Hans Jaffe

1909 - 1977  (68 years)

• Name	Hans Jaffe
  Born	25 Feb 1909	Heidelberg, Germany
  Gender	Male
  Biography	A Tribute to Dr. Hans Jaffe From Rochelle Salt to Poled Piezoelectrics CHARLES F. PULVARI DR. HANS Jaffe, a world renowned scientist, an international authority on crystal physics, piezoelectric crystals, and ceramics, passed away November8 ,1977, at the age of 68, ieaving behind his wife, Mary; daughter, Ann; son, John; a brother and sister. He completed his physics and chemistry studies at the University of Heidelberg, Berlin, Germany, and received his Ph.D. in Goettingen 1934 at a time when the effect of new physics was just about asserting itself. For a short period he taught at Gordonstown School, Scotland. However, because of the uncertain European state of affairs at that time (1935), he came to the United States, where due to a fortunate coincidence, Prof. Walter G. Cady, the inventor of “Frequency Control by Quartz Crystals” learned about him and engaged him as an assistant [l]. Prof. Cady soon found him a very able co-worker and made him an Assistant Professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In this position he helped to collect and organize data for Prof.C ady’s treatise on piezoelectricity. This work proved to be a very fruitful one, because it lead h ml ater into a number osfi milar contributions in the field of modern piezoelectric technology. He authored the Piezoelectric Section in the EncycIopedia Britanica, as well as the Piezoelectric Section in the Physical Acoustic series of Academic Press. He was also a co-author of the book, Piezoelectric Ceramics. Recently, he compiled the Electrooptic Section for the universally used Landolt- Bornstein Tables of Physical Constants. In the academic year 1939-1 940, he as Acting Head of the Physics Department of Allegheny College. In June 1940, he joined the Brush Development Company and a new era began in his life. He started research on new, more stable and efficient piezoelectric crystals than Rochelle salt. As a result of this effort, at that time, superior ADP crystal was made practically available for hydrophones and anti-submarine electronics. Although this family of crystals served the US. Navy well, after the end ofW orld War I1 in 1946 the appearance of highly efficient and rugged piezoelectric ceramics redirected his group’s effort in the utilization of poled piezoelectric ceramics for transducers, filters, and spark generators [Z]. The innovations in the field of electroacoustics and particularly the understanding of doped The author is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. PZT (lead zirconate titanate) by his group secured for his company a leading technological and patent position. Dr. Jaffe has held about 27 U.S. patents and a number of patents in foreign countries. Between 1946 and 1957, Dr. Jaffe’s group successfully grew quartz crystals. In 1952, Dr. Jaffe became head of the Crystal Research Department of Brush Development Company. After the latter merged with the Clevite Corporation, he became head of the Electronic Research Division of the new corporation. In this capacity he took additional responsibilities, primarily concerned with the interconversiono f electric, optic, and acoustic energy. About 70 percent of the Division’s program was under government contract, sucha s Naval research, US. Army Electronics Command, AEC, NASA, and the Aeronautical Research Laboratory Inc., Dr. Jaffe became Vice-president and Director of the Electronic and Electrooptic Technology of Gould Laboratories, and he served in this capacity until his retirement in February 1974. As he retired, several members of his group formed Cleveland Crystals Corporation with Dr. Jaffe as a consultant and member of the Board of Directors. He spanned an extraordinary time and career, beginning in this country as a student, co-worker and a friend of Prof. Cady [3]. He worked hard all his life to help develop the electroacoustic field from its infancy (Rochelle salt) into an important practical technology-a most significant legacy. His interests included all physical phenomena associated with dielectrics as well as the field of semiconductors. Correspondingly, he served as a Chairman of the Committee on Piezoelectric Crystals and the Technical Committee on Transducers and Resonators, and until 1975 was a member of the Ferroelectric Crystal Subcommittee. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. His last publication is a most eloquent obituary for W. G. Cady and an interesting overview of the initial history of ferroelectricity. In 1969, after the merger of Clevite Corporation into Gould, REFERENCES [ 11 S. B. Lang, “A Conversation with Professor W. G. Cady,” Ferro- (2 1 W. G. Cady, Piezoelectricity, Revised Edition. Dover, 1964. (31 H. Jaffe, “Reminiscences of W. G. Cady and the Early History of Ferroelectricity,” Ferroelectrics, 1975, vol. 9, pp. 153. electrics, 1975, vol. 9, pp. 148. 0018-9537/78/1100-0329900.75 0 1978 IEEE  [1]
  Immigration	24 Oct 1935	New York, NY, USA   [2]
  Occupation	Physics professor
  Residence	Heidelberg, Germany
  Residence	New York, NY, USA
  	333, East 57th Street
  Residence	Cleveland, OH, USA
  Social Security Number	288-18-4792
  Died	8 Nov 1977	Cleveland, OH, USA
  Person ID	I458	Blank Family
  Last Modified	20 Feb 2010

  
  

  Father	Prof Edgar Jaffe,   b. 14 May 1866, Hamburg, Germany ,   d. 29 Apr 1921, Munich, Germany  (Age 54 years)
  Mother	Elisabeth Helene Amalie Sophie Freiin von Richthofen,   b. 8 Oct 1874, Chateau-Salins, France ,   d. 22 Dec 1973, Heidelberg, Germany  (Age 99 years)
  Married	18 Nov 1902	Heidelberg, Germany
  Family ID	F167	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Schuster,   b. 6 Jan 1917, New York, NY, USA ,   d. 26 Jun 2009, Ithaca, NY, USA  (Age 92 years)
  Married	6 Sep 1947
  Children	1. Ann Eliza Jaffe   2. John Jaffe
  Last Modified	19 Feb 2010
  Family ID	F1977	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 25 Feb 1909 - Heidelberg, Germany Immigration - 24 Oct 1935 - New York, NY, USA Residence - - Heidelberg, Germany Residence - - New York, NY, USA Residence - - Cleveland, OH, USA Died - 8 Nov 1977 - Cleveland, OH, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Documents

  Hans Jaffe Naturalization

  
  

• Sources

  [S408] IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SONICS AND ULTRASONICS, VOL. SU-25, NO. 6,, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=1539114. [S171] New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 , Ancestry, SS Bremen from Bremen, Germany.