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154

A very brief history

For a long time, until the 20

th

 century, Ukraine

did not exist as a united independent state. Its

territory was divided between the Russian and

Austro-Hungarian empires. In the most part

of 20

th

 century, with the exception of a short

period of several years, it existed as a Soviet

Socialist Republic within the USSR with a strong

subordination to the Union power centered in

Moscow. In this period, before the end of 1991,

Ukrainian vacuum scientists and engineers

worked in the institutes of the Academy of

Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, as well as in

higher educational institutions and research

laboratories of enterprises situated on its territory.

Their formal professional association did not exist,

but a close communication of vacuumists took

place at numerous scientific meetings devoted to

emission and semiconductor electronics, and to the

interaction of atomic particles with solids. Vacuum

electronics played a decisive role in the creation

of solid-state electronics, since without amplifying

tubes, various generators, oscilloscopes,

photocells and electronic multipliers, the advent

of the era of semiconductor devices would be

impossible. In the 1930s, Ukrainian scientists

have already obtained important results in the

field of vacuum technology and electronics. For

example, in 1934, N.D. Morgulis in Kiev derived

an equation describing the functioning of the

ionization manometer (Phys. Zs. Sowjetunion, 5,

407, 1934). S. Dushman cited in detail this work in

his classic monograph “Scientific Foundations of

Vacuum Technique” (2

nd

 edition, J. Wiley & Sons,

N.Y., 1962). In Kharkov, A.A. Slutskin together with

D.S. Sternberg proposed in 1924 a magnetron

method for generation of electromagnetic

oscillations with the shortest wavelength at that

time (7 cm), and in 1935 A.A. Slutskin developed

the design and theory of a two-anode magnetron.

Later on, our scientists carried out numerous

studies and developments of cathodes of various

types − thermionic (N.D. Morgulis, G.Ya. Pikus,

G.V. Samsonov), photoelectronic (P.G. Borzyak,

O.G. Sarbei, G.A. Katrich), field electronic

(N.D. Morgulis, R.I. Garber, I.M. Mikhailovsky, A.F.

Yatsenko), as well as “cold” cathodes based on

island metal films (P.G. Borzyak, O.G. Sarbey,

R. D. Fedorovich). Important results were obtained

by studying the adsorption of gases and metals on

metals, the phase transitions and surface diffusion

in adsorbed monolayers (Yu.G. Ptushinsky,

B.A. Chuikov, A.G. Naumovets, A.G. Fedorus,

Yu.S. Vedula).

Original electron-beam technologies were

developed for coating and welding in vacuum

under terrestrial conditions and in space

(B.Ye. Paton, B.A. Movchan, O.K. Nazarenko).

N.G. Nakhodkin and P.V. Melnik thoroughly

investigated the possibilities of the ionization

spectroscopy and published a unique atlas of

the ionization spectra of solids. An important

contribution was made to the development of

secondary ion mass spectrometry and surface

characterization (Ya.M. Fogel, V.T. Cherepin,

S.P. Chenakin). A concept was developed and

a fundamentally new “spherotron” mass analyzer

was manufactured by V.T. Cherepin. In Kharkov,

an effective plasma technology for hardening

metal surfaces named “Bulat” was designed by

V.T. Tolok. In the same place, a number of particle

accelerators were created, as well as a Stellarator

“Uragan” for studying the processes of plasma

heating with the aim of initiating thermonuclear

reactions (K.D. Sinelnikov, V.T. Tolok) (see photos

below). The processes of cohesion and friction of

materials under space conditions were studied

in the B.I. Verkin Institute for Low-Temperature

Physics and Techniques. In Ukraine, there were

also many enterprises in the electronic industry

that extensively used vacuum technologies

(“Micropribor”, “Orion”, “Saturn” etc.).

With such a basis in the field of a variety of

vacuum technologies, Ukraine proclaimed

its independence in 1991. Many of us had

euphoric hopes that the scientific and technical

THE UKRAINIAN VACUUM SOCIETY

Professor A.G. Naumovets,

Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Kiev, December 28, 2017

a.g.naumovets@gmail.com