<p>The object is a schoty or Russian abacus with 10 beads on each column except 4th. 11 digits</p>
<p>A Russian home computer.</p>
Boris Babayan was born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1933. He finished 10-year secondary school in Baku, then moved to Moscow to attend Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. He graduated in 1957. He believes himself to be the first student of computer science in Russia. His current position is as an Intel Fellow, Dir. Of Architecture for the Software and Solutions group, and Microprocessor Technology Chair at Intel. He is the winner of USSR State Prize and the Lenin Prize. These prizes were awarded for his work in the development and implementation of complex equipment for design automation and for multiprocessor computer systems [Elbrus 2]. This oral history covers the early development of computers and computer science within the Soviet Union. Later discussions explain the transition to a market-based economy and its effect on computer science research in Russia. Funding for his team’s research stopped in 1991, and he was forced to look elsewhere for funds. There had been previous high level contacts with Sun Microsystems and they established a SPARC Technology Center in Moscow. He and his team subsequently became employees of Intel in 2004.
Zhores Alferov was born in Vitebsk, Byelorussia in 1930. In 1947, he attended Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute in electronic engineering. Upon graduation, he entered the loffe Institute. He is currently Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, loffe Physio-Technical Institute. Among his major accomplishments is the awarding of the Nobel Prize in physics for his research in semiconductor heterostructures used in high speed electronics. This interview includes fascinating stories relating to his early life, growing up during WWII. His father had fought in WWI and later became a senior minister. Zhores’ education was in physics and electronics where he studied vacuum tubes. He began work in semiconductor physics and materials as early as 1949. He was involved in the earliest work on PN junction transistors in the Soviet Union.
Victor Tsvetov was born in Leningrad, Russia in 1934. He entered the Electro-technical Institute in 1951, where he earned a diploma in 1956. He joined Svetlana Semiconductor in about 1957 to work on semiconductor technology. He was in first class at Institute to finish studies in semiconductors and dielectrics. He studied influence of certain physical parameters in germanium alloy transistors—in particular, the influence of crystal orientation. He was part of the team which designed and moved into production, some of the first transistors produced in the Soviet Union. Later in his career, he also became involved in the design of microprocessors. As an interesting sidelight, he managed American defector, Joel Barr (Joseph Berg) for many years, and for a short time, Philip Staros was his deputy. Tsvetov held various positions at Svetlana Semiconductor for over 50 years, including engineer, designer, and executive.
Igor Grekhov was born in 1934 in Smolensk, Russia. He attended Moscow Technical University. He later earned a PhD in 1967 from loffe Insitute and Doctor Degree in 1974. At the time of the interview he was Head of the Solid State Electronics Division, loffe Institute, Russian Academy of Science. He was elected a Correspondent member of the Russian Academy in 1991 and a full member in 2008. He worked at the Electro-rectifier factory in Saransk after graduation. He had studied mechanical engineering in the University, but was forced to make a rapid switch to the physics of semiconductors when he was assigned to the factory in Saransk. He began work there on power semiconductor devices. He then was invited to join loffe Institute, Academy of Science and has worked there 50 years – starting in 1962. He continued his work in power semiconductors after moving to loffe. He was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1966. This prize was the highest level scientific award in the Soviet Union.
Yury Nosov was born in 1931 in or near Moscow. In 1949, he entered the Physics and Technical Department, Moscow State University (now Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology). He graduated Winter 1954. While there, he studied nuclear physics. In 1954, upon graduation, the government sent him to work at Enterprise SKB245 in 1955, which was to focus on the new field of computational technologies. Just before his arrival, they had designed the first Russian universal computer, Strela. Nosov, however, was assigned to a new semiconductor division within this Enterprise. The goal of this semiconductor division was to design new parts for the computers. Personally, Mr. Nosov worked on pulse diodes. He became head of his laboratory in 1957. In 1959, he left the Enterprise to join the loffe Institute, where he earned a PhD in 1964. While there, he continued his work on diodes as well as later moving to optoelectronics. Throughout his career, he earned 70 patents, and was honored as a USSR State Prize Laureate for his work as a discrete device pioneer.
<p>Alexander Shokin was born in Moscow in 1947. He was the son of Alexander Shokin, Sr. who was a famous and powerful individual in the Russian Electronics Industry. The senior Shokin had in fact played a major role in Zelenograd’s establishment as the center for microelectronics in the Soviet Union. In 1963, he had assumed the position of Chairman of the State Committee for Electronic Technology in the USSR. In 1965, he was named minister of the electronics industry of the USSR. Returning to the younger Shokin, he studied Physics at Moscow State University. One area of focus was lasers which he continued into his career, developing YAG lasers. At the time of this interview, he was First Vice President of the Academy of Engineering in Russia. He spends much of the interview talking about the development of the microelectronics industry in the Soviet Union during the 1950’s to 1970’s—a time when his father was leading much of that effort. He also speaks about his perception of the role of Alfred Sarant and Joel Barr, two American defectors to Russian in the 1950s.</p>
<p>Vladimir Popov was born in Kaliningrad, Russia, in 1950. He studied physics at St. Petersburg State University. He is Managing Director of Svetlana Semiconductor, the first production manufacturing facility in USSR. He has held this position since 1994. Previously he held various design and manufacturing leadership positions. He had joined Svetlana in Jan 1975. Initially he was part of a research group developing semiconductors for satellites. One of his major contributions was a close linkage between those designing new semiconductors and those who would be responsible for their manufacture. In this oral history, he talks about a number of management challenges, including that of moving semiconductors into production from R&D and also the challenges of changing to a market economy after the fall of the Soviet Union.</p>
The object is a 90th birthday card for Dr. Kartsev which consists of a map and two photographs. In a pocket is an electronic circuit with three button batteries and a speaker.
Added t.p. in Russian.
Object is a set of five, nesting dolls. Text on each one reads "MERGENT It's our business to protect your business." Text on bottom of largest reads "MADE IN RUSSIA 1994" plus some Cyrillic characters.