Low power optical limiting for laser receiver protection. This project will place Australia as one of the leaders in the world in both science and technology of soft glass Photonic Band Gap Fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in Medicine, Defence, communication, etc. The project will develop a critical component (receiver protection) for laser range finders, which are widely being used in defence industries, therefore having national benefit in terms ....Low power optical limiting for laser receiver protection. This project will place Australia as one of the leaders in the world in both science and technology of soft glass Photonic Band Gap Fibres, which is an enabling field of research with enormous number applications in Medicine, Defence, communication, etc. The project will develop a critical component (receiver protection) for laser range finders, which are widely being used in defence industries, therefore having national benefit in terms of safeguarding Australia. The project will also be an excellent vehicle for educating young physicists and engineers in Australia. This is of national importance in itself due to the current shortage of photonics physicists.Read moreRead less
Paradigm Shift in Mid-IR Fibre Laser. This project introduces a paradigm shift in 3.5µm mid-IR fibre lasers. A new laser process will be investigated to obtain high-power, simple and robust mid-IR fibre laser design. We will use advanced spectroscopy to characterize the fibre laser dynamics, computer modelling to optimize the laser design, and demonstrate the concept experimentally. The new design will enable agile, high precision polymer processing tailored to the unique absorption lines of car ....Paradigm Shift in Mid-IR Fibre Laser. This project introduces a paradigm shift in 3.5µm mid-IR fibre lasers. A new laser process will be investigated to obtain high-power, simple and robust mid-IR fibre laser design. We will use advanced spectroscopy to characterize the fibre laser dynamics, computer modelling to optimize the laser design, and demonstrate the concept experimentally. The new design will enable agile, high precision polymer processing tailored to the unique absorption lines of carbon-hydrogen bonds in different polymers where there is currently a lack of high power, high brightness low-cost light sources. It will also open the door for very high-resolution laser assisted glass 3D-printing. The project will give Australia a new edge in advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Extreme temperature monitoring for minerals and metals processing. This project aims to extend the capabilities of the optical fibre temperature sensor technology developed by the research team, based on microstructured optical fibres and femtosecond laser ablation fibre Bragg gratings, to conduct a range of measurements inside industrial furnace environments that are impossible using existing technology. This device will also be validated within the furnaces located at the minerals and metals p ....Extreme temperature monitoring for minerals and metals processing. This project aims to extend the capabilities of the optical fibre temperature sensor technology developed by the research team, based on microstructured optical fibres and femtosecond laser ablation fibre Bragg gratings, to conduct a range of measurements inside industrial furnace environments that are impossible using existing technology. This device will also be validated within the furnaces located at the minerals and metals processing facility operated by Nyrstar in Port Pirie. This project is designed to enable smelter operators to improve production efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimise equipment failure.Read moreRead less
Nanodiamond in glass: a new approach to nanosensing. This work will develop optical materials enriched with diamond nanoparticles. This will enable the magnetic field sensitivity of diamond nanoparticles to be combined with the capacity of micro/nanostructured optical fibres to enhance the interaction of light with matter. The outcome will be tools for probing biological processes on the nanoscale.
New materials and structures for next generation optical fibres. A soft glass optical fibre capability of critical importance to Australia's industrial and scientific capability will be established. This facility addresses a range of the National Research Priorities, most notably Defence, and brings fundamentally important technology to Australia. The proposed research capability strategically complements existing Australian silica-based fibre expertise and infrastructure. The aim is to develop ....New materials and structures for next generation optical fibres. A soft glass optical fibre capability of critical importance to Australia's industrial and scientific capability will be established. This facility addresses a range of the National Research Priorities, most notably Defence, and brings fundamentally important technology to Australia. The proposed research capability strategically complements existing Australian silica-based fibre expertise and infrastructure. The aim is to develop soft glass fibres for defence applications, and to develop fibre-based solutions for emerging applications in bionanophotonics. A key attraction of the platform technology proposed is its adaptability for testing concepts without requiring the support of large-scale fabrication and production industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Capability for the fabrication and characterisation of mid-infrared photonic materials. The proposed facility will support the development of new glass materials suitable for transmitting and generating light in the mid-infrared spectral region. This research will allow Australia to lead the world in developing new technologies that make use of the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Particular applications that will flow from this research include the development of new optical ....Capability for the fabrication and characterisation of mid-infrared photonic materials. The proposed facility will support the development of new glass materials suitable for transmitting and generating light in the mid-infrared spectral region. This research will allow Australia to lead the world in developing new technologies that make use of the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Particular applications that will flow from this research include the development of new optical fibre-based laser sources for defence and surgery, new technologies for detecting and treating cancer, and other in-vivo detection methods.Read moreRead less
Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the fi ....Short-pulse laser cleaning for Australian heritage conservation. Conserving heritage objects is a demanding discipline, requiring a suite of techniques for different problems. Overseas, laser cleaning using long pulse techniques leaves microscopic damage as discrete chunks of material are removed, and is unsuitable for many materials. We have developed a short pulse laser process which can remove material molecule-by-molecule in a controlled fashion, and which can be readily halted once the final finish is achieved. We will research this technique for application to unique Australian heritage materials that are important to the specific conservation needs of the Australian War Memorial, the RAAF, Navy and Army Museums, Artlab Australia, and the Art Gallery of NSW.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100161
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Next generation of extrusion capability for the fabrication of advanced photonic structures. The cutting-edge extrusion capability will enable the development of novel optical fibres and photonic materials with a wide range of structures in high precision and reproducibility. These new materials will lead to breakthroughs in the emerging research areas of nanophotonics, quantum communication, biosensing and mid-infrared light sources.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346888
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$288,000.00
Summary
3-D Optical Surface Profiler. Establishing a state-of-the-science 3-D optical surface profiler will enable macroscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic profiling of surfaces over a very broad range of research programs including, laser cleaning and surface modification, laser precision microfabrication, surface, materials and device characterisation and optical physics applications. The importance and significance of these projects has already been established by the projects having competitive fundi ....3-D Optical Surface Profiler. Establishing a state-of-the-science 3-D optical surface profiler will enable macroscopic, microscopic and nanoscopic profiling of surfaces over a very broad range of research programs including, laser cleaning and surface modification, laser precision microfabrication, surface, materials and device characterisation and optical physics applications. The importance and significance of these projects has already been established by the projects having competitive funding. The instrument will undoubtedly support many additional research programs. It is similar to an Atomic-Force-Microscope or stylus profilometer but has significant additional capabilites. These include profiling much larger areas at sub-nanometre resolution and the non-contact nature of the technique. These features will enable surface characterisation that can not be achieved by other means.Read moreRead less