Manfred Börner
Manfred Börner (born March 16, 1929 in Rochlitz ; † January 15, 1996 in Ulm ) was a German physicist . He is considered a pioneer and inventor of optoelectronic communications. In 1990 he received the Eduard Rhein Prize for his numerous contributions to the theory and technology of optical transmission, and in particular for his proposal, made in 1965, to build digital optical transmission systems on the basis of track sections consisting of semiconductor laser diodes, fiber optic cables and photodiodes .
Life
Parental home and childhood
Manfred Börner was born in Rochlitz , at Dresdner Strasse 13, as a house birth . His father, Erich Börner, was a master baker and owner of the traditional Börner bakery, which has been owned by the family since 1814. His mother, Hilde Börner, came from a farm near Rochlitz. Manfred Börner and his parents were always loyal to the Church, Protestant Christians , both under the National Socialists in the Third Reich and under the Communists of the Soviet Zone and the GDR . Börner was baptized and confirmed Protestant in his home town of Rochlitz. His younger and only brother, Gottfried Börner, was born five years after him (born September 19, 1934). Later the brother took over his father's bakery, which was too small to be nationalized in the GDR.
School time, training and studies
Manfred Börner first attended elementary school, then the state high school in Rochlitz . During the last months of the Second World War he was drafted into the Volkssturm . As a 16-year-old schoolboy, diagonally across from his parents' house, on the other side of the Mulde , he had to help dig trenches. Rochlitz should be defended against the advancing Americans. However, a level-headed Wehrmacht officer sent him and a few other Rochlitz boys home before the American troops arrived when he learned that they were from the immediate vicinity.
The High School joined Manfred Börner 1947 as one of the best of his year off. Nevertheless, he did not get a place at university for the next few years. Börner wanted to study electrical engineering . After the withdrawal of the Americans at the end of June 1945, Saxony and thus Rochlitz became part of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ) . Since Börner's father and his bakery were considered a capitalist by the communist rulers , the son was not allowed to study. Manfred Börner began an apprenticeship as a radio mechanic at the Rochlitz company Stern-Radio . Shortly before the journeyman's examination, he heard about the opening of the Free University in the American sector of Berlin. Still with no prospect of a university place in the Soviet zone, he applied to the new university in West Berlin and was immediately admitted. However, Börner initially decided to finish his training as a radio mechanic and only to begin studying physics and mathematics one semester later, in autumn 1949.
In the summer of 1954, Manfred Börner completed his studies at the Free University of Berlin with a diploma examination with Hans Lassen . Immediately afterwards he got a job as a graduate physicist at the research institute of the Telefunken company . At that time, this was under the direction of Wilhelm Runge .
Starting a family and moving to Ulm
After successfully completing his degree, Manfred Börner married Antje Schwarz, a daughter of the lawyer and expressionist painter Heinrich Schwarz, in June 1954 .
In the spring of 1955, the remnants of the parts of the Telefunken company, which were scattered all over Germany during the Second World War, were collected in Ulm in western Germany and renamed. Börner also moved to Ulm with his Berlin colleagues. A son was born here in 1955 and a daughter followed in 1958.
At the research institute of the Telefunken company, later AEG-Telefunken 1955–1979
In Ulm, Manfred Börner began a successful twenty-year career as a research and development engineer: 1955 laboratory and laboratory group leader, 1965 head of the physics and components department, 1974 department director of the central physics and chemistry department, from 1976 managing director of the entire AEG research institute -Telefunken Nachrichten- und Verkehrstechnik AG. Ultimately, Börner was responsible for 260 employees.
Manfred Börner's main areas of work were: filter theory , field theory , mechanical vibrations, solid-state physics in relation to electronic components, differential geometry , laser physics and electro-optics . During his activity at the research institute of the Telefunken company, later AEG-Telefunken, Manfred Börner registered a total of 57 patents . Several of the inventions patented at the time, especially in the field of optical communications technology, are still of extraordinary importance for modern fiber optic data transmission and the functionality of the Internet .
Between 1958 and 1966, Börner was primarily concerned with the development of electromechanical filters for carrier frequency technology. The mechanical filters he designed replaced the previously common first-generation analog filters in all new carrier frequency systems , which were still made up of coils and capacitors . Börner's doctoral thesis was also related to the construction of electromechanical filters. A report published by Börner and two of his employees in the in-house “Telefunken newspaper” on the development work on electromechanical filters caused a sensation in the professional world. Hans Piloty , professor of electrical engineering, electrical communications engineering and measurement technology at the TH Munich , subsequently won Manfred Börner for the elaboration of his research results for a dissertation , with which Börner received the grade “summa cum laude” in 1959 at the faculty of physics at the TH Munich Dr. rer. nat. received his doctorate .
