John Robertson FRS (born 1950) is a Professor of Electronics, in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He is a leading specialist in the theory of amorphous carbon and related materials.

Education

Robertson received his Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Cambridge. His PhD was awarded in 1975 for research on electronic states in

amorphous In condensed matter physics and materials science, an amorphous solid (or non-crystalline solid, glassy solid) is a solid that lacks the long-range order that is characteristic of a crystal. Etymology The term comes from the Greek ''a'' ("wi ...

semiconductors.

Research and career

Following his PhD, Robertson worked at the Central Electricity Research Laboratories for 18 years, and in 1994 returned to Cambridge. He has published over 600 journal papers with around 33,000 citations. His main topic of research is theory of carbon materials. Other research interests include: carbon nanotubes, graphene, chemical vapour deposition, electronic applications (experimental and calculation); modelling of CVD mechanisms; carbon interconnects, carbon conductors, carbon for

supercapacitor A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than other capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable ba ...

s; high-κ dielectrics for complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors; high-κ oxides on high mobility substrates such as InGaAs, Ge (modelling); transparent conducting oxides, amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOS) such as

indium gallium zinc oxide Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) is a semiconducting material, consisting of indium (In), gallium (Ga), zinc (Zn) and oxygen (O). IGZO thin-film transistors (TFT) are used in the TFT backplane of flat-panel displays (FPDs). IGZO-TFT was developed b ...

, their thin film transistors, instability mechanisms (calculations); density functional calculations of semiconductors, oxides, carbon materials, and hybrid density functional calculations for correct band gaps; functional oxides, TiO₂. His research has been funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Awards and honours

Robertson is a Fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

, the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

and the Materials Research Society, and an Emeritus Editor of the journal ''Diamond and Related Materials''.Diamond and Related Materials Editorial Board
journals.elsevier.com He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015, his certificate of election reads: "In recognition of his sustained contribution to the production and development of electronic devices".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, John English physicists Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of Cambridge Living people 1950 births Members of the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering British electrical engineers Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the IEEE