Technology Importation, Corporate Strategies, and the Rise of the Japanese Semiconductor Industry in the 1950s
During the 1950s, the Japanese semicon - ductor industry rose from nothing to a level that was roughly on par with that of the United States. It is undeniable that this was due in large part to the importation of advanced technology from lead - ing U.S. firms. In the process of technology transfer from the Unit- ed States to Japan, previous scholars have emphasized the impor - tance of the role played by the highly restrictive government tech - nology-importation policy during this period. The aim of this arti - cle is to analyze this story from the perspective of Japanese com - panies, which exhibited divergent strategies for acquiring foreign technology. These strategies were shaped by complex calculations that took into account firms' organizational capability and U.S. li- censing practices and antitrust policy, as well as the technology- importation policy of MITI (Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry). In short, this article argues that Japanese firms were not passive receptors, but active agents in shaping the pattern of technology importation.
Emerging from the shadows: Japan Pavilion promotional materials at the 1964/65 New York world's fair
World's fairs are born from a societal desire to showcase the wonders of science and technology--they are a calling card to the future. When the 1964/65 New York World's Fair (NYWF) opened, the giants of American industry spared no expense in the development of elaborate pavilions. This was a Space-Age Fair, looking to the glorious technological wonderland that science would provide us in the future. With Futurama II General Motors set out to reveal how technology would conquer the harshest environments for the betterment of humanity. The Bell System provided visitors a glimpse into the future of telecommunications with the Picture Phone. General Electric's Progressland demonstrated the potential limitless power of nuclear fusion that could be harnessed by man. Mesmerized by the depictions of the wondrous distant future presented by US industry, few Americans realized the near future of the 1970s outlined at what was a seemingly innocuous pavilion: Japan. An examination of promotional materials addressing the Japan Pavilion reveals a nation declaring a technological challenge to the Fair's host nation and a glimpse into that near future.
Ceramic microwave antennas for mobile applications
Due to their medium to high permittivity values, ceramic microwave materials are attractive as building blocks for miniaturised antenna solutions. Further advantages are low dielectric losses and an excellent temperature stability of standard ceramic materials. Yet, the permittivity of the ceramic material also has a strong influence on the radiation efficiency and bandwidth of the antenna. This implies that in the design process a suitable compromise has to be found between the degree of miniaturisation on the one hand and the antenna efficiency and bandwidth on the other. We describe two approaches towards efficient miniaturised ceramic microwave antennas: the dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with partial metallisation and the shorting post patch antenna. We focus on design steps taken to ensure both a high degree of miniaturisation and high values of the radiation efficiency, the choice of the ceramic material and the experimental performance of the antennas.