Robert Von Lieben
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Robert von Lieben (September 5, 1878, in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
– February 20, 1913, in Vienna) was an Austrian entrepreneur, and self-taught physicist and inventor. Lieben and his associates Eugen Reisz and Siegmund Strauss invented and produced a gas-filled
triode A triode is an electronic amplifier, amplifying vacuum tube (or ''thermionic valve'' in British English) consisting of three electrodes inside an evacuated glass envelope: a heated Electrical filament, filament or cathode, a control grid, grid ...
 – the first
thermionic valve Thermionic emission is the liberation of charged particles from a hot electrode whose thermal energy gives some particles enough kinetic energy to escape the material's surface. The particles, sometimes called ''thermions'' in early literature, ar ...
with a
control grid The control grid is an electrode used in amplifying thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) such as the triode, tetrode and pentode, used to control the flow of electrons from the cathode to the anode (plate) electrode. The control grid usually consi ...
that was designed specifically for amplification rather than
demodulation Demodulation is the process of extracting the original information-bearing signal from a carrier wave. A demodulator is an electronic circuit (or computer program in a software-defined radio) that is used to recover the information content fro ...
of signals, and is a distant ancestor of the
thyratron A thyratron is a type of gas-filled tube used as a high-power electrical switch and controlled rectifier. Thyratrons can handle much greater currents than similar hard-vacuum tubes. Electron multiplication occurs when the gas becomes ionized, pro ...
. After Lieben's death, the "Lieben valve", which is also known in English as the "Lieben-Reisz valve" and in German as the "LRS-Relais" (Lieben-Reisz-Strauss
relay A relay Electromechanical relay schematic showing a control coil, four pairs of normally open and one pair of normally closed contacts An automotive-style miniature relay with the dust cover taken off A relay is an electrically operated switc ...
), was used in the world's first
continuous wave A continuous wave or continuous waveform (CW) is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency, typically a sine wave, that for mathematical analysis is considered to be of infinite duration. It may refer to e.g. a laser or particl ...
radio frequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the u ...
generator designed for
radio telephony A radiotelephone (or radiophone), abbreviated RT, is a radio communication system for conducting a conversation; radiotelephony means telephony by radio. It is in contrast to ''radiotelegraphy'', which is radio transmission of telegrams (messag ...
.


Biography

Robert von Lieben was the fourth of five children born into a wealthy Viennese Jewish family who were related to the Auspitz, Gomperz, Todesco and Wertheimstein clans. His father Leopold von Lieben managed a family-owned bank and chaired the Vienna Trade Chamber; his mother Anna, ''
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
'' Todesco, younger daughter of Eduard von Todesco, was a talented amateur artist and poet. Well before Robert was born, Anna von Lieben suffered from chronic insomnia, drug addiction and various mental conditions. She was the first long-term patient of
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
, who later described her under the alias of Cäcilie M. Robert's parents ''de facto'' separated in the 1890s. Robert and his siblings grew up in Todesco Palace and from 1888, the Lieben Palace in Oppolzergasse near the
Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...
and the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
. They were raised in the old-fashioned, upper-class '' Ringstrasse'' culture, and were exposed to science and philosophy by their home tutor
Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...
and their distinguished relatives Rudolf Auspitz, Adolf Lieben and
Franz Brentano Franz Clemens Honoratus Hermann Josef Brentano (; ; 16 January 1838 – 17 March 1917) was a German philosopher and psychologist. His 1874 '' Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint'', considered his magnum opus, is credited with having reintrod ...
 – the latter being a daily visitor at the Lieben Palace during Robert's teenage years). Robert attended an academic gymnasium and a
Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...
, and was not considered an outstanding student. He leaned to technology and applied research, and spent all of his spare time with brother Ernst and cousin Leo doing
experiment An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
s. His interests were primarily in the fields of telephony and electricity but he was open to new ideas. Robert left the school without an
abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
, which was required to enrol at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
, and instead became an apprentice at the Siemens-Schuckert factory in
Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
. Having learnt the basics of technology, Robert joined the military and volunteered with the
uhlan Uhlan (; ; ; ; ) is a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. The uhlans started as Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, Lithuanian irregular cavalry, that were later also adopted by other countries during the 18th century, including Polis ...
regiment of the
Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...
. His career ended abruptly a few weeks later after he fell from a horse and was crippled. He never fully recovered from the injuries, which probably contributed to his early death at the age of 34. After his discharge from the Army, Lieben attended Franz S. Exner's classes at the University of Vienna as an audit student; he also attended
Walther Nernst Walther Hermann Nernst (; 25 June 1864 – 18 November 1941) was a German physical chemist known for his work in thermodynamics, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid-state physics. His formulation of the Nernst heat theorem helped ...
's classes at the
University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
, and developed a long-standing friendship with Nernst. During his two years at Göttingen, Lieben designed a camera for photographing the
retina The retina (; or retinas) is the innermost, photosensitivity, light-sensitive layer of tissue (biology), tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some Mollusca, molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focus (optics), focused two-dimensional ...
of the eye, an electrolytic
phonograph A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...
and an electric transmission for vehicles. In 1901, Lieben returned to Vienna and set up his own research laboratory in the ground floor of the Lieben Palace. With the help of University chemist Dr. Richard Leiser, he studied
X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
s,
electric discharge in gases Electric discharge in gases occurs when electric current flows through a gaseous medium due to ionization of the gas. Depending on several factors, the discharge may radiate visible light. The properties of electric discharges in gases are studied ...
and
thermionic emission Thermionic emission is the liberation of charged particles from a hot electrode whose thermal energy gives some particles enough kinetic energy to escape the material's surface. The particles, sometimes called ''thermions'' in early literature, a ...
. In 1903, Lieben purchased a telephone equipment factory in
Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...
; telephony became his main field of work. Factory engineers Eugen Reisz and Siegmund Strauss assisted Lieben at the laboratory, and Leiser was his main scientific advisor until 1909.


