Larry C. Olsen (25 July 1937 – 17 March 2020) was a pioneer in the commercialization of betavoltaic technology. While working for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation in the 1970s, Olsen lead the development of the first commercially available betavoltaic nuclear battery and was named “Man of the Year” by the Tri-City Herald. Several hundred of these batteries were fabricated and some were used to power implanted heart pacemakers. Olsen published more than 80 articles in the fields of betavoltaics, photovoltaics, thermoelectric materials, and solid state physics. He earned several awards for his research, including the R&D 100 Award, presented each year by R&D Magazine. Olsen's early work began as a research scientist with DWDL (1965 to 1974). He then became a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Washington State University (1974 to 2001). He served as a staff scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2000 until his retirement in 2009. In 2010 he joined City Labs as director of research, where he advised on the development of NanoTritium batteries.
Career
Betavoltaic and Thermoelectric Energy Conversion From 1967 to 1972, Olsen led research efforts in betavoltaic and thermoelectric energy conversion as a research scientist at DWDL. He led a team in developing the Betacel, the first commercial betavoltaic nuclear battery for cardiac pacemakers. The Betacel was based on Promethium 147 beta sources coupled to custom designed silicon devices. Betacel powered cardiac pacemakers were implanted in numerous patients in the 1970s. Biotronik GmbH & Co., Ingenieurburo, Berlin, adapted its chemical battery-powered pacemakers to accept the promethium-fueled betacel battery. The Betacel-Biotronik pacemaker began in Europe in 1972 and was extended to the United States under State of Washington license in 1973. By early 1973, over 60 implanted Betacel-Biotronik pacemakers were being monitored as part of the clinical investigation. By mid-1974, the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) had authorized the licensing in the United States of a Clinical Investigation Program that allowed the implantation of 50 Betacel-Biotronik pacemakers per month in major clinics in the U.S. The Tri-Cities of Washington State named Olsen the 1970 Tri-Citian of the year. Olsen has continued to be involved in betavoltaic battery development, which includes consulting activities with government agencies. Olsen served as a professor in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at Washington State University from 1974 to 2001. During that period he developed a photovoltaic research laboratory while maintaining teaching responsibilities. He carried out R&D work in solar cells based on silicon, CIGS, CdTe, GaAs and related III-V semiconductors. Olsen's efforts resulted in GaAs cells that were greater than 21% efficient when coupled to simulated solar illumination. GaAs cells were also developed for coupling to a monochromatic beam of photons with a wavelength of 850 nm. These cells converted 850 nm light to electrical power with an efficiency of 53% - the highest efficiency reported at the time produced for a cell irradiated with a monochromatic beam. For this research, Olsen was named WSU Distinguished Professor in Material Science in 1992. Olsen developed programs in photovoltaics, thermoelectric energy conversion, and radiation detectors. He received the 2009 R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine for work on advanced thin film thermoelectric materials and transfer of technology to industry.
Education Olsen graduated from the University of Kansas with a BS in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Solid State Physics.
Awards 1970 - named Tri-City Herald “Man of the Year” for leading the development of the Betacel nuclear battery at DWDL. 1992-1993 - Distinguished Professor in Material Science at Washington State University, sponsored by the Westinghouse Hanford Co. 2009 - DOE FLC Award, given by the Department of Energy for transfer of technology to industry. The award was for the transfer of thermoelectric thin film fabrication techniques to Perpetua Power Source Technologies of Corvallis, Oregon.
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