| Isamu Akasaki |
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TARUI:
Thank you very much, Professor Akasaki. Now I would like to allow for a few questions. If you have a question, please raise your hand and we will bring you a microphone. Please go ahead.
MIGITAKA:
(Brief) My name is Migitaka. Congratulations on your award. If research can be pursued for the span of 20 years or more, remaining focused on the same theme, just as Professor Akasaki has done, I think that unique research results would be come out in Japan one after another. If there are any secrets on how you have successfully carried out your research over these 20 years or more, I think they could guide young researchers who would like to do such unique, world-class research. I would appreciate it if you were able to share some of your secrets.
AKASAKI:
Thank you for your congratulations. I understand that your question concerns the secret to my research. As I wrote in the Proceedings, it is my genuine feeling that I have continued my research throughout with stubborn honesty. As somebody has written and I also mentioned earlier, when I transferred to Nagoya University my laboratory had limited equipment and was almost vacant. At that time, Universities with clean rooms were very rare, and needless to say, there was none at Nagoya University. When I talked about my dream and explained the plan to have a clean room, all of the professors in the Department of Electrical and @Electronic Engineering agreed with me and supported my plan. This support was really important for getting a clean room. I had to do many things on my own, however, such as negotiations and other related tasks. As I mentioned earlier, nobody except me had experience with clean rooms, and so I had to decide all the details, such as the size of building, the height of ceiling, and so on. In deciding specifications, there were numerous restrictions, so that I repeatedly had to consult with the officials. During the two and half year period when I was at Matsushita before transferring to Nagoya University, I had to shuttle between Tokyo and Nagoya many times for the above issue. Another issue was, as I mentioned earlier, to get grants from various foundations, and research funds from Ministry of Education. As someone has written about this, nitride semiconductor research proposal that I submitted were routinely disregarded. I was mainly in charge of the research of GaAs, aluminum gallium arsenide and U-Y mixed crystals, as Dr. Migitaka knows well. So I was in most cases applying for research funds for the latter materials. In truth, I used part of the funds for nitride research. I originally thought that this was unethical, but recently a famous foreign researcher, who was given a similar big award as Takeda Award, mentioned that the flexible use of funds is inevitable and acceptable. He claimed that in the early stages of new research it is usually difficult to get recognition, and so it is essential to be flexible with the budget. Anyway, I can't deny that I felt a little ashamed in making the proposals, but actually I did use such a method.
MIGITAKA:
Thank you very much. Having heard some of the secrets of your success, I expect that researchers will set out to make great efforts to produce unique research results just as you have done.
AKASAKI:
I don't know whether Professor Hasegawa of the University of Tsukuba is here or not, but I recall that he may have written about this subject.
TARUI:
Are there any other questions? Please go ahead.
YAMAGUCHI:
My name is Yamaguchi. Congratulations for this award. I have been truly impressed to hear about how this remarkable innovation, which was done at the very end of 20th century, was the result of Professor Akasaki 's dedication and perseverance through all kinds of difficulties, in his research life for more than 20 years. However, these days I think that the innovation model is changing and as a result, the research-cycle has become very fast. I imagine that corporate managers get unsettled and want to modify the style of research development. When this happens long-term research becomes more difficult to pursue. Could you give any advice on establishing an innovation model for the corporate researchers who are in this conference room?
AKASAKI:
Since the time when I was at Matsushita, I have often said that we should always be thinking about at least a couple of themes at a time. If we focus only on one theme, we may come to a dead end. On the other hand, if we have two or three concurrent themes we can sidestep dead ends by embracing one of other themes, which is invigorating. Experiments from alternate themes have often given me hints for bypassing dead ends. At the end of the 1960's, when I was starting this work, I admit that I sometimes had no confidence that this kind of long, difficult research could be successfully performed. At that time I thought that I would somehow be satisfied even if this theme could not be accomplished within my lifetime. However, after I had done the preliminary work at Matsushita - when everybody's cooperation had led to our initial results mentioned above I developed a gut feeling that the goal was within my grasp. After that, I expanded my research activities around this point, just like driving a wedge into a crack. I feel that this type of approach is also necessary.
TARUI:
The time is nearly over, but I will take one more question. Please go ahead.
HARADA:
(Brief) My name is Harada of the Mitsubishi Corporation. Congratulations on your receiving this award. I feel envious that Professor Akasaki was able to focus on the same research topic for such a long time!
I have two questions. One is, how you think we can apply the your research methodology to the future scientific administrative process? My another question is, although I am sure you will continue your research in the field of nitrides more intensively, what kind of fields you think will be important and interesting in the future.
AKASAKI:
Concerning the first question, I am afraid that I am not able to answer the question, because I don't really know much about administration. You said that you were envious that I could continue my research for such a long time, didn't you? I think the reason why I could do such long term research is that I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by so many cooperative people at each stage. For example, when I was at Matsushita, I was in the center of a group of highly talented co-researchers. And when I was at Nagoya University, I had the cooperation of many students, particularly Dr. Amano, and as a result I could continue the research over a long period. As for the next question, I think there are two cases. First is a case in which you can clearly foresee future results, while developing materials. The second is a case in which novel applications arise as a result of the technological breakthroughs. A simple example is, as you know well, the development of the gas lighter, which was developed at Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, I have heard that the material for the gas lighter was originally developed as a band pass filter but it turned out to be applied as the ignition of a gas lighter. This has increased the amount of the material made, which has led to the improvement of quality of the material and has also had beneficial effects on the original line of development. I think this demonstrates one example of development. By the way, whilst there are countless simple examples of research and development in the field of nitrides that you may be able to think of quickly, a more ambitious dream might be, for example, the possibility of combining the GaN materials we have been talking about today with other materials, so as to take advantage of the strengths of each and so create a new kind of device. I fully expect such developments to happen. I hope this answered your question.
HARADA; :
Thank you very much.
TARUI:
I think there are more questions that people would like to ask, but the time is running out. Now I would like to close the Q&A session. Professor Akasaki, I appreciated your speech as well as your answers, suggestions and recommendations. Thank you very much.
AKSAKI:
Thank you, it was my pleasure.
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