The Lieben-Reisz-Strauss valve

The losses in copper telephone lines limited telephone services to between and . Communication over longer ranges required the use of
repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Some ...
s; the only type available in the 1900s was the
mechanical amplifier A mechanical amplifier or a mechanical amplifying element is a linkage mechanism that amplifies the magnitude of mechanical quantities such as force, displacement, velocity, acceleration and torque in linear and rotational systems.B.C. Nakra and K.K ...
that was built around a
carbon microphone The carbon microphone, also known as carbon button microphone, button microphone, or carbon transmitter, is a type of microphone, a transducer that converts sound to an electrical audio signal. It consists of two metal plates separated by granu ...
. These high-distortion devices were adequate for
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
y but were almost unusable for transmission of speech. Lieben decided to make a low-distortion electronic amplifier using the already-known
cathode ray tube A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms on an oscilloscope, a ...
principle to control the flow of current with a weak input signal. Through his correspondence with Nernst, he knew of Arthur Wehnelt's 1903 invention of the oxide-coated cathode that enabled fairly strong
thermionic emission Thermionic emission is the liberation of charged particles from a hot electrode whose thermal energy gives some particles enough kinetic energy to escape the material's surface. The particles, sometimes called ''thermions'' in early literature, a ...
compared to the inefficient pure
tungsten Tungsten (also called wolfram) is a chemical element; it has symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively in compounds with other elements. It was identified as a distinct element in 1781 and first ...
cathode. At first, Lieben tried to control the current electromagnetically using a deflection coil. In 1906, he patented the electromagnetically-controlled "cathode ray relay"; although Lieben privately acknowledged the importance of Leiser's contribution, the patent was issued to Lieben alone. The device did not work as intended because the proposed cathode configuration could not focus the
electron beam Since the mid-20th century, electron-beam technology has provided the basis for a variety of novel and specialized applications in semiconductor manufacturing, microelectromechanical systems, nanoelectromechanical systems, and microscopy. Mechani ...
into a satisfactory shape. Feeling no real incentive to run the business, in 1908, Lieben sold the Olomouc factory. Reisz and Strauss remained on his personal payroll and continued research into "cathode relays". According to correspondence from Lieben to Leiser, Reisz suggested the breakthrough improvement in early 1910, and later that year, the new, properly working valve was patented jointly by Lieben, Reisz and Strauss. It had electrostatic beam control via a perforated metal plate as a
control grid The control grid is an electrode used in amplifying thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) such as the triode, tetrode and pentode, used to control the flow of electrons from the cathode to the anode (plate) electrode. The control grid usually consi ...
that separated the valve into two chambers. The cathode was made of pure
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
foil that was coiled in a zigzag fashion around
calcium oxide Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containing ...
-coated tube. Functionally, the three electrodes were similar to those of
Lee de Forest #REDIRECT Lee de Forest {{redirect category shell, {{R from move{{R from other capitalisation ...
's
audion The Audion was an electronic detecting or amplifying vacuum tube invented by American electrical engineer Lee de Forest as a diode in 1906.De Forest patented a number of variations of his detector tubes starting in 1906. The patent that most cle ...
but their layout was distinctly different. Unlike the audion, which was intended for demodulation of radio signals, the Lieben valve was designed for amplification. De Forest noted the audion's sensitivity but did not make the conclusion it could amplify signals; this discovery was made almost simultaneously by Lieben and
Edwin Howard Armstrong Edwin Howard Armstrong (December 18, 1890 – February 1, 1954) was an American electrical engineer and inventor who developed FM (frequency modulation) radio and the superheterodyne receiver system. He held 42 patents and received numerous awa ...
. By design, the Lieben valve was a low-vacuum valve with added features of a gas discharge tube, making it a remote ancestor of the
