Biography:Leo Esaki

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Leo Esaki
江崎 玲於奈
Esaki with his invention of the tunnel diode at Sony, 1959
Born (1925-03-12) March 12, 1925 (age 100)
Osaka, Empire of Japan
EducationThird Higher School
Alma materTokyo Imperial University (BS, PhD)
Known for
Awards
  • Asahi Prize (1959)
  • Nishina Memorial Prize (1959)
  • IRE Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize (1961)
  • Stuart Ballantine Medal (1961)
  • Japan Academy Prize (1965)
  • Nobel Prize in Physics (1973)
  • Order of Culture (1974)
  • International Prize for New Materials (1985)
  • Harold Pender Award (1989)
  • IEEE Medal of Honor (1991)
  • Order of the Rising Sun (Grand Cordon, 1998)
  • Japan Prize (1998)[1]
TitleIBM Fellow (1967–1992)
Scientific career
FieldsSolid-state physics
Institutions

Leo Esaki (/ɪˈsɑːki/ ih-SAH-kee;[2] Japanese: 江崎 玲於奈, romanized: Esaki Reona; born March 12, 1925) is a Japanese solid-state physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon. His research was done when he was with Sony. He has also contributed in being a pioneer of semiconductor superlattices.

Biography

Leo Esaki was born on March 12, 1925, in Osaka, Japan,[3] and grew up in Kyoto, where he attended the Third Higher School. He then went on to study physics at Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo), graduating with a B.S. in 1947.[1]

Sony

Leo Esaki working at Sony on June 27, 1959 in Tokyo, Japan

In 1956, Esaki became chief physicist at Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (now Sony).[4]

In 1958, Esaki recognized that when the p–n junction width of germanium is thinned, the current–voltage characteristic is dominated by the influence of the tunnel effect—and, as a result, he discovered that as the voltage is increased, the current decreases inversely—indicating negative resistance.[5] This discovery was the first demonstration of solid tunneling effects in physics, and it was the birth of a new electronic device called the tunnel diode (or Esaki diode), the first quantum electronic device in history. He received a Ph.D. from Tokyo Imperial University due to this breakthrough invention in 1959.[1]

In 1973, Esaki was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.[6] He became the first Nobel laureate to receive the Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

IBM

In 1960, Esaki moved to the United States and joined IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center, where he was appointed an IBM Fellow in 1967.[7]

In 1970, Esaki predicted that semiconductor superlattices will be formed to induce a differential negative-resistance effect via an artificially one-dimensional periodic structural changes in semiconductor crystals. His unique "molecular beam epitaxy" thin-film crystal growth method can be regulated quite precisely in ultrahigh vacuum. His first paper on the semiconductor superlattice was published in 1970.[8] A 1987 comment by Esaki regarding the original paper 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..."[9]

In 1972, Esaki realized his concept of superlattices in III-V group semiconductors, later the concept influenced many fields like metals and magnetic materials. He was elected an International Member of the National Academy of Engineering for "contributions to the engineering of semiconductor devices" in 1977.[10] He was also awarded the IEEE Medal of Honor "for contributions to and leadership in tunneling, semiconductor superlattices, and quantum wells" in 1991,[11] and the Japan Prize "for the creation and realization of the concept of man-made superlattice crystals which lead to generation of new materials with useful applications" in 1998.[1]

Later life

In 1992, Esaki returned to Japan, where he subsequently served as President of the University of Tsukuba[1] and of the Shibaura Institute of Technology. Since 2006, he is President of Yokohama College of Pharmacy. He is also the recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence, the Order of Culture (1974), and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1998).[1]

Since the death of Yoichiro Nambu in 2015, Esaki is the oldest Japanese Nobel laureate.

Esaki's "five don'ts" rules

At the 1994 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, Esaki suggested a list of "five don'ts" which anyone in realizing his creative potential should follow. Two months later, the chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics Carl Nordling incorporated the rules in his own speech.[12]

  1. Don't allow yourself to be trapped by your past experiences.
  2. Don't allow yourself to become overly attached to any one authority in your field – the great professor, perhaps.
  3. Don't hold on to what you don't need.
  4. Don't avoid confrontation.
  5. Don't forget your spirit of childhood curiosity.

