Publication

Interview With a Nobel Prize Winner

2026

Abstract

The Nobel Prize in Physics 1985 was awarded to Prof. Klaus von Klitzing for the discovery of the quantized Hall effect. This is evident in electronic systems at the nanoscale, e.g., in transistors having the conducting channel realized at the surface of the semiconductor or with 2D graphene layers. Nowadays, hundreds of millions of sensors sold each year are based on the Hall effect. They are mainly used as magnetic/current sensors, proximity or positioning sensors, and speed detectors. And they are often integrated in CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Silicon) chips. Hall sensors are commercially available as fully integrated systems alongside their sensor interfaces. Market figures show a total value close to a billion US dollars, worldwide. Therefore, it has been a great honor to talk with Prof. Klaus von Klitzing and going back with him to the exciting moments when he noticed the first evidence of his fascinating discovery. This article reports the details of such a kind conversation.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/682c1b18-6fdb-4e0c-a46b-28c579b8f225

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2026

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/682c1b18-6fdb-4e0c-a46b-28c579b8f225

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Hall effect sensor

A Hall effect sensor (or simply Hall sensor) is a type of sensor which detects the presence and magnitude of a magnetic field using the Hall effect. The output voltage of a Hall sensor is directly proportional to the strength of the field. It is named for the American physicist Edwin Hall. Hall sensors are used for proximity sensing, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications. Frequently, a Hall sensor is combined with threshold detection to act as a binary switch.

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes (noʊˈbɛl ; Nobelpriset nʊˈbɛ̂lːˌpriːsɛt; Nobelprisen nʊˈbɛ̀lːˌpriːsn̩) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist most famously known for the invention of dynamite. He died in 1896. In his will, he bequeathed all of his "remaining realisable assets" to be used to establish five prizes which became known as "Nobel Prizes.

Nobel Prize controversies

Since the first award in 1901, conferment of the Nobel Prize has occasionally engendered criticism and controversy. After his death in 1896, the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel established that an annual prize be awarded for service to humanity in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. Similarly, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel is awarded along with the Nobel Prizes.

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Interview With a Nobel Prize Winner

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