Stewart E. Miller

Biography

Stewart E. Miller was recognized for his groundbreaking work within microwave and optical communications.

Miller was born on 1 September 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received the S.B. and S.M. degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1941, Miller joined Bell Labs in Red Bank, New Jersey and worked with coaxial transmission development, radar system development, and microwave communication research. After World War II, Miller played an important role in the development of coaxial cable carrier systems and millimeter-wave components.

In 1962, Miller was Director of Guided Wave Systems Research. He was the first person to recognize the potential of optical communications and also established a research program to explore different periodic lens systems. As optical fiber technology developed throughout the 1960s, Miller demonstrated its usefulness and presented the idea of combining various optical components on one semiconductor chip. Miller became the director of Lightwave Research in 1980, and in 1983, retired from Bell Labs. Although Miller retired, he continued working with semiconductor lasers as a consultant at Bellcore (present-day Telcordia Technologies).

During his career, Miller also served the U.S. Air Force in several advisory capacities. He held nearly 80 patents and held memberships and fellowships with numerous organizations including the IEEE, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Optical Society of America. In addition, Miller was a member of Eta Kappa Nu, and Tau Beta Pi, and was associated with Sigma Xi. He received numerous awards, including the 1972 Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award and the Franklin Institute's 1977 Stuart Ballantine Medal.

Miller passed away on 27 February 1990.