Herbert Mataré
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Herbert Franz Mataré (born September 22, 1912) is a German physicist. The focus of his research is the field of semiconductor research. His best-known work is the first functional "European" transistor, which he developed and patented together with Heinrich Welker in the vicinity of Paris in 1948, at the same time and independently from the Bell Labs engineers. Mataré lives in California. Born in Aachen, he is the nephew of the sculptor Ewald Mataré (1887-1965).
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[edit] Biography
Mataré completed his studies in mathematics, chemistry, electrochemistry, nuclear physics and solid-state physics at the Technical University of Aachen with degree "Diplom-Ingenieur" in Applied Physics. In addition, he studied mathematics, physics and chemistry at the University of Geneva. [1]
In 1939 he joined the Telefunken research laboratory in Berlin. At that time it became obvious that the miniaturization of vacuum tubes had met a technical limit and that alternative solutions had to be sought using solid state circuits and principles of the previous transistor inventions of Julius Edgar Lilienfeld, Oskar Heil, Walter Schottky and Robert Wichard Pohl.
Because of the massive air raids on Berlin in 1943, the Telefunken laboratory were moved to the Cisterian abbey in Lubiąż (Leubus) Silesia, where Mataré focused on the improvement of the cm-wave (SHF) receiver sensitivity.
In 1944, as the Russian army closed in, the site and most of its equipment were abandoned and the operation was transferred to Thuringia. Later Mataré taught physics and mathematics in Wabern near Kassel and gave lectures at the Aachen university, and he was invited to build a semiconductor diode plant for Compagnie des Freins & Signaux Westinghouse in Aulnay-sous-Bois near Paris.
Mataré lives in California.
[edit] Academic degrees
| 1933 | BS | Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry | Aachen; University of Geneva |
| 1939 | MS (Dipl.-Ing.) | Physics | Technische Hochschule Aachen |
| 1942 | PhD (Dr.-Ing.) | Electronics | Technische Hochschule Berlin |
| 1950 | PhD (Dr. sc. phys) | Solid State Physics | École Normale Supérieure (ENS) Paris |
[edit] Important Work
At the same time as the American researchers and independently, the German researchers Mataré and Heinrich Welker developed the first operational "French transistor" at Compagnie des Freins & Signaux Westinghouse in Aulnay-sous-Bois near Paris during the years 1945 to 1948. They filed their first transistor patent application on August 13, 1948.[2][3]On 18 May 1949, this European invention coined as the "Le Transistron" was presented to the public.
In 1951/1952, Mataré founded Intermetall in Düsseldorf, the world's first company, which offered diodes and transistors.[1]
[edit] External links
- Herbert Mataré in the German National Library catalogue
- Peter Salomon: „Deutsche Halbleiter-Technik vor 1945 ?“
- John Markoff (February 24, 2003). "Herbert F. Mataré. An inventor of the transistor has his moment". New York Times.
- Michael Riordan (November 2005). "How Europe Missed The Transistor". IEEE Spectrum Vol. 42 (11): 52-57. doi:.
[edit] Literature
- H. F. Mataré (April 2001). "Erlebnisse eines deutschen Physikers und Ingenieurs von 1912 bis Ende des Jahrhunderts". Der Fernmelde-Ingenieur 4/01, 5/01 (in one volume): 1-109. ISSN 0015-010X.
- H. F. Mataré (September 2002). "Von der Radartechnik zur modernen Kommunikationstechnik". Tele-Kommunikation aktuell: TKA 9/02, 10/02 (in one volume): 1-59. ISSN 1619-2036.
- Kai Handel (29.06.1999). "Anfänge der Halbleiterforschung und -entwicklung. Dargestellt an den Biographien von vier deutschen Halbleiterpionieren.". PhD thesis RWTH Aachen.
[edit] Patents
The following list can only present a part of the more than 80 patents which Mataré has filed.
- US patent 2552052 H. F. Mataré: „Push-pull converter of the crystal type for ultra-short waves“ filed in France on May 23, 1947
- FR patent 1010427 H. F. Mataré/H. Welker/Westinghouse: „Nouveau sytème cristallin à plusieurs électrodes réalisant des effects de relais électroniques“ filed on August 13, 1948
- US patent 2673948 H. F. Mataré/H. Welker/Westinghouse: „Crystal device for controlling electric currents by means of a solid semiconductor“ french priority date August 13, 1948
[edit] References
- ^ a b Armand Van Dormael:The "French" transistor.Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Conference on the History of Electronics, Bletchley Park, June 2004.
- ^ FR patent 1010427 H. F. Mataré / H. Welker / Westinghouse: "Nouveau sytème cristallin à plusieurs électrodes réalisant des relais de effects électroniques" filed on August 13, 1948
- ^ US patent 2673948 H. F. Mataré / H. Welker / Westinghouse, "Crystal device for controlling electric currents by means of a solid semiconductor" French priority August 13, 1948
