups were working hard on GaN/AlGaN systems at the time, as well as various ternary/quaternary permutations. Kudos to the winners for making it happen. Some pretty big doors were opened.
I don't consider it the same class because an STM is a scientific instrument. It is used to perform more experiments, and leads directly to an increase in knowledge. Blue LEDs themselves, while definitely a big achievement, don't add much to the body of knowledge.
I disagree. Look, in another article here on the front page, these blue LEDs are directly involved in an increase of knowledge:
"...the charter, which is then illuminated with LED lights ranging from the ultraviolet at a wavelength of 365 nm, through the visible region, and right up to a wavelength of 1050 nm in the infrared region."
OK, so it is usable on some level in scientific experiments. It's a bit much to claim it on the same level as a scanning-tunneling microscope though, a device designed, built and used exclusively in a scientific setting. Blue LEDs are a product, not a novel instrument. Again: I don't intend to belittle the achievements made, they're revolutionary in their own right, but they are not as scientific in intention as an STM and don't contribute nearly as much to the base line.
Many groups were working hard on GaN/AlGaN systems at the time, as well as various ternary/quaternary permutations. Kudos to the winners for making it happen. Some pretty big doors were opened.