Forgotten Genius Behind the Chip: Jan Czochralski and the CZ Method

How a single discovery shaped modern electronics

Jan Czochralski (1885–1953), a largely self-taught Polish chemist and metallurgist, described in 1916 a simple but powerful technique to grow single crystals. That method — widely known as the Czochralski method or “CZ” — later became central to producing semiconductor wafers used in integrated circuits, the heart of laptops, smartphones, solar cells and autonomous vehicles.

The accidental discovery

Working in metallurgy in Germany, Czochralski noticed in 1916 that when he dipped a quill into molten metal and pulled it out, a thin thread formed. By experimenting with withdrawal speed and conditions, he realized the process could produce single crystals (mono-crystals) — a cheaper, more accessible way to obtain the pure crystals needed for materials testing and later for electronics.

Career, inventions and early recognition

Although he did not patent the CZ method because he could not point to an immediate commercial use, Czochralski published extensively and held more than 20 patents. He made his fortune from a 1917 alloy known as "metal B," which replaced tin in some railroad applications. He worked for AEG in Berlin, later opened a metallurgy laboratory in Frankfurt, and was invited back to Poland to serve as a leading scientist and professor.

Return to Poland and political betrayal

In the interwar years Czochralski returned to Poland at the request of President Ignacy Mościcki and took a chair at Warsaw Polytechnic. But World War II and the postwar political climate devastated his career. During the Nazi occupation he reportedly used German contacts to help protect Poles and Jews; after Soviet forces took control in 1945 he was accused of collaboration, expelled from Warsaw, stripped of honors and repeatedly harassed by communist authorities. He died in 1953 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

Rediscovery and rehabilitation

For decades Czochralski’s contribution was little known outside specialist circles. Persistent scholarship — notably by Polish professor Pawel Tomaszewski, who produced extensive research and a 700-page biography — helped restore credit for the CZ method. Poland embraced Czochralski’s legacy with commemorative stamps, streets and schools named in his honor, and a national “Year of Czochralski” in 2013. In 2019 the IEEE recognized his discovery with a Milestone award, placing him alongside other historic inventors.

A grandson restores the story

Fred Schmidt (born Klemens Jan Borys Czochralski), Czochralski’s grandson and an Austin entrepreneur, has worked to raise public awareness of his grandfather’s life and legacy. Schmidt launched jancz.org, timed with what would have been Jan’s 140th birthday, and has helped promote accessible content — including an English- and Polish-language graphic novel — aimed at younger audiences.

“My mother wanted to correct the wrongs against my family,” Schmidt said, recalling how childhood letters and family stories pushed him to become a voice for Czochralski’s contributions.

Why it matters

Although Czochralski did not live to see his method underpin modern silicon electronics, his 1916 technique is a cornerstone of chip production and crystal science. The CZ method is not only used in semiconductor wafer production but also in creating synthetic gems and other industrial crystals. The story of Jan Czochralski is both a technical milestone and a human tale of invention, loss, political suppression and eventual recognition.

Learn more: visit jancz.org for resources, the graphic-novel project and primary documents.