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In Memoriam: Yasuhiro Matsui, 1964 - 2022
Nov 01, 2022
Yasuhiro Matsui, a pioneer in high-speed laser technology, passed away on 1 November 2022, in San Jose, California, USA, at the age of 58. Matsui was known for his contributions to directly modulated laser (DML) technologies, ultrafast lasers, and their applications for optical communications. He spent his career in industry-leading R&D and product development of optical transceivers, transforming the internet’s capability to send large amounts of data at low cost. Matsui was an active contributor to the Optical Fiber Communications Conference and Exhibition (OFC), having served as a member of the Active Optical Devices and Photonic Integrated Circuits Subcommittee from 2017-2020 and the Subcommittee Chair from 2020-2021.
Matsui graduated from Kyoto University with a bachelor’s degree in Physics and joined the Oki Electric Research Laboratory in 1988. He engaged in the early development of high-speed DMLs, narrow-linewidth DBR lasers, terahertz mode-locked lasers, electro-absorption modulators, and high-power lasers. From 1996 to 2000, he was with the Femtosecond Technology Research Association (FESTA) in Tsukuba, Japan, where he worked on Raman-soliton femtosecond pulse generation in nonlinear fibers.
After earning his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2000, Matsui joined CoreTek/Nortel Networks in Massachusetts as a Senior Engineer, where he established the polarization control scheme for a MEMS-tunable VCSEL. In 2002, he co-founded Azna LLC and co-invented the chirp-managed directly modulated laser (CML). After Azna was acquired by Finisar Corporation in 2007, Matsui was named a Principal Scientist and designed high-speed DMLs. He was an inventor of thermally tunable narrow-linewidth lasers. He joined II-VI Incorporated (now Coherent Corp.) in 2019 following II-VI’s acquisition of Finisar. At Coherent Corp., Matsui was a highly respected Member of Technical Staff and instrumental in developing advanced DMLs for high-speed data communications systems.
Matsui authored/co-authored 140 papers, a book chapter, and numerous patents in the U.S. and Japan. In 2016, he was named an Outstanding Reviewer by IEEE/Optica for his contributions to the Journal of Lightwave Technology. He was a visiting professor at Tohoku University in 2018-2019 and a subcommittee member for OFC from 2017 to 2020. He was a subcommittee chair for OFC in 2021 and served on the CLEO/Pacific Rim subcommittee in 2022. Matsui was an associate editor for the Journal of Lightwave Technology.
His colleagues and family remember him as being passionate about his research and always eager to share the scientific explanations behind natural phenomenon. Matsui balanced his work life with enthusiasm for his family and hobbies, spending much of his free time playing tennis and singing or playing the guitar. He was also known by his friends for his gracious hospitality. Matsui is survived by his wife, Miyuki Otani, and his daughter, Karen Matsui.
“Yasu,” as he was known to friends and co-workers, will be greatly mourned by his colleagues at Coherent Corp. and his many collaborators within the optical communications community.