From 1964 on, Börner's research focus shifted increasingly to laser physics and optical communications technology. In 1965 he made a groundbreaking invention in this field. He designed a long-range optical transmission system based on a combination of laser diodes , glass fibers and photodiodes . In 1966 he applied for a patent for the system for AEG-Telefunken. It was the world's first patent for a fiber optic data transmission system. All optical long-distance transmission systems still work today according to this system principle designed by Börner.
Professor of Technical Electrophysics at the Technical University of Munich 1979–1993
From 1977 Manfred Börner held a teaching position at the Technical University of Munich . Two years later he left industry and was appointed to the chair for technical electrophysics at the Technical University of Munich as the successor to Heinz Maekers. His “special lectures” on dielectric waveguides, integrated optics and general field theory became particularly well known. As a university professor, Manfred Börner again dealt extensively with theoretical physics, which was previously only practiced in his spare time. Manfred Börner retired in autumn 1993 . His popular “special lectures” continued to take place.
Research and inventions
Electromechanical filters for shortwave radio systems
The electromechanical filters developed by Manfred Börner and his colleagues from 1958 at the Telefunken company in Ulm have significantly improved the selection of received shortwave radio signals . Previously, the shortwave receivers could be set to a maximum of 10 Hz steps and controlled remotely using the quartz filters used since 1942 for frequency processing. With the new, electromechanical filters, a significantly sharper frequency setting that was only a few Hz steps was possible.
Fiber optic data transmission system
Manfred Börner's research and his patents in the field of fiber optic technology earned him the reputation of being a “pioneer in optical communications”.
Claus Reuber writes in his book From Steam Radio to Multimedia - Experienced, Experienced and Collected Things from Over 50 Years of Electronics the following about Börner's invention:
"1966: [...] At that time largely unnoticed, but now a matter of course in modern communication technology and multimedia: fiber optic technology. For them, Dr. Manfred Börner, scientist at Telefunken in Ulm, applied for his patent on December 21, 1966 for a multi-stage transmission system for messages represented in pulse code modulation . This title, which is as general as it is opaque , refers to the arrangement of semiconductor laser , glass fiber and photodiode , as it is now used worldwide for telephone, data and long-distance transmissions on land and under the oceans for millions of kilometers. The patent, laid out on November 16, 1967 and granted on May 16, 1968, describes the combination of features as follows: “The transmitting laser elements are semiconductor lasers, preferably semiconductor injection lasers; the photosensitive receivers are semiconductor photodiodes; the pulse conditioning devices are semiconductor circuits; the transmission path consists of fiber optic cables, "and that's exactly how it is done everywhere today."
Manfred Börner was the first to modulate light with his fiber optic system, which is still decisive today . H. made into a carrier of information, and thus data transmitted optoelectronically. His invention started a great wave of development worldwide. However, it would take more than ten years before the first fiber optic systems suitable for mass production came onto the market. 1979 was in the Südwest Presse under the heading "Manfred Börner goes to the Technical University of Munich - An Ulmer with 57 patents" to read:
“Among the 57 patents of Börner there are some that are of fundamental importance for further development. This includes, above all, work in the field of optical communication technology using laser beams. The light guide was, so to speak, a “shot in the black”. The system, patented in 1966, will one day replace the current cable technology. Its importance lies in the fact that glass replaces the expensive raw material copper in an amazing way: One gram of glass instead of ten kilograms of copper. "
Manfred Börner's fiber optic data transmission system was clearly described by Wolfgang Kaiser , who gave the laudatory speech on the occasion of the award of the Eduard Rhein Prize to Börner on August 23, 1990:
“The system proposal by Prof. Börner is based on the sensible interaction of laser diode as light transmitter, glass fiber as transmission medium and photodiode . In a very simplified way, the laser diode can be compared to a tiny headlight that emits coherent light of a single wavelength with a power of around 10 mW in the infrared range (i.e. in the non-visible range) and, by means of an externally applied, electrical signal up to a very high frequency ( > 1 GHz) can be modulated or keyed in its beam power. This light beam is now coupled into a glass fiber for the purpose of transmitting messages and can be transported over great distances. The glass fiber is a very broadband, low-attenuation transmission medium and is therefore particularly well suited for the transmission of very high bit rates (pulses / second). While normal window glass is almost opaque with a thickness of 1 m, the intensity of a light beam in a fiber made of high-purity synthetic quartz glass, which is suitable for optical communication, only increases by 0.5–1 dB over a kilometer length - depending on the wavelength , i.e. by 10–20%. At the end of the transmission path, the light emerging from the glass fiber is coupled into a photodiode. This is also a semiconductor - mixed crystal , are formed in the positive by the incidence of light quanta and negative charge carriers as a result of externally applied, reverse-biased voltage results in a photocurrent. The electrical signal recovered in this opto-electrical converter is then amplified and sent to the outside, e.g. B. delivered to the next transmission link. All optical long-distance transmission systems work today according to this system principle specified by Prof. Börner. 25 years ago, in the years 1965/66, this could not be foreseen. [...] It took Prof. Börner's visionary foresight to recognize that the combination of laser diode, glass fiber and photodiode, i.e. a system that was still very imperfect and limited in its properties in 1965/66, was the basis of all future digital systems Transmission systems and that these imperfections would soon be overcome. The date of origin of this idea can be taken from a laboratory note dated October 14, 1965 and the further development of the idea led to the patent application in December 1966 with patent claims that are still relevant today and apply to all digital optical transmission systems. "
Honors and memberships
- 1962: Prize of the Telecommunications Society (NTG in VDE ; today Information Technology Society) for achievements in the field of electromechanical filters and carrier frequency technology
- 1982: Appointment as Fellow of the US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- 1990: Eduard Rhein Basic Prize for optical communications technology
- 1991: Elected member of the Austrian Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea
- 2013: Opening of Manfred-Börner-Strasse in Ulm's “Science City” on the Upper Eselsberg .
