TY - JOUR
T1 - Technology Development In Japan And The United States
T2 - Lessons From The High-Temperature Superconductivity Race
AU - Crow, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
One of these companies, Ceramics Process Systems Corporation in Boston, was founded by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) physicist Kent Bowen. The company develops and manufactures high-performance ceramic products that are custom built around the engineered micro-structure of advanced ceramics. With the discovery of the copper-oxide ceramic superconductors in 1987, the company was well positioned to begin development of HTSCs. The company, which has been running at a loss, was funded by DARPA in July 1987 to spin new superconducting fibers. In 1989, work was continuing but progressing slowly. Additional industrial collaboration and support are being pursued.
Funding Information:
The Super GM consortium was founded to design and develop new, practical, superconducting generation technology by the conduct of R&D related to superconducting generator components. This activity was established and organized in September 1987, following a planning process of several months. The Super GM consortium was then funded by MITI to begin work. A working group of about 50 scientists from throughout the university/industrial research/government research enterprise were brought together by MITI to address a number of technology-limiting questions.
Funding Information:
Back in the capital at the campus-like location of the Hitachi Central Research Laboratory, scientists are deeply involved in picking up where Americans left off in the Josephson junction (JJ) electronics arena. With funding from the ERATO (Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology) program of the Science and Technology Agency, the Hitachi researchers are involved in a five to ten year project aimed at understanding the fundamental properties of new JJ -based devices. This research group, which is across the hall from Hitachi's in-house JJ development group, is involved in open-ended research. There are no defined deliverables, except the expectation that new knowledge can be developed that will lead to enhanced HTSC-based electronic devices. This research opportunity is being pursued because it is linked to the attainment of national goals in technology development. All the groups described above and others in the Japanese technical enterprise were developing new superconductor-based technology before the HTSC breakthroughs were first reported in September 1986 by the IBM group. Technology development efforts were underway with low-temperature superconductors, despite all of their problems. Thus, when word was received about the IBM discovery, work began immediately and in secret to duplicate the IBM experiment and move beyond it. This happened in several locations but most notably at the University of Tokyo and the Materials Research Institute (Tohoku University). As early as 4 December 1986, at the annual meeting of the Materials Research Society in Boston, Professor Koichi Kitazawa, in direct competition with Dr C W "Paul" Chu, announced confirmation of the IBM discovery by duplicating thy LaBaCu material. In addition, Professor Kitazawa announced that they had nearly identified and isolated the new phase of the material. It was clear that a scientific race was starting and the objective would be to attain a superconductor that would operate above 77 K, the temperature at which nitrogen liquefies. This was accomplished with the discovery of a 93 K HTSC by Dr Chu's group at the University of HoustonlUniversity of Alabama on 29 January 1987. Public announcements were beginning to leak out by February and full disclosure was made at the 18 March 1987, American Physical Society meeting in New York; Japanese laboratories made their own discoveries or confirmations on or about 15 March 1987. The first phase of the HTSC development race, for a 77 K or higher superconductor, was over within just a few months of the first indication by IBM that it might be possible. The world now had a new HTSC with unknown but significant technological and economic potential. The Japanese, through the efforts of a few academics and three national institutes, did well and came in a very close second. The key point is that, not only were the Japanese competitors in the race to discover the new HTSCs, they were also the only ones strategically positioned to begin a simultaneous race with the US to develop new technology from the new HTSCs.
Funding Information:
In the Materials Research Laboratories (MRL) funded by the Division of Material Research in the
PY - 1989/12
Y1 - 1989/12
N2 - Japan moved quickly to develop a national strategy to capitalize on high-temperature superconductors whereas the United States is still attempting to develop such a strategy. The reason for this is that Japan is able to use the government as a guiding force but in the US it is every organization for itself With this emphasis on individuality the US may always have a difficult time responding to projects that lend themselves to a group response.
AB - Japan moved quickly to develop a national strategy to capitalize on high-temperature superconductors whereas the United States is still attempting to develop such a strategy. The reason for this is that Japan is able to use the government as a guiding force but in the US it is every organization for itself With this emphasis on individuality the US may always have a difficult time responding to projects that lend themselves to a group response.
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U2 - 10.1093/spp/16.6.322
DO - 10.1093/spp/16.6.322
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0024798838
SN - 0302-3427
VL - 16
SP - 322
EP - 344
JO - Science and Public Policy
JF - Science and Public Policy
IS - 6
ER -