Introduction to Professor Donal Bradley's Laboratory - Physics and Application of Soluble Semiconductors

The Physics and Application of Soluble Semiconductors research group is based in the Physics and Engineering Departments at the University of Oxford. It has a broad research spectrum across semiconductor electronics, optoelectronics and photonics: from fundamental studies of materials and device physics, through novel micro-/nano-scale process development, to application-focused research on light emitting diodes, lasers, solar cells, transistors and biosensors. Professor Donal Bradley, one of the pioneers of plastic electronics, believes that the extension research laboratory based in OSCAR will greatly enhance collaboration with both academia and industry in China and offer an environment well-suited to innovation.

Solution processed conductors, semiconductors and insulators offer an attractive alternative to traditional vacuum deposited or crystalline wafer-based materials for many application sectors. They have the potential to broaden and simplify manufacturing methods, using coating and printing processes performed under ambient temperature and atmosphere, thereby helping to lower the capital and energy costs of fabrication. They may also support the development of formats beyond the scope of conventional devices; large area structures, conforming to curved surfaces, integrable with textiles or simply more robust than glass. The Physics and Application of Soluble Semiconductors laboratory at OSCAR will focus on novel materials development using molecular scale control to implement device performance improvement, on exploration of new application fields, on the elucidation of operation mechanisms towards building new device architectures and novel devices, and on manufacturing process optimization towards near-term commercialization. The laboratory will foster existing collaborations and open up new ones with colleagues in Suzhou, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Changchun, Xi'an and elsewhere. It will also work closely with the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI) in both China and Oxford (Oxford-JITRI IMPACT Institute).

Professor Donal Bradley is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and a Chartered Engineer. He is currently Head of the Division of Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences at the University of Oxford, overseeing the activities of ten departments (Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Engineering Science, Materials, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Plant Sciences, and Zoology). He is also a Professor in the Physics and Engineering Science Departments and a Professorial Fellow at Jesus College. Professor Bradley is known for his pioneering contributions to the development of molecular electronic materials and devices, including the invention of conjugated polymer electroluminescence, thereby helping to initiate the associated development of a new technology platform, widely known as Plastic or Printed Electronics. This platform embodies a paradigm shift towards low temperature, solution-based device fabrication with applications in energy efficient displays and lighting, photovoltaic energy generation, large-area electronics, medical diagnostics and with longer-term potential for optical communications. Professor Bradley has also actively promoted the commercialization of new technologies as a co-founder of Cambridge Display Technology Ltd (now a subsidiary of the Sumitomo Chemical Company) and Molecular Vision Ltd (now a subsidiary of the Abingdon Health Group), and a founding Director of Solar Press (UK) Ltd.