Carrier Mobility Distributions: New Insights into Fundamental Electronic Transport in Advanced Semiconductor Structures. Understanding carrier mobility distributions in emerging and future semiconductor device structures can yield unprecedented insights into their fundamental electronic properties and transport processes, and into the mechanisms limiting device performance. This project aims to pioneer the systematic investigation of carrier mobility distributions by employing novel experimenta ....Carrier Mobility Distributions: New Insights into Fundamental Electronic Transport in Advanced Semiconductor Structures. Understanding carrier mobility distributions in emerging and future semiconductor device structures can yield unprecedented insights into their fundamental electronic properties and transport processes, and into the mechanisms limiting device performance. This project aims to pioneer the systematic investigation of carrier mobility distributions by employing novel experimental techniques and high-resolution mobility spectrum analysis methodologies, combined with advanced numerical simulation of electronic transport physics. The project will aim to demonstrate that the new knowledge and understanding can be employed in the optimisation and enhancement of emerging and future semiconductor technologies.Read moreRead less
Fundamental electronic transport in emerging one-dimensional nanoelectronic devices. This project aims to understand the mechanisms limiting electronic transport in one-dimensional nanoelectronic devices and structures at temperatures relevant for practical device operation. One-dimensional nanoelectronic devices will be the building blocks of future technological innovation. This project will use a characterisation approach, numerical modelling and simulation, which promise to deliver knowledge ....Fundamental electronic transport in emerging one-dimensional nanoelectronic devices. This project aims to understand the mechanisms limiting electronic transport in one-dimensional nanoelectronic devices and structures at temperatures relevant for practical device operation. One-dimensional nanoelectronic devices will be the building blocks of future technological innovation. This project will use a characterisation approach, numerical modelling and simulation, which promise to deliver knowledge and analysis tools for ongoing innovation and optimisation in semiconductor nanoelectronics.Read moreRead less
Dark current and noise mechanisms in nBn HgCdTe infrared detectors. Novel mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) nBn (two n-type semiconductors sandwiching a barrier layer) infrared (IR) detectors are theoretically capable of operating at higher temperatures than conventional IR detectors. Their reduced cooling requirements lead to reductions in the size, weight and power of IR imaging systems without loss in IR detection performance. Unfortunately, HgCdTe nBn detectors are currently affected by non ....Dark current and noise mechanisms in nBn HgCdTe infrared detectors. Novel mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) nBn (two n-type semiconductors sandwiching a barrier layer) infrared (IR) detectors are theoretically capable of operating at higher temperatures than conventional IR detectors. Their reduced cooling requirements lead to reductions in the size, weight and power of IR imaging systems without loss in IR detection performance. Unfortunately, HgCdTe nBn detectors are currently affected by non-ideal dark current and noise levels whose physical origins and nature are poorly understood. The proposed experimental and theoretical investigations and optimisations are anticipated to minimise such non-idealities and thus enable the demonstration of HgCdTe nBn IR detectors capable of revolutionising portable IR detection systems for security and rescue applications.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired Sniffer chips. This project will combine recent advances in neuroscience of olfaction, together with novel microelectronic fabrication technologies, to develop a miniature electronic nose microsystem with superior selectivity, stability, sensitivity and response time. Applications include national security, environment monitoring or medical diagnosis.
