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    In December 2010, Dr. Ei-ichi Negishi (winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University) accepted an invitation to join Sony as Executive Research Advisor for R&D in the field of materials and component devices, specifically in the area of organic electronics.

    Since January 2011, Dr. Negishi has maintained a busy schedule in visiting various organic electronics-related R&D entities---both in Japan and overseas---surveying and discussing with engineers their respective research results. Dr. Negishi has not only offered his frank opinions of current Sony research, but has also provided thought-provoking advice from a broad perspective via roundtable discussions with young employees and lectures targeting Sony engineers on topics related not only to organic electronics but research approaches and methodologies as well.

    In marking the start of Dr. Negishi's role at Sony as Executive Research Advisor for R&D in the field of materials and component devices, this article highlights a discussion between Dr. Negishi and Dr. Osamu Kumagai, Sony Senior Vice President, President of the Core Device Development Group and President of Advanced Materials Laboratories. During the discussion, Dr. Kumagai asked Dr. Negishi about his research approach and his aspirations for Sony.


    Ei-ichi Negishi
     Born in 1935. Joined Teijin, Ltd. after graduating from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering in 1958. Obtained doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963. Member of Professor H.C. Brown's (co-recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) Research Laboratory at Purdue University from 1966 to 1972. Appointed Assistant Professor at Syracuse University in 1972. Professor at Purdue University from 1979. Received Chemical Society of Japan Award in 1997. Named inaugural H.C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University in 1999. Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hokkaido University Catalysis Research Center, October 2010. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on December 10, 2010 together with Richard F. Heck and Akira Suzuki, for their achievements in the research of "palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis."

    • Masatsugu Shiota

    Osamu Kumagai
     Born in 1951. Has been in charge of everything from semiconductor laser R&D to manufacturing since joining Sony in 1975. Studied at the Max Planck Institute in Germany in 1980. Served as head of the Semiconductor Laser Business Group and the Optical Components Business Group. Appointed President of Materials Laboratories in 2006. Currently Senior Vice President, President of the Core Device Development Group and President of Sony's Advanced Materials Laboratories.

    "I have a deep attachment to Sony, and hope the company will make
    further progress in revitalization and transformation"

    Kumagai: The idea of inviting you to become a Sony Advisor dates back about one and half years to a research conference in Europe. We at the Advanced Materials Laboratories benefitted from Hokkaido University's Professor Tamotsu Takahashi's guidance on synthesizing organic molecular materials and ended up traveling with him to the conference as a result.

    Negishi: I remember it well. I met visitors from the Advanced Materials Laboratories together with Professor Akira Suzuki (Professor Emeritus at Hokkaido University), and this meeting eventually brought me to where I am today.

    Kumagai: The fact that we knew you personally made us even happier when we heard the news about your Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Did your life change completely after you won the prize?

    Negishi: Before I received the prize, I said to my wife, "This prize is different from any other; about 1,000 times different." Naturally I was exaggerating at the time and even I didn't take myself completely seriously. Now, however, I'm gradually coming to realize that in incalculable ways it's actually approaching that level.

    Kumagai: The Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry in 2010 were both based on carbon---the former on graphene, the latter on cross couplings. As global trends shift from silicon to carbon-based materials research, we're also deepening our research into organic molecular materials.

    Negishi: Carbon nanotubes are 20 times harder than steel. Forms of carbon include some of the strongest and hardest materials around. Seen in this light, carbon is an amazing element, and I think developments in this area are very interesting.

    Kumagai: I also think organic electronics are interesting from the perspective of creating human-friendly Sony products. Looking ahead, I think that as we interact with researchers in various areas and people from research institutions outside the company, we endeavor to absorb whatever we can and use it in creating products. But what is your impression of Sony products so far?

    Negishi: I've had this deep attachment to Sony since the days of Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation (Sony's predecessor). The company has constantly retained its top position while changing with the times. While it's wonderful that Sony has succeeded by maintaining a single unified image, I wonder how far Sony can push this envelope going forward. When I visited Teijin recently, one thing really impressed me.

