Raphael Tsu
Encyclopedia
Raphael Tsu is a Fellow of the American Physical Society
and currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering
at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
, Charlotte, NC.
, and M.S. & Ph.D. from the Ohio State University
. After several years working as a member of the Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories (BTL) at Murray Hill, NJ, developing an ultrasonic amplifier, a mechanism invented by Dr. D.L. White, Tsu moved to the IBM, T.J. Watson Research Center
in Yorktown Heights, NY as an associate to Dr. Leo Esaki
beginning a well-known collaboration that yielded a theory of man-made quantum materials, superlattice
s and quantum wells.
Later, Tsu joined the Amorphous Semiconductors Institute (ASI) and directed energy research at Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) near Detroit, MI, as invited by inventor Stan Ovshinsky
. His contribution included the first experimental determination of the volume fraction of crystallinity for conductivity percolation in amorphous silicon
and [germanium], and providing experimental proof of the existence of an intermediate order. He discovered experimentally that post annealing with H2 and O2 can drastically remove dangling bond
defects in amorphous silicon
.
During 1985-1987 Tsu served as the amorphous silicon program group leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(then known as SERI, Solar Energy Research Institute) in Golden, CO
. His theoretical derivation of the relationship between the optical absorption and disorder in amorphous silicon and germanium in terms of fundamental constants shows that the slope of the Tauc plot
is uniquely determined by the oscillator strength of the transition, the deformation potential and the mean deviation of the atomic coordinates obtained from the RDF.
In 1972, Tsu organized a group and was invited by the Chinese Science Academy
which resulted in the first report on the technology in China
published in Scientific American
. This led to his involvement through establishing the first Chinese Scientific delegation visit to the US, which was invited by the US-China Relations Committee of the US Academy of Science. During this visit, he worked with the US State Department for the program and logistics on the East Coast. This effort contributed to the opening of scientific exchange between the United States
and China.
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
and currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
, Charlotte, NC.
Biography
Tsu was born to a Catholic family in Shanghai, China. As a child he was inspired by his great uncle who in 1926 was amongst the first six Chinese bishops ever to be consecrated at the Vatican in Rome and as a teenager by his US educated father Adrian and French educated uncle, Louis. His paternal grandfather and great uncle were pioneers in power plant and modern shipyard in Shanghai. While leaving Shanghai, his great uncle, on his death bed told him to remember the old Chinese saying that to succeed requires the right tool. Tsu initially emigrated to the west to study physics in England. He earned a B.S. at the University of DaytonUniversity of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
, and M.S. & Ph.D. from the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. After several years working as a member of the Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories (BTL) at Murray Hill, NJ, developing an ultrasonic amplifier, a mechanism invented by Dr. D.L. White, Tsu moved to the IBM, T.J. Watson Research Center
Thomas J. Watson Research Center
The Thomas J. Watson Research Center is the headquarters for the IBM Research Division.The center is on three sites, with the main laboratory in Yorktown Heights, New York, 38 miles north of New York City, a building in Hawthorne, New York, and offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts.- Overview :The...
in Yorktown Heights, NY as an associate to Dr. Leo Esaki
Leo Esaki
Reona Esaki also known as Leo Esaki 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...
beginning a well-known collaboration that yielded a theory of man-made quantum materials, superlattice
Superlattice
Superlattice is a periodic structure of layers of two materials. Typically, the thickness of one layer is several nanometers.- Discovery :Superlattices were discovered early in the 20th century through their special X-ray diffraction patterns....
s and quantum wells.
Later, Tsu joined the Amorphous Semiconductors Institute (ASI) and directed energy research at Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) near Detroit, MI, as invited by inventor Stan Ovshinsky
Stan Ovshinsky
Stanford R. Ovshinsky is an American inventor and scientist who has been granted approximately 400 patents over the last fifty years, mostly in the areas of energy or information. Many of his inventions have had wide ranging applications...
. His contribution included the first experimental determination of the volume fraction of crystallinity for conductivity percolation in amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon is the non-crystalline allotropic form of silicon. It can be deposited in thin films at low temperatures onto a variety of substrates, offering some unique capabilities for a variety of electronics.-Description:...
and [germanium], and providing experimental proof of the existence of an intermediate order. He discovered experimentally that post annealing with H2 and O2 can drastically remove dangling bond
Dangling bond
In chemistry, a dangling bond is an unsatisfied valence on an immobilised atom.In order to gain enough electrons to fill their valence shells , many atoms will form covalent bonds with other atoms. In the simplest case, that of a single bond, two atoms each contribute one unpaired electron, and the...
defects in amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon is the non-crystalline allotropic form of silicon. It can be deposited in thin films at low temperatures onto a variety of substrates, offering some unique capabilities for a variety of electronics.-Description:...
.
During 1985-1987 Tsu served as the amorphous silicon program group leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory , located in Golden, Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility; it is funded through...
(then known as SERI, Solar Energy Research Institute) in Golden, CO
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
. His theoretical derivation of the relationship between the optical absorption and disorder in amorphous silicon and germanium in terms of fundamental constants shows that the slope of the Tauc plot
Tauc plot
A Tauc plot is used to determine the optical gap, or Tauc gap, in amorphous thin film materials. The Tauc gap is often used to characterize practical optical properties of amorphous materials....
is uniquely determined by the oscillator strength of the transition, the deformation potential and the mean deviation of the atomic coordinates obtained from the RDF.
In 1972, Tsu organized a group and was invited by the Chinese Science Academy
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
which resulted in the first report on the technology in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
published in Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
. This led to his involvement through establishing the first Chinese Scientific delegation visit to the US, which was invited by the US-China Relations Committee of the US Academy of Science. During this visit, he worked with the US State Department for the program and logistics on the East Coast. This effort contributed to the opening of scientific exchange between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and China.