- 2018: Inauguration of the Manfred-Börner-Straße stop of the Ulm tram line 2
Publications
- Over 60 scientific articles
- Manfred Börner, Gert Trommer: Optical fiber. Teubner, 1989, ISBN 3-519-00116-0 .
- Manfred Börner, Reinhard Müller, Roland Schiek: Elements of the integrated optics. Teubner, 1990, ISBN 3-519-06130-9 .
literature
- Pulse in the glass - a new type of communication network could be set up with laser light and optical fibers. It would be more powerful than all previous cable and radio systems. In: Der Spiegel . No. 25 , 1973 ( online ).
Web links
- Google Patent Search Overview of Manfred Börner's registered patents
Individual evidence
- ↑ Joachim Hagenauer : 50 Years of Information Technology - A Golden Age in Science and Technology , ITG ceremony in the Paulskirche Frankfurt on April 26, 2004, full text (PDF) Quote: "He [Börner] is considered the visionary inventor of fiber optic transmission, a technology which today represents the backbone of global communication "
- ↑ Prize winners . Eduard Rhein Foundation
- ↑ Mittelsachsen TV: 200. Firmenjübiläum Bakery Börner in Rochlitz , March 7, 2014 ( reference ).
- ^ Frank König: Broadband Internet for Everyone , Südwest Presse Ulm / Neu-Ulm, February 2, 2012 ( reference ).
- ^ Manfred Börner: Bending vibrations in mechanical filters. Dissertation, March 5, 1959 ( reference ).
- ↑ Richard Sietmann: Bright prospects . (PDF) In: VDE Dialog , 03/2016, p. 14.
- ↑ Richard Sietmann: Synergies crumble - The didactic piece Telefunken . In: c't , No. 8, 2004.
- ↑ Patent DE1254513 : Multi-stage transmission system for pulse code modulation represented messages .. Published on November 16, 1967 , inventor: Manfred Börner.
- ↑ Erdmann Thiele (editor): Telefunken after 100 years - the legacy of a German global brand. Nicolai-Verlag, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-87584-961-2 , p. 294.
- ↑ Claus Reuber: From steam radio to multimedia - lived, experienced and collected things from over 50 years of electronics. Institute for Media Development and Communication GmbH in the publishing group Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 1998, ISBN 3-927282-67-7 , p. 145
- ↑ Südwestrundfunk SWR2, data streams through the deep sea , broadcast date January 16, 2006, 8.30 a.m. full text ( RTF ; 46 kB) MP3 downloading ( memento of the original from July 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Reinhold Noé quote: “In the 1960s, glass fibers with low loss were developed. In 1966, the later professor Manfred Börner modulated light for the first time and thus transmitted data. "
- ^ Richard Straub: Communication wiring UKV. Electrosuiss conference on January 16, 2003 in the Kongresshaus Zurich, electrical engineering. No. 4, 2003, p. 74.
- ↑ Wolfgang Kaiser : Eduard Rhein Prize for Prof Dr. Manfred Börner. In: TUM Mitteilungen 1. 90/91, p. 30.
- ↑ Südwest Presse Ulm / Neu-Ulm, Where is the street? And who was Manfred Börner? , October 27, 2012 ( reference ).
- ↑ Christoph Mayer: Neue Straße auf dem Campus , In: Südwest Presse Ulm / Neu-Ulm , August 20, 2013 ( reference ).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Borner, Manfred |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German physicist and researcher, pioneer and inventor of optical communication |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 16, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rochlitz |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 15, 1996 |
| Place of death | Ulm |