He was an American physicist who in his Ph.D. thesis research, invented the “Chaffee Gap” spark type method to produce continuous high-frequency electrical oscillations for radio transmission. The spark gap was between the end faces of metal rods in an atmosphere of moist hydrogen in a sealed chamber. The rods were cooled by external radiating fins. He also specialized in the field of thermionic vacuum tubes and test measurements. Later, he worked with William T. Bovie on the electrical response of the retina, which he amplified with a vacuum tube circuit.