Walter Schottky (23.07.1886-4.03.1976) — a German physicist. Born in Zurich. Studied at the University of Berlin, where in 1912 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In 1920—23 he was a lecturer at the University of Würzburg, and in 1923 — 27 professor at the University of Rostock. In 1916-19 and from 1927 he worked at the Siemens & Halske laboratories.
His research was in the fields of solid-state physics, statistics, electronics, semiconductor physics and thermodynamics. In 1915 he invented the screen-grid electron tube. Discovered the phenomenon of the growth of the electron saturation current under the action of an external accelerating electric field (the Schottky effect) and developed (1914) its theory. Proposed (1918) the superheterodyne principle of amplification. In 1930 he considered the vacant lattice sites left uncompensated by an atom in an interstitial position (Schottky defects). In 1939 he studied the potential barrier formed in the contact layer “semiconductor — metal” (the Schottky barrier) and constructed a theory of semiconductor diodes with such a barrier (Schottky diodes, or Schottky-barrier diodes). Proposed a mechanism of conduction in semiconductors. Made a significant contribution to the study of processes in electron tubes and semiconductors.
He founded a school of physicists. The German Physical Society established the W. Schottky Prize for work in solid-state physics.