Recognition

In recognition of three Nobel laureates' contributions, the bronze statues of Shin'ichirō Tomonaga, Leo Esaki, and Makoto Kobayashi were set up in the Central Park of Azuma 2 in Tsukuba in 2015.[13]

Awards

Country Year Institute Award Citation Source
 Japan 1959 Asahi Shimbun Foundation Asahi Prize
 Japan 1959 Nishina Memorial Foundation Nishina Memorial Prize "Invention of the Esaki diode" [14]
 United States 1961 Institute of Radio Engineers IRE Morris Liebmann Memorial Prize "For important contributions to the theory and technology of solid state devices, particularly as embodied in the tunnel diode" [15]
 United States 1961 Franklin Institute Stuart Ballantine Medal "For the development of the tunnel diode and the discovery and utilization of quantum-mechanical tunneling in semiconductors" [16]
 Japan 1965 Japan Academy Japan Academy Prize [1]
 Sweden 1973 Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Nobel Prize in Physics "For their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively" [3]
 United States 1985 American Physical Society International Prize for New Materials "For his conception of artificial semiconductor superlattices and his recognition that such structures have realizable and would have novel electronic properties" [17]
 United States 1989 University of Pennsylvania Harold Pender Award "Pioneer in tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and development of quantum well structures" [18]
 United States 1991 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Medal of Honor "For contributions to and leadership in tunneling, semiconductor superlattices, and quantum wells" [11]
 Japan 1998 Japan Prize Foundation Japan Prize "For the creation and realization of the concept of man-made superlattice crystals which led to generation of new materials with useful applications" [1]

Memberships in learned societies

List:[1]

  • American Physical Society
  • Physical Society of Japan
  • 1975 – Member, Japan Academy
  • 1976 – International Member, National Academy of Sciences[19]
  • 1977 – International Member, National Academy of Engineering[10]
  • 1989 – Member, Max Planck Society
  • 1991 – Member, American Philosophical Society
  • 1994 – Foreign Member, Russian Academy of Sciences
  • 1995 – Honorary Foreign Member, Korean Academy of Science and Technology
  • 1996 – Member, Italian National Academy of the Sciences

Family

Esaki's daughter, Anna Esaki, is married to Craig S. Smith, former Shanghai bureau chief of The New York Times and China bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal.[20]

See also

  • List of Japanese Nobel laureates
  • List of Nobel laureates affiliated with the University of Tokyo

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "Dr. Leo Esaki". http://www.japanprize.jp/en/prize_prof_1998_esaki.html. 
  2. ↑ "Esaki". Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/esaki. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Leo Esaki – Facts". Nobel Foundation. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1973/esaki/facts/. 
  4. ↑ Leo Esaki | Biography, Nobel Prize, Tunnel Diode, & Facts. britannica.com. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ Esaki, L. (1958). "New Phenomenon in Narrow Germanium p-n Junctions". Physical Review 109 (2): 603. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.109.603. Bibcode: 1958PhRv..109..603E. 
  6. ↑ Esaki, Leo, "Long Journey into Tunneling," Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1973.
  7. ↑ "Leo Esaki – Biographical". Nobel Foundation. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1973/esaki/biographical/. 
  8. ↑ Esaki, L.; Tsu, R. (1970). "Superlattice and Negative Differential Conductivity in Semiconductors". IBM Journal of Research and Development 14: 61–65. doi:10.1147/rd.141.0061. 
  9. ↑ "This Weeks's Citation Classic", Current Contents No 28, July 13, 1987.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Dr. Leo Esaki - NAE Website". National Academy of Engineering. https://www.nae.edu/28169/Dr-Leo-Esaki. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Leo Esaki - IEEE Awards". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. https://corporate-awards.ieee.org/recipient/leo-esaki/. 
  12. ↑ Nordling, Carl (1995). "How to get the Nobel Prize in physics". Physica Scripta 59: 21–25. doi:10.1088/0031-8949/1995/T59/001. Bibcode: 1995PhST...59...21N. https://web.stanford.edu/~rotundu/documents/how_to_get_it.pdf. 
  13. ↑ "ノーベル賞:江崎、小林、朝永氏の銅像やレリーフ設置 完成記念式でお披露目 「子どもが夢を」−−つくば・中央公園 ／茨城 - 毎日新聞". http://mainichi.jp/feature/news/m20150316ddlk08040111000c.html. 
  14. ↑ "Nishina Memorial Prize - Nishina Memorial Foundation". https://www.nishina-mf.or.jp/project_en/kinen_en/. 
  15. ↑ "IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award Recipients". IEEE. http://www.ieee.org/documents/liebmann_rl.pdf. 
  16. ↑ "Leo Esaki - Franklin Institute Awards". Franklin Institute. https://fi.edu/en/awards/laureates/leo-esaki. 
  17. ↑ "James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials". http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/mcgroddy.cfm. 
  18. ↑ "The Harold Pender Award Lecture". Penn Engineering. https://events.seas.upenn.edu/distinguished-lectures/pender-lecture/. 
  19. ↑ "Leo Esaki – NAS". National Academy of Sciences. https://www.nasonline.org/directory-entry/leo-esaki-axpoif/. 
  20. ↑ "Anna Esaki Wed To Craig S. Smith" (in en-US). The New York Times. January 14, 1990. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/14/style/anna-esaki-wed-to-craig-s-smith.html. 

Further reading

  • 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)

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