    Kumagai: You worked at Teijin for a while after you graduated from university, didn't you?

    Negishi: Before I joined Teijin, it was Japan's number one textile company and it survived the subsequent restructuring of the sector by proactively competing with other companies that introduced synthetic fibers first. When I visited Teijin recently, I learned that while chemical products and pharmaceuticals account for a large share of the company's profits, it remains a leading contender in terms of synthetic fiber sales. I got the impression Tenjin had gone through a process by which it could grow while transforming itself. No doubt Sony has also managed to transform itself in a similar manner, but I suspect it needs to transform itself even further.

    Kumagai: Electronics was originally the foundation of Sony's business, but has since diversified into new areas such as music, movies, finance and others. I get the strong feeling that Sony needs to achieve transformation in the electronics field as well. We're currently working on development in new areas, such as technologies for manufacturing component devices by using a new approach to printing via organic luminescent materials, organic semiconductor materials, and organic dye-based power generating materials that can be dissolved like inks. We're also involved in R&D on displays that are as thin, lightweight and malleable as paper, and research into laser optic and imaging technology for medical electronics applications.

    Negishi: Trying one new thing after another leads to the creation of entirely new fields. That's the sort of process you need to follow to advance as far as you can.

    Dr. Negishi carries a periodic table with him, and uses it to give lectures on chemical reactions. It seems to generate ideas and hints for his research.

    Research that Captures the Truth Inevitably Leads to Profits

    Kumagai: When you take up challenges in new fields and sectors, how and when you identify whether you are successful or not is crucial. Are there any particular points you consider important?

    Negishi: Metal catalysts is an incredibly diverse field, so there is still ample room for further research. Our specific focus on cross couplings is probably somewhere around 60-70% complete, so in that sense it represents what we've done in the "past." Our "present" research focus is asymmetric synthesis. In other words, I think it's important to maintain a sense of past, present and future.

    Kumagai: While we're on the subject of venturing into new areas, what sort of criteria do you use for distinguishing whether a person will be successful on the job or not?

    Negishi: I guess I place priority on logic. It seems to me that most people who indiscriminately learn things by heart without processing them logically get bogged down in too many details. I think I'm a rigid person, which in part is due to the fact that I received demanding research guidance from Professor Brown.

    Kumagai: In your book you refer to your interaction with this Professor Herbert Charles Brown, your mentor during your years at Purdue University, and also talk about the importance of having an excellent coach as a mentor. Do you consider this kind of coaching important in terms of moving in new directions during the R&D process?

    Negishi: Absolutely. I don't think I'd have become a professional if Professor Brown hadn't taken care of me for six years.

    Kumagai: I'm also involved in human resource development programs for engineers, and I'm painfully aware that instructors also have to be enthusiastic and passionate.

    Negishi: Olympic athletes want to win gold, and their coaches want to ensure they do. I believe a similar relationship exists between researchers and their mentors because both sides channel their passions into achieving shared goals.

    Kumagai: In your book, you say that "R&D should lead to profits." Could you explain further?

    Negishi: For example, the principle of heredity based on the structure of DNA is no more than an interpretation, and the discoverer has almost certainly done little in the way of experiments with medicines. Today, however, virtually everything connected with illnesses is probably based on DNA. The resulting profits must be enormous. In other words, the discovery of the fundamental principle of heredity opened the door to countless new applications and profits. I guess the same is true of cross couplings, which are used in so many areas that I am unable to grasp them all.

    Kumagai: The broader the range of applications, the richer people's lives. In that sense, they are really profitable.

    Negishi: The same applies to Pythagoras's theorem and Newton's laws. No matter how basic the research, those that grasp the real truth will undoubtedly lead to profits. That's my belief.

    • Studio camera equipped with OLED finder. Cross couplings are used in synthesizing organic luminescent materials. "To a surprising extent, they're used in areas even I'm not aware of."

    • Dye-sensitized solar cells are used in the lampshade to create "Hana-Akari," a conceptual model that runs by itself on solar electricity. Cross couplings are also used in synthesizing the organic dyes used to generate electricity.


