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Ohtomo Lab
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The lab creates oxide thin films through chemistry to produce next-generation devices.
AboutAbout the lab
Device chemistry.
Ohtomo Lab conducts research in crystal engineering, thin-film electronic materials, and solid-state physics, based on solid-state chemistry.
The lab synthesizes new thin-film materials centered on metal oxides, investigates how crystals grow, and searches for new functions.
The lab aims at innovative devices useful for the next-generation information society and for technologies that generate or save energy.
To that end, the lab's goal is to build a new science of "device chemistry."
Key terms
- Oxide
- A substance in which an element is bonded to oxygen. Many of the minerals that make up the Earth's crust are oxides
- Thin film
- An extremely thin film formed on a substrate. It is used as a material for electronic devices
- Combinatorial chemistry
- A method of making samples of many combinations all at once and rapidly evaluating them to screen them
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Young Scientist Presentation Award at the JSAP Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics
A doctoral student received a Poster Award at the JSAP Spring Meeting of the Japan Society of Applied Physics
A former Assistant Professor received the Doctoral Dissertation Award of the Seiichi Teshima Memorial Research Award for fiscal 2025 (Reiwa 7)
A doctoral student received the Presentation Encouragement Award at the 3rd Crystal Engineering Conference
A doctoral student received the Young Researcher Paper Award at the International Workshop on Gallium Oxide
ResearchResearch themes
The lab explores new functionalities of familiar and highly diverse oxides and creates various thin-film structures, aiming to produce innovative devices for next-generation environmental and energy technologies and the information society. By elucidating the dynamics of crystal growth and exploring the operating principles of devices, the lab aims to build the science of "device chemistry."
*Illustrative imageSynthesis of inorganic materials and device applications
The Earth's crust is made mainly of oxide minerals. By uncovering new functionalities of these familiar and diverse oxides and fabricating various thin-film structures, the lab aims at innovative devices for environmental and energy technologies and the information society.
*Illustrative imageControl of crystal growth and combinatorial chemistry
The lab grows thin films by pulsed laser deposition combined with ultrahigh-vacuum equipment. Because oxides have very high melting points, high-energy laser pulses instantly sublime the source material and deposit it onto a crystalline substrate. The lab also uses combinatorial chemistry, which synthesizes many types of samples in small quantities together and evaluates them at high speed.
*Illustrative imageEnvironmentally benign materials and energy-generating and energy-saving devices
Transparent oxide semiconductors have the strengths of inexpensive raw materials and harmlessness to biological environments, and they are expected to serve as new materials supporting next-generation environmentally adaptive electronics. The lab works on solar cells combined with organic molecules, as well as superconducting and thermoelectric materials.
MembersFaculty
The members of Ohtomo Lab consist of faculty and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorAkira OhtomoPublications ↗
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Wada LabSchool of Materials and Chemical Technology, Department of Chemical Science and EngineeringChemistry, materials, photochemistry, optical engineeringThe information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Multicrystalline silicon wafer with thin film iridescence” Radiotrefoil / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Synthesis of inorganic materials and device applications: “Rutile (GeoDIL number - 1562)” Nessa Eull / CC0 (cropped)
- Control of crystal growth and combinatorial chemistry: “Sputtering plasma” Mario Geiger / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Environmentally benign materials and energy-generating and energy-saving devices: “Superconductor-levitation” Pongkaew / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (中薗研究室): “B-cyclodextrin” Materialscientist / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (吉松研究室): “Pulsed Laser Deposition in Action” Adam Andersen Læssøe / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (荒井研究室): “Lithium-ion coin cell batteries in laboratory testing fixture” Chingo K / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (和田研究室): “BAPV solar-facade” Hanjin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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