The International Workshop on Bismuth-Containing Semiconductors is an interdisciplinary workshop that annually brings physicists, chemists, materials scientists and engineers together to address important issues and accelerate research and development of emerging semiconductor compounds and alloys that contain bismuth. The Workshop was founded by the participants of the Materials World Network: III-V Bismide Materials for IR and Mid IR Semiconductors, in 2010. During the three years of the Materials World Network program these folks served as the steering committee, program committee, and hosts of the workshop venue. The founders continue to serve on the steering committee to guide the Workshop into the future. Starting from 2013 the Workshop venue was broadened to include hosts in the global bismuth materials community with locations at the University of Arkansas in US in 2013, the Tyndall Institute in Ireland in 2014, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in US in 2015.

The 7th International Workshop on Bismuth-Containing Semiconductors will be held in Shanghai, China, with the Welcome Reception on 24th July, 2016, and scientific sessions on 25th-27th July, 2016. Workshop topics focus on theoretical activities, epitaxial growth, characterization (optical, electrical and structural) and device performance of interest to both academic and industrial researchers. The substantial interest in developing these new classes of semiconductor, thermoelectric materials and topological insulators is driven by their potential applications in the development of low power and energy efficient optoelectronic, thermoelectric, and electronic devices, including laser diodes, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, transistors, and spintronic devices.