In my early career in Helsinki University of Technology I fabricated and demonstrated the first semiconductor laser in Finland in 1986. After that I started to study various semiconductor quantum well structures by optical spectroscopy, especially modulation spectroscopy and photoluminescence, and by structural methods, such as AFM and XRD. That is about 35 years of research in quantum devices and structures by now. Furthermore, record fast multiple quantum well lasers were studied during a visit to AT&T Bell Labs in early 1990's. Later I focused in to the properties of nanostructures based on semiconductor quantum dots and nanowires made by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Ground breaking results were obtained from a novel stressor quantum dot structure in 1994. Finally, thin inorganic films fabricated my atomic layer deposition (ALD) were added to the field of expertise, as well as 2D materials such as graphene during the past 15 years. I have worked in the core of Micronova Research Center as Professor, Head of Laboratory and Head of Department from its start in 2002 and contributed tremendously in developing its infrastructure and processes to the present high international level.