    Pursuing the Fundamental Truth to the Very End

    Kumagai: Based on your own experiences, you recommend that young people go overseas and try making a start there.

    Negishi: Just like the Olympics or the World Cup, our entire planet is the arena for science. My message for young people is to view the world as their oyster and go to the countries that are taking the lead in their particular fields, and devote themselves to long years of study there. If the US leads, go to the US; if Europe leads, go to Europe. I want them to embrace challenge and strive to be active at the global level.

    Kumagai: I get the impression that, these days, individual capabilities are in much greater demand than before, whether we're talking about researchers or engineers. When I look back at my life so far, I think that in order to acquire these capabilities, they should seize every opportunity to put themselves in new situations that allow them to view Japan from the outside.

    Negishi: Exactly. And one final key is English ability. Every job these days involves global communication. Right now, this means English. The other day, I read an article stating that companies are now demanding 20%, 30%, even as many as 50% of new hires come from overseas. Even in China, conferences take place in English. The age when education alone sufficed is gone, and English is now the global lingua franca.

    Kumagai: I'd like to ask you a few questions about your private life. You have a wide variety of interests, ranging from golf to singing and the piano.

    Negishi: Liking something is most important to me. To be more specific, I should say liking "a wide variety of things" [laughs].

    Kumagai: This applies to both R&D and golf, but do you like the feedback process? For example, do you engage in self-reflection on what you have done?

    Negishi: Probably. I find it interesting to have targets even if I know things may not go well, and if I like something, I go for it to the degree that I like it.

    Kumagai: We intend to go as far as we can with organic electronics, so please provide us with the best possible guidance. In closing, what would you like to communicate to Sony's researchers?

    Negishi: As I mentioned earlier, I want people to think and act based on a logical approach and unleash their inner curiosity and passion and not use vague conjecture to reach conclusions. Recently, it seems there are fewer people able to clarify the true essence and fundamental principles of things. These days, many people simply chase after trendy research topics but I'd prefer that they commitment themselves to tackling research that delves into fundamental truths. I tell young people that they should first consider what they like and what suits them (i.e., what they can do better than others), choose a sector where these two coincide, then look for a good coach. I'm convinced they'll definitely discover something if they do.

    Kumagai: Sony is striving to usher in a new era and I hope you'll continue to support these efforts by stimulating our young researchers and by offering your advice in the areas of organic electronics and organic molecular materials.

    What are "palladium-catalyzed cross couplings used in organic synthesis" for which the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded?

    The palladium-catalyzed cross couplings used in organic synthesis resulting from the research done by Dr. Negishi, Professor Emeritus Akira Suzuki at Hokkaido University, and Professor Emeritus Richard F. Peck at University of Delaware employ palladium (Pd) as a catalyst for effectively and selectively coupling carbons (C). In organic synthesis that requires complex synthesis processes, it is widely used throughout the world as a technology that dramatically enhances reactivity, and is contributing to progress in various industries, from pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals to plastics and liquid crystals.

    Sony's initiatives in the area of organic electronics R&D

    Organic electronics-related R&D is carried out at the Advanced Materials Laboratories, which handle fundamental research in the field of materials and devices, and the Core Device Development Group, which engages in more practical development work on next-generation component devices and systems. R&D work covers organic semiconductors, graphene, carbon nanotube electrodes, dye-sensitized solar cells that use organic dyes to generate electricity, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays and organic TFT-driven flexible OLED displays. Organic materials are attractive because they can be dissolved into inks. As the technology evolves further in the future, it should be possible to use them in low-cost manufacturing of large-area devices through printing. Cross coupling reactions are frequently used in synthesizing the organic molecules on which device performance depends.


    • PXX Derivative, an organic semiconductor material developed exclusively by Sony through synthesis using cross coupling reactions.
      An organic TFT-driven flexible OLED display prototype, which can be rolled up.
      A dye-sensitized solar cell prototype using organic dyes developed by Sony through synthesis via cross coupling reactions.


    Explanation of technology




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