DURHAM UNIVERSITY: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Organic/Thin Film Electronics

The Role

This Leverhulme Trust funded project at Durham aims to develop thin film lasers made from conducting polymers and small molecules. The project focuses on opto-electronic device fabrication, characterisation and modelling. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate electrically pumped lasing action in Light Emitting Field Effect Transistors (LEFETs). Were this to be achieved humanity would have a low-cost, broad wavelength emitter made from bio-compatible materials, representing a paradigm shift for many technological areas including, bio-sensing, photonics, displays, logic circuits and in body health monitoring. LEFETs are the analogue to the traditional Field Effect Transistor, however are fabricated from conducting polymers and emit light thus offer efficient gate-controlled electroluminescence. The structure provides the high carrier densities and optical confinement needed for lasing.

Despite this potential, these devices are poorly understood partly because their operation involves the interaction of electrons, holes, singlets and triplets in the same physical space.

This project will combine both experimentation and modelling to unlock a detailed physical understanding of these devices and demonstrate lasing action. The ratio of modelling to experimentation will be decided based upon the skills of the candidate. This 3-year position is part of a broader project investigating the above topics. You will be working in an exciting group of people researching novel devices and sensors at Durham.