Photonic structures for high efficiency, low cost solar cells. Photovoltaics is a non-polluting, environmentally sustainable way of converting sunlight directly to electricity. The reduction of cost is the most important issue in photovoltaic solar energy conversion. This project will lead to the development of solar cell structures and techniques that have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of thin film solar cells, which are the major contender for the lowest cost photovoltaic te ....Photonic structures for high efficiency, low cost solar cells. Photovoltaics is a non-polluting, environmentally sustainable way of converting sunlight directly to electricity. The reduction of cost is the most important issue in photovoltaic solar energy conversion. This project will lead to the development of solar cell structures and techniques that have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of thin film solar cells, which are the major contender for the lowest cost photovoltaic technology. If the cost of photovoltaics was sufficiently reduced it could have a major impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in Australia.Read moreRead less
Formation Mechanism and Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are exciting nano-materials and important "building blocks" of nanotechnology. Research and application of nanotubes are at the forefront of nanotechnology development. This project will investigate the formation mechanisms and controlled growth of carbon nanotubes in a new mechano-thermal synthesis process in which carbon nanotubes are produced in the order of kilogram from graphite powder by mechanical milling and ....Formation Mechanism and Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are exciting nano-materials and important "building blocks" of nanotechnology. Research and application of nanotubes are at the forefront of nanotechnology development. This project will investigate the formation mechanisms and controlled growth of carbon nanotubes in a new mechano-thermal synthesis process in which carbon nanotubes are produced in the order of kilogram from graphite powder by mechanical milling and thermal annealing. The outcomes of this research will be profoundly enhanced understanding of the controlled assembly of carbon atoms into a variety of nanosized tubules with excellent mechanical, chemical and physical properties, and an innovative synthesis/manipulation technology for industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560683
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$321,953.00
Summary
A furnace stack for advanced photovoltaic, photonic and microfabrication applications. Advanced silicon photovoltaic, photonic, optoelectronic and micro-electromechanical devices require state of the art processing equipment for the deposition of thin dielectric films and for controlled doping of the devices. Key techniques include the deposition of stoichiometric and silicon rich silicon nitride and silicon dioxide films, and the controlled wafer doping with boron and phosphorus. A state of the ....A furnace stack for advanced photovoltaic, photonic and microfabrication applications. Advanced silicon photovoltaic, photonic, optoelectronic and micro-electromechanical devices require state of the art processing equipment for the deposition of thin dielectric films and for controlled doping of the devices. Key techniques include the deposition of stoichiometric and silicon rich silicon nitride and silicon dioxide films, and the controlled wafer doping with boron and phosphorus. A state of the art furnace stack is to be procured which will satisfy these requirements on industrially relevant wafer sizes up to 150mm. The equipment will support a broad range of research projects in the above fields, ranging from fundamental investigations to applied research carried out in collaboration with industry partners.Read moreRead less
Indium arsenic antimony (InAsSb) Quantum Dots for Mid-Infrared Lasers. This proposal will open a new area of research for mid-infrared laser devices. Any achievement from this project will benefit various academic and industrial communities, such as national security, environmental monitoring and spectroscopy. The outcomes of this research could create a new generation of high-performance mid-infrared lasers and put Australian researchers in the forefront of the development in this field.
