7) Episode of Hard Trials to Import Germanium

 
Crystal fragments of imported germanium

Although technical information of transistors came to Japan through GHQ, germanium materials for experiments and sample preparation were not available. In fact, there were very few people in Japan who ever saw real germanium when the research started.
How then did Japanese researchers get the germanium? The most reliable information is that it was procured by import from the United Kingdom. According to Prof. Wataru Sasaki at University of Tokyo, "The Germanium Research Committee, which was organized by Chief Director Sakuji Komagata at Electrotechnical Laboratory and Prof. Yasushi Watanabe at Tohoku University, got two very small pieces of germanium crystals like little fingers from the United Kingdom in 1949, by allotting a part of the research fund of the committee. They distributed the germanium crystals which were cut in sugar cube size to several domestic research institutes."
The photograph shows the crystal chips of the imported germanium, which had been sent by mail to Prof. Watanabe from Chief Director Komagata. When Prof. Watanabe retired, he told Prof. Junichi Nishizawa, "I will hand over to you something important." and Nisizawa received them gratefully. but he said later, "I wished he had given them to me sooner."
(Photograph by courtesy of Jun-ichi Nishizawa)

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“Mr. Shimura’s Essays with Historic Photos”    Semiconductor History Museum of Japan
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