HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio, March 23, 2006 -- Cleveland Crystals Inc., a manufacturer of nonlinear and electro-optic crystals and devices, announced that its co-founder Lee Shiozawa died on March 15.
Shiozawa, a native Californian, left a WWII internment camp to attend Case Institute of Technology, from which he graduated with honors with a BS in chemical engineering in 1948 and an MS in 1950, and completed course work for his PhD in physical chemistry in 1953. At Clevite Corp. (later Gould Inc.), he managed research and development projects including dissimilar metal corrosion, growth of BaTiO3, KNbO3, CdS and related II-VI crystals, along with II-VI based solar cells.
He was one of the founders of Cleveland Crystals Inc. in 1973, serving as vice president/principal scientist, then president from 1979 to 1997 before becoming chairman and chief scientist. During this period, he guided the development of KDP/KD*P crystals, used in a wide variety of laser applications, including Pockels cells for Nd:YAG lasers and very-large-frequency converters for inertial confinement fusion.
Shiozawa was recognized for his guidance of Cleveland Crystals and work on scaling KDP/KD*P from sub-kilogram to 650 kg (0.5 x 0.5 x 1.1m3) crystals to facilitate both the Shiva and Nova Laser projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Cleveland Crystals said in a statement. He also developed the physical chemistry of beta-barium borate, along with that of the silver gallium sulfide/selenide and cadmium sulfide/selenide families of crystals.
The company said Shiozawa dedicated his professional life to understanding crystal growth and the interaction of crystals with light, electric fields and sound.
"As a scientist, Lee had key roles in the expanding fields of synthetic crystal growth and laser optics, providing enabling technologies for diverse applications, including tabletop lasers, giant inertial confinement fusion lasers, medical systems and infrared countermeasures," the company said.
"At the same time, he dedicated his life to lighting up the lives of children in his neighborhood and the staff of Cleveland Crystals with equal intensity, according to the statement.
"The skill with which he combined these two goals was demonstrated by the success of his research improving electro-optic and nonlinear optical crystals for applications from the ultarviolet to far-infrared," it said. "Under his direction, the company grew to a profitable organization with more than 55 employees."
Shiozawa is survived by his wife, a daughter, a son and many grandchildren.
www.clevelandcrystals.com