Growth and intermixing of quantum dots for multi-wavelength infrared photodetectors. Quantum dots are nano-scale structures grown by self-assembled epitaxial methods. In this project, intermixing of quantum dots, which is a novel technology to modify the opto-electronic properties of the dots will be studied using ion implantation and subsequent annealing. Optimised growth, implantation and annealing conditions will be used to grow and tune the detection wavelength of the infrared photodetectors ....Growth and intermixing of quantum dots for multi-wavelength infrared photodetectors. Quantum dots are nano-scale structures grown by self-assembled epitaxial methods. In this project, intermixing of quantum dots, which is a novel technology to modify the opto-electronic properties of the dots will be studied using ion implantation and subsequent annealing. Optimised growth, implantation and annealing conditions will be used to grow and tune the detection wavelength of the infrared photodetectors using intersubband transition. This will allow us to fabricate multi-wavelength infrared photodetectors for high performance infrared imaging system. This project involves an exciting combination of fundamental physics and device technology.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453879
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$184,163.00
Summary
Electron beam induced deposition and ablation nanofabrication facility. Electron beam induced deposition and ablation(EBIDA) is rapidly emerging as a new technology capable of fabricating three-dimensional nanostructures on nearly any substrate with very high precision. This proposal aims to establish a nanoscale EBIDA facility by integrating a specialized nanolithography attachment with an existing state-of-the-art 1nm resolution high current variable pressure scanning electron microscope. This ....Electron beam induced deposition and ablation nanofabrication facility. Electron beam induced deposition and ablation(EBIDA) is rapidly emerging as a new technology capable of fabricating three-dimensional nanostructures on nearly any substrate with very high precision. This proposal aims to establish a nanoscale EBIDA facility by integrating a specialized nanolithography attachment with an existing state-of-the-art 1nm resolution high current variable pressure scanning electron microscope. This combination of instrumentation will enable the high-speed production of conductive and insulating structures with 1-to-10nm dimensions. The unique facility will be used to manufacture and prototype novel nanoscale devices and structures and will enable measurement of their physical and chemical properties.Read moreRead less
Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nano ....Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nanostructures. New chemical, mechanical and thermal properties and possible applications will be explored. The outcomes of this research will be profoundly understanding of the controlled assembly of small atoms into nanosized tubules and an innovative synthesis technology.Read moreRead less
Understanding structure-property relations in amorphous silicon. The research is in a field of high national priority, namely nanotechnology and has a number of clear benefits for Australia. 1) Ensures Australia maintains its current position as a world leader in the fields of nanotechnology and material science; 2) Provides training to students in the exciting areas of synchrotron operation and nanotechnology. 3) Enables leverage for further funding from both companies and international funding ....Understanding structure-property relations in amorphous silicon. The research is in a field of high national priority, namely nanotechnology and has a number of clear benefits for Australia. 1) Ensures Australia maintains its current position as a world leader in the fields of nanotechnology and material science; 2) Provides training to students in the exciting areas of synchrotron operation and nanotechnology. 3) Enables leverage for further funding from both companies and international funding sources; and 4) Supports Australian industry by contributing to research which has resulted in the formation of a new company.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354821
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Innovative Materials Production, Processing and Analysis Network. Materials science and engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering a diverse spectrum of research from biology to construction, with an equally broad applications span encompassing all manufacturing industry. Australia has distinct strengths in materials but it has been difficult to promote sufficient interaction across discipline boundaries to fully exploit such strengths. The current network focuses on interdisciplinar ....Innovative Materials Production, Processing and Analysis Network. Materials science and engineering is decidedly interdisciplinary, covering a diverse spectrum of research from biology to construction, with an equally broad applications span encompassing all manufacturing industry. Australia has distinct strengths in materials but it has been difficult to promote sufficient interaction across discipline boundaries to fully exploit such strengths. The current network focuses on interdisciplinary materials interactions nationally by: i) bringing the materials community together at an annual workshop, ii) exposing PhD students and young researchers to cross-disciplinary research initiatives and facilities, iii) identifying common infrastructure needs, iv) linking with industry networks, eg AMTN, and to the international community.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0667994
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
National Nanolithography Facility. Nanotechnology is expected to have a major impact on quality of life and global economy. It is predicted to generate revenues as big as the ICT sector in 20 years time. The National Nanolithography Facility will enhance the Australian capability in the field of nanoscale science and technology. This will enable Australian researchers to achieve major impacts in many areas of nanotechnology with a strong potential impact on industry sectors such as computers, ....National Nanolithography Facility. Nanotechnology is expected to have a major impact on quality of life and global economy. It is predicted to generate revenues as big as the ICT sector in 20 years time. The National Nanolithography Facility will enhance the Australian capability in the field of nanoscale science and technology. This will enable Australian researchers to achieve major impacts in many areas of nanotechnology with a strong potential impact on industry sectors such as computers, communications, defence, health, bio-security. This facility has the potential for developing new technologies of fundamental as well as applied interest.Read moreRead less