thyratron A thyratron is a type of gas-filled tube used as a high-power electrical switch and controlled rectifier. Thyratrons can handle much greater currents than similar hard-vacuum tubes. Electron multiplication occurs when the gas becomes ionized, pro ...
. The valve contained a drop of mercury that vaporized when heated. Production tubes made between 1914 and 1918 had a special glass appendage that held the mercury. Lieben, like de Forest, believed valve currents were dominated by
ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
s rather than
electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
s. The misconception about the benefits of gas-filled valves was dispelled in 1913 by
Irving Langmuir Irving Langmuir (; January 31, 1881 – August 16, 1957) was an American chemist, physicist, and metallurgical engineer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his work in surface chemistry. Langmuir's most famous publicatio ...
, who would build a true hard vacuum valve in 1915. The Lieben valve was successfully tested as a
telephone line A telephone line or telephone circuit (or just line or circuit industrywide) is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system. It is designed to reproduce speech of a quality that is understandable. It is the physical wire or oth ...
repeater In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Some ...
. In 1912
AEG The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...
, Felten & Guillaume,
Siemens & Halske Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens. It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Geor ...
and
Telefunken Telefunken was a German radio and television producer, founded in Berlin in 1903 as a joint venture between Siemens & Halske and the ''AEG (German company), Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ("General electricity company"). Prior to ...
formed a consortium to market the invention to the telephone industry. In February 1913, Lieben died suddenly from an glandular abscess, which was probably a consequence of his earlier injuries, and the enterprise was disbanded. Reisz relocated to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
and launched production of the Lieben valve at the AEG Kabelwerk Oberspree plant. Later the same year,
Alexander Meissner Alexander Meissner (September 14, 1883 – January 3, 1958) was an Austrian engineer and physicist. He was born in Vienna and died in Berlin. His field of interest was: antenna design, amplification and detection advanced the development of rad ...
of Telefunken applied his theory of
positive feedback Positive feedback (exacerbating feedback, self-reinforcing feedback) is a process that occurs in a feedback loop where the outcome of a process reinforces the inciting process to build momentum. As such, these forces can exacerbate the effects ...
and used the Lieben valve to create a continuous-wave radio transmitter. Meissner's prototype generated of output power at a wavelength of 600 metres (about 500 kHz), transmitting amplitude-modulated
radiotelephone A radiotelephone (or radiophone), abbreviated RT, is a radio communication system for conducting a conversation; radiotelephony means telephony by radio. It is in contrast to ''radiotelegraphy'', which is radio transmission of telegrams (messag ...
signals over a range of up to . This was the first successful application of continuous oscillations for wireless telephony.


Recognition

During the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, Lieben was hailed in his native Austria as a leading inventor. Streets were named in his honour () in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Amstetten and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. Lieben was depicted on a 1936 Austrian postage stamp that was designed by Wilhelm Dachauer and Ferdinand Lorber. A memorial to Lieben at the Radio Verkehrs AG building in Vienna was opened in 1927 and destroyed after the
Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
of 1938. Historical value of the Lieben valve is debatable. According to Reiner zur Linde, it was not an invention but a development of existing designs and ideas of
John Ambrose Fleming Sir John Ambrose Fleming (29 November 1849 – 18 April 1945) was an English electrical engineer who invented the vacuum tube, designed the radio transmitter with which the first transatlantic radio transmission was made, and also established ...
, Lee de Forest, Arthur Wehnelt and others. Nevertheless, Linde agreed it is a milestone in telephone technology; Lieben and his associates created the electronic amplifier, a working, low-distortion alternative to the carbon microphone repeater.


References


Sources

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External links


HTS - Das Leben des Robert von Lieben
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lieben, Robert von 1878 births 1913 deaths Scientists from Vienna Austrian Jews Austrian physicists Jewish scientists Burials at Döbling Cemetery