Leo Esaki
| Leo Esaki | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 12, 1925 Osaka, Japan |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Fields | Applied physics |
| Known for | electron tunneling, Esaki diode |
| Notable awards | Stuart Ballantine Medal (1961) Nobel Prize in Physics (1973) IEEE Medal of Honor |
Reona Esaki also known as Leo Esaki (江崎 玲於奈 Esaki Reona, born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese physicist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973 with Ivar Giaever and Brian David Josephson for his discovery of the phenomenon of electron tunneling. He is known for his invention of the Esaki diode, which exploited that phenomenon. This research was done when he was with Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (now known as Sony). He has also contributed as a pioneer of the semiconductor superlattice while he was with IBM.
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[edit] Biography
He was born in Osaka, Japan. Studying physics at the University of Tokyo, he received his B.Sc. in 1947 and his Ph.D. in 1959. Esaki was awarded the Nobel Prize[1] for research had conducted around 1958 regarding electron tunneling[2] in solids. He moved to the United States in 1960 and joined the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, where he became an IBM Fellow in 1967. His first paper on the semiconductor superlattice[3] was published when he was with IBM. A comment by Esaki in a 1987 number of Current Contents regarding the original paper on superlattices notes:
"The original version of the paper was rejected for publication by Physical Review on the referee's unimaginative assertion that it was 'too speculative' and involved 'no new physics.' However, this proposal was quickly accepted by the Army Research Office..."[4]
Subsequently, he served as the President of various Japanese universities, for example, University of Tsukuba and Shibaura Institute of Technology. Since 2006, he is serving as the President of the Yokohama College of Pharmacy. Esaki is also the recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
[edit] Notable papers
- ^ Esaki, Leo, "Long Journey into Tunneling," Nobel Lecture, Dec 12, 1973.
- ^ Esaki, L. (1958). "New Phenomenon in Narrow Germanium p-n Junctions". Physical Review 109: 603. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.109.603.
- ^ L. Esaki and R. Tsu, "Superlattice and negative differential conductivity in semiconductors", IBM Journal of Research and Development, vol. 14, no. 1 (January 1970), pp. 61-65.
- ^ "This Weeks's Citation Classic", Current Contents No 28, July 13, 1987.
[edit] References
- Large scale integrated circuits technology : state of the art and prospects : proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Large Scale Integrated Circuits Technology: State of the Art and Prospects," Erice, Italy, July 15–27, 1981 / edited by Leo Esaki and Giovanni Soncini (1982)
- Highlights in condensed matter physics and future prospects / edited by Leo Esaki (1991)
[edit] External links
- Leo Esaki - Biography. Retrieved Aug. 5, 2003 from http://www.nobel.se/physics/laureates/1973/esaki-bio.html
- IBM record
- IEEE History Center - Leo Esaki. Retrieved Aug. 5, 2003 from http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/legacies/esaki.html
- Sony History - The Esaki Diode. Retrieved Aug. 5, 2003 from http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-7/h5.html
- Freeview video 'An Interview with Leo Esaki' by the Vega Science Trust
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