Martin Schadt
Martin Schadt (born August 16, 1938 in Liestal ) is a Swiss physicist and pioneer in the field of liquid crystal displays .
biography
Martin Schadt studied physics at the University of Basel , where he received his doctorate in 1967 . Thanks to a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) in Ottawa, he researched the electronic and optical properties of organic semiconductors . During his stay at the NRCC, he invented and patented the first organic light-emitting semiconductor diode (OLED) with solid-state electrodes .
In 1969 he worked for the watch company Omega SA , at the Laboratoire Suisse de Recherche Horlogère in Neuchâtel , on the development of the hydrogen MASER ( Hydrogen Maser watch ). In 1970 he switched to the newly founded liquid crystal research group in the central research laboratories of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. , Basel, Switzerland. With the exception of two years of research in the field of Biophysics , the works of Martin Schadt focused on the study of electro-optical novel flat electronic displays (effects in liquid crystals, with the aim displays ) and materials to generate.
In 1970 Martin Schadt and Wolfgang Helfrich invented and patented the twisted nematic (TN) effect (rotary cell effect, see Schadt-Helfrich cell ) in the central research laboratories of F. Hoffmann-La Roche . Roche has licensed the patent to the watch and electronics industries worldwide. It signified a paradigm shift for flat liquid crystal displays (liquid crystal screens) and established a new industry. In the early 1970s, Martin Schadt began systematically researching the relationships between optical, mechanical and electrical material properties of liquid crystals, molecular structures and display properties. The aim was a better understanding of the molecular and macroscopic relationships. As a result, new types of liquid crystals for TN and other field effect LCDs could be discovered. His interdisciplinary approach, which integrated physics and chemistry, formed the basis for modern industrial liquid crystal research and led to the invention and production of a large number of new liquid crystals and electro-optical effects.
In 1970, shortly after the invention of the TN effect, Schadt developed the first commercial liquid crystal mixture with positive dielectric anisotropy , which was liquid crystalline at room temperature and was used in the first Japanese TN LCD quartz clocks . The pharmaceutical company Roche subsequently established itself as one of the main suppliers of liquid crystals for the rapidly developing LCD industry. In 1996, Merck took over the entire liquid crystal business from Hoffmann-La Roche.
Apart from his work on the TN effect and new liquid crystals, Schadt discovered the following effects and made them usable or was involved in them:
- First organic light emitting diode (OLED); 1969 as a post-doctoral student at the Canadian NRC; U.S. Patent 3,621,321
- Kerr effect in liquid crystals (1972)
- Field-induced guest-host color switching (1979)
- Two frequency addressing ( dual frequency addressing ) of LCDs and LC (1982)
- Optical mode interference OMI effect (1987)
- Deformed helix ferroelectric DHF and short pitch bi-stable ferroelectric SBF effects (1989, 1990)
- linear photopolymerization LPP technology (1991)
As the main inventor and head of Roche liquid crystal research, Schadt promoted and developed the LPP photo orientation technology until it was ready for production (1992–2002). This key technology enables the contact-free orientation of monomeric and polymeric liquid crystals on surfaces by means of light instead of mechanical means. This enables novel LCD configurations as well as a wide range of novel integrated optical thin films. Examples are interference color filters, optical retarders , cholesteric bandpass filters , films to broaden the viewing direction of LCDs, stereo polarizers , nano- and micro-structured polymer films with anti-reflective and / or directional light-scattering properties, and novel optical security elements for document and brand protection.
The molecular design approach of Martin Schadt and his team led to the invention, patenting and production of the following commercially important liquid crystals: Cyano-alkyl- Schiff bases and esters (1971); Phenyl pyrimidines (1977); Alkenyl liquid crystals, which are key compounds for the realization of high-information LCDs (1985–1995); numerous halogenated liquid crystals (1989–1995); also the first optically non-linear (NLO) ferroelectric liquid crystals (1992).
