Karl Leo (born 10 July 1960 in
Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) is a German physicist.
Career
Leo studied physics at the
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and obtained the Diplomphysiker degree with a thesis on solar cells under supervision of
Adolf Goetzberger at the
Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme. In 1986 he joined the
Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung in
Stuttgart for a PhD under the guidance of
Hans Queisser.
He then joined
AT&T Bell Laboratories in
Holmdel (New Jersey) as a postdoctoral research associate. In 1991 he joined the
RWTH Aachen
RWTH Aachen University (), also known as North Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Technical University of Aachen, University of Aachen, or ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hoch ...
as an assistant professor and obtained the Habilitation degree. In 1993 he joined the
Technische Universitaet Dresden as a professor of optoelectronics. Since 2002 he has been also with the Fraunhofer-Institut für Photonische Mikrosysteme, currently as director.
Achievements
Leo works in the field of semiconductor optics and the physics of thin organic films. In 1992 he discovered
Bloch oscillations
Bloch oscillation is a phenomenon from solid state physics. It describes the oscillation of a particle (e.g. an electron) confined in a periodic potential when a constant force is acting on it.
It was first pointed out by Felix Bloch and Clarence ...
in a semiconductor superlattice. His work on
organic semiconductor
Organic semiconductors are solids whose building blocks are pi-bonded molecules or polymers made up by carbon and hydrogen atoms and – at times – heteroatoms such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. They exist in the form of molecular crystals or ...
s led to
Organic Light Emitting Diodes with the highest power efficiencies reported and to
Organic Solar Cells
An organic solar cell (OSC) or plastic solar cell is a type of photovoltaic that uses organic electronics, a branch of electronics that deals with conductive organic polymers or small organic molecules, for light absorption and charge transport t ...
with leading efficiency values. In 2002 he won the
Leibniz award, which is Germany's most prestigious scientific award.
[Leibniz award is the most important scientific award in Germany ("Der Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Preis ist der wichtigste Forschungsförderpreis in Deutschland.") https://www.bmbf.de/de/der-gottfried-wilhelm-leibniz-preis-575.html] In 2021, he was awarded the European Inventor Award in the 'Lifetime Achievement' category.
[Karl Leo receives the European Inventor Award 2021 in the 'Lifetime Achievement' category.](_blank)
Eurekalert, 18 June 2021.
Awards
*
Otto Hahn Medal
The Otto Hahn Medal (german: Otto-Hahn-Medaille) is awarded by the Max Planck Society to young scientists and researchers in both the natural and social sciences. The award takes its name from the German chemist and Nobel Prize laureate Otto Hahn ...
,
Max Planck Society, 1989
* Rudolf-von-Bennigsen-Förderpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, 1992
*
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize,
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The German Research Foundation (german: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germ ...
, 2002
*
European Inventor Award
The European Inventor Award(formerly European Inventor of the Year Award, renamed in 2010), are presented annually by the European Patent Office, sometimes supported by the respective Presidency of the Council of the European Union and by the Eur ...
(Lifetime Achievement), 2021
References
External links
IAPP page of Karl LeoLaudatio of the DFG (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leo, Karl
1960 births
21st-century German physicists
Living people
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winners
Scientists from Freiburg im Breisgau
20th-century German physicists