Transistor-based sensor technology for fast, reliable and accurate in situ monitoring of recycled wastewater. Water recycling is becoming critical for water supplies worldwide, due to declining natural supplies of fresh water, combined with increasing demand. The greatest community and industry concerns over recycled water are quality assurance and relative cost. Ensuring quality requires monitoring of contaminants, yet no single real-time technology exists to measure the myriad of potential con ....Transistor-based sensor technology for fast, reliable and accurate in situ monitoring of recycled wastewater. Water recycling is becoming critical for water supplies worldwide, due to declining natural supplies of fresh water, combined with increasing demand. The greatest community and industry concerns over recycled water are quality assurance and relative cost. Ensuring quality requires monitoring of contaminants, yet no single real-time technology exists to measure the myriad of potential contaminants. This project will develop technology using AlGaN/GaN-based transistors, sensitised to different contaminants, enabling multi-analyte real-time sensor arrays. In situ monitoring systems based on such arrays will be fast, accurate, reliable, low-cost, and applicable to a broad variety of water recycling projects.Read moreRead less
Band engineered heterostructures for next generation mercury cadmium telluride infrared photodetectors. The application of unique heterostructures in mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) photodetectors is proposed to address at least four problems: increase of operating temperature, passivation, multiband operation, fill factor. This ambitious project will lead to a significant step forward the HgCdTe infrared photodetector physics and technology.
High speed, high sensitivity thermal imaging. This project aims to increase sensitivity-speed product of thermal imagers by the novel using porous materials. Increased sensitivity-speed products will improve thermal imager effectiveness in motion capture and high resolution remote sensing applications. To develop these porous materials, this project will study the interdependence of optical, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties at the micro- and nano-scale. It will create a narrowband r ....High speed, high sensitivity thermal imaging. This project aims to increase sensitivity-speed product of thermal imagers by the novel using porous materials. Increased sensitivity-speed products will improve thermal imager effectiveness in motion capture and high resolution remote sensing applications. To develop these porous materials, this project will study the interdependence of optical, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties at the micro- and nano-scale. It will create a narrowband resonant cavity detector which increases sensitivity and provides spectral filtering for remote sensing and gas detection. This technology is built on a low-cost scalable all-silicon platform. This technology could benefit road safety, border security, defence, aerospace, remote sensing and industrial monitoring.Read moreRead less
Silicon-germanium-carbon - a novel opto-mechanic material for optical micro-electromechanical systems. Evolving from past black-and-white images, through present red-green-blue multi-spectral capability, future remote imaging systems promise spectroscopic functionality across much broader wavelength ranges in a low-cost system. However, the high cost of multiple materials and technologies for each specific spectral band limits them to high-cost industry sectors. This project proposes a simple, l ....Silicon-germanium-carbon - a novel opto-mechanic material for optical micro-electromechanical systems. Evolving from past black-and-white images, through present red-green-blue multi-spectral capability, future remote imaging systems promise spectroscopic functionality across much broader wavelength ranges in a low-cost system. However, the high cost of multiple materials and technologies for each specific spectral band limits them to high-cost industry sectors. This project proposes a simple, low-cost, single material technology based on silicon-germanium-carbon thin films for mechanical and optical applications from ultraviolet to long-wave infrared, enabling widespread application of spectroscopic imaging to multiple fields extending from climate change research, through resource exploration, to cancer detection, and aerospace/defense.Read moreRead less
Tunable metamaterials for terahertz and infrared applications. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectroscopic, spatial, and temporal manipulation of infrared and terahertz waves, which are important for security and short range communication applications. By enabling the modulation of infrared and terahertz signals, the intended outcome is a platform for imaging applications, detection of chemical composition of objects, and future high-bandwidth communications. Using m ....Tunable metamaterials for terahertz and infrared applications. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectroscopic, spatial, and temporal manipulation of infrared and terahertz waves, which are important for security and short range communication applications. By enabling the modulation of infrared and terahertz signals, the intended outcome is a platform for imaging applications, detection of chemical composition of objects, and future high-bandwidth communications. Using microfabrication techniques, the project plans to create metamaterials integrated with micro-electro-mechanical systems, which dynamically vary their electromagnetic properties. This technology would enable the creation of new devices that can controllably absorb, reflect or transmit infrared and terahertz signals.Read moreRead less
Complex magnetic structures for microwave, logic and memory applications. The proposed work addresses high profile fields of nanotechnology and frequency agile materials. Device prototypes of novel energy efficient components for microwave signal processing, for wave logic and for memory applications based on magnetic materials will be designed, fabricated and studied.