Until 1994 Schadt was head of liquid crystal research at F. Hoffmann-La Roche. As a spin-off from Hoffmann-La Roche, he founded the interdisciplinary research and development company Rolic Ltd. in 1994. Until his resignation from operational business in October 2002, Schadt was Managing Director and Delegate of the Board of Directors of Rolic. In 2005 he resigned from his Rolic mandate. He now serves as a scientific advisor to various research groups and government agencies.
Awards
- Roche Research and Development Prize , 1986: For his decisive contributions to the knowledge of liquid crystal materials, their physical properties and electro-optics which have formed a basis for the breakthrough of a new display technology. His work has led to a new class of marketable products and to the scientific reputation of Roche in a new field.
- Special Recognition Award of the American Society Information Display (SID), 1987: For significant and continuing contributions to the theory and reduction to practice of high information content liquid crystal displays.
- Karl-Ferdinand-Braun-Preis, the most prestigious award of the SID, 1992: For his outstanding and sustained scientific and technical contributions to the development of twisted nematic and other liquid crystal display technologies
- Fellow Award SID , 1992: For his pioneering contributions to research and development of twisted nematic and other liquid crystal devices and materials.
- Aachen and Munich Prize for Technology and Applied Natural Sciences from the Carl Arthur Pastor Foundation , 1994, to Martin Schadt and Wolfgang Helfrich: For the groundbreaking invention of the liquid crystal display as a key component in information technology.
- Robert Wichard Pohl Prize of the German Physical Society , 1996, to Wolfgang Helfrich and Martin Schadt: In recognition of their invention and development of liquid crystal displays (LCD Liquid Crystal Displays).
- IEEE Jun-ichi-Nishizawa-Medal 2008: Together with Wolfgang Helfrich and James Fergason for fundamental developments in the field of technology of the nematic rotary cell (Schadt-Helfrich cell).
- Eduard-Rhein-Technologie-Preis 2009: For the outstanding and internationally recognized merits in the field of new electro-optical functional principles for the use in flat screens, as well as associated materials and component concepts, including in particular for the co-invention of the twisted nematic liquid crystal effect - the crucial core technology for the Success of liquid crystal screens - as well as numerous other liquid crystal effects and the technology of linear photopolymerization.
- George W. Gray Medal of the British Liquid Crystal Society , 2010, for the invention of the first OLED in 1969, for the Kerr effect in liquid crystals in 1972, for the two-frequency addressing of LCDs in 1982, for the ferroelectric deformed helix effect (DHF) in 1989 , for the pioneering work on the optical orientation and structuring of liquid crystals and liquid crystalline polymers ( linear photo-polymerisation technology) and for the molecular design of new classes of commercially relevant liquid crystals.
- Blaise Pascal Medal in Materials Science from the European Academy of Sciences, 2010. In recognition of his pioneering contributions to the development of liquid crystal displays and materials.
- Fellow Award of the European Academy of Sciences (2011)
- Frederiks Medal (2011), the highest award of the Russian Liquid Crystal Society for outstanding contributions to the physics of liquid crystals.
- Charles Stark Draper Prize (2012), Award from the National Academy of Engineering, USA
- European Inventor Award (2013), award for his life's work
Publications and Patents
- 167 scientific publications in leading international journals
- 110 scientific lectures
- Co-author of 4 books
- Over 116 basic patents - u. a. 100 US patents - each granted in 10 to 12 countries
swell
- M. Schadt: Milestones in the History of Field-Effect Liquid Crystal Displays and Materials. In: Jpn J Appl Phys. 48 (2009), pp. 1-9.
- Technologiepreis - Technology Award 2009 University of Koblenz
- Martin Schadt 2006/2007
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ P. Kirsch: 100 Years of Liquid Crystals at Merck. In: 20th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC-20), Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 4-9, 2004
- ^ Nishizawa Price 2008
- ↑ eduard-rhein-stiftung.de: Technologiepreis 2009. ( Memento of the original from February 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schadt, Martin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss physicist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 16, 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Liestal |