One Step Pre-forms for Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibre. The pre-form rods this project yields will enable polymer optical fibre technology, just as suitable glass pre-forms enabled today's optical fibre. One-step casting techniques will yield PMMA rods with arrays of internal channels which can be empty, or filled with different clear polymer. Polymer microstructured optical fibre (PMOF) suitable for high bandwidth communications is then produced by drawing. It is urgently needed for local ....One Step Pre-forms for Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibre. The pre-form rods this project yields will enable polymer optical fibre technology, just as suitable glass pre-forms enabled today's optical fibre. One-step casting techniques will yield PMMA rods with arrays of internal channels which can be empty, or filled with different clear polymer. Polymer microstructured optical fibre (PMOF) suitable for high bandwidth communications is then produced by drawing. It is urgently needed for local communication networks in cars and buildings. Solid PMOF channels are new to this project, and should make PMOF easier to deploy. Nanoscale mapping of light transport modes and polymer defects will help validate channel designs.Read moreRead less
Interferometric Distributed Feedback Fibre Laser Sensors. This project will solve important problems in realising next generation underwater optical fibre sensor systems for defence and marine exploration. OFTC's expertise in specialty optical fibre and devices will be combined with Thales' expertise in underwater sensor systems to give Australia a global lead. The benefits are commercial, national security and research standing. Domestic manufacture of a major optical system will assist maturat ....Interferometric Distributed Feedback Fibre Laser Sensors. This project will solve important problems in realising next generation underwater optical fibre sensor systems for defence and marine exploration. OFTC's expertise in specialty optical fibre and devices will be combined with Thales' expertise in underwater sensor systems to give Australia a global lead. The benefits are commercial, national security and research standing. Domestic manufacture of a major optical system will assist maturation of the sector which is dominated by component companies. This system for underwater surveillance is obviously important to a country with a large coastline to defend. This project will build Australia's global reputation renowned for research excellence in fibre and fibre devices.Read moreRead less
Advanced Siloxane Waveguide Devices for Telecommunications. This project will develop new methods for fabricating compact, high performance photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for use in future telecommunications networks in films of proprietary Inorganic Polymer Glasses (IPGs) commercialised by RPO Pty Ltd. New fabrication methods are required to overcome limitations of the current approach to patterning IPGs used by RPO Pty Ltd. Research will concentrate on hard contact lithography in conjunct ....Advanced Siloxane Waveguide Devices for Telecommunications. This project will develop new methods for fabricating compact, high performance photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for use in future telecommunications networks in films of proprietary Inorganic Polymer Glasses (IPGs) commercialised by RPO Pty Ltd. New fabrication methods are required to overcome limitations of the current approach to patterning IPGs used by RPO Pty Ltd. Research will concentrate on hard contact lithography in conjunction with dry (plasma) etching as well as ion beam milling; laser machining or UV writing for grating production. IPGs present special challenges for these technologies. The project outcomes will include new approaches to processing and the demonstration of the fabrication of innovative PICs in IPGs.Read moreRead less
The photonic immunochip: retrieving individual Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) array-units using optical waveguide multicolour fluorescence. Improving the sensitivity and availability of in-vitro immuno-diagnostic tests is a critical goal towards developing real time efficient tools for the detection of infectious diseases, cancers, allergies and auto-immune diseases. The goal is to increase the sensitivity of these tests by reducing background noise that has been a feature of the com ....The photonic immunochip: retrieving individual Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) array-units using optical waveguide multicolour fluorescence. Improving the sensitivity and availability of in-vitro immuno-diagnostic tests is a critical goal towards developing real time efficient tools for the detection of infectious diseases, cancers, allergies and auto-immune diseases. The goal is to increase the sensitivity of these tests by reducing background noise that has been a feature of the commonly used ELISA technology. This will be achieved by developing a novel optical integrated waveguide array supporting a large range of distributed tests, including several based on a novel multi-colour detection scheme. This massively parallel approach will underpin a new generation of low-cost, efficient diagnostic tests.Read moreRead less
Microstructured polymer interconnects for photonic devices. Efficient interconnection of photonic components is the most critical research problem facing the photonics industry in its efforts for integration. In this project, interconnects for photonic systems will be developed, utilising a recently developed new class of fibres - microstructured optical fibres, which have been called 'the next generation' of optical fibres because of their ability to produce a variety of tailorisable optical ef ....Microstructured polymer interconnects for photonic devices. Efficient interconnection of photonic components is the most critical research problem facing the photonics industry in its efforts for integration. In this project, interconnects for photonic systems will be developed, utilising a recently developed new class of fibres - microstructured optical fibres, which have been called 'the next generation' of optical fibres because of their ability to produce a variety of tailorisable optical effects. Specially designed and modified microstructured fibres will be developed to achieve efficient coupling from fibre to planar waveguide circuits, and to a range of photonic band gap devices that are currently being developed by the industry partner.Read moreRead less
Electronic properties of diamondlike carbon for applications in planar optical waveguides. This project will explore new applications of diamondlike carbon in the area of integrated optics for telecommunications systems. Diamondlike carbon offers opportunities to create novel electro-optic devices owing to its high refractive index and its ability to be deposited directly onto silicon substrates. This project will conduct a thorough study of the electronic properties of diamondlike carbon depo ....Electronic properties of diamondlike carbon for applications in planar optical waveguides. This project will explore new applications of diamondlike carbon in the area of integrated optics for telecommunications systems. Diamondlike carbon offers opportunities to create novel electro-optic devices owing to its high refractive index and its ability to be deposited directly onto silicon substrates. This project will conduct a thorough study of the electronic properties of diamondlike carbon deposited by two techniques and develop potential niche applications in the $5 billion integrated optical telecommunications devices. The work will combine fundamental studies of thin film electronic properties with leading edge industry applications of technology and provide an excellent research training opportunity.Read moreRead less
High-speed bidirectional optical interconnects for board-to-board communications. The project will contribute directly to Australia's participation in various ICT industries through the development of innovative solutions and will increase the knowledge and skills base in silicon-photonics. The development of the proposed board-to-board high-speed optical interconnect prototypes will result in R&D outcomes well-matched to the needs and interests of Australian companies; this project will assist ....High-speed bidirectional optical interconnects for board-to-board communications. The project will contribute directly to Australia's participation in various ICT industries through the development of innovative solutions and will increase the knowledge and skills base in silicon-photonics. The development of the proposed board-to-board high-speed optical interconnect prototypes will result in R&D outcomes well-matched to the needs and interests of Australian companies; this project will assist Australia to capitalise on new technology and to become a significant player in the next ICT boom. This project will put Australia at the cutting edge of high-speed interconnect technology and will generate income through licensing the technology and the establishment of spin-off opportunities in both Australia and off-shore.Read moreRead less
Photonic Antenna: Nested multi-band patch antenna and arrayed photonic interconnect. This project aims to investigate the design of a broadband ?photonic antenna? for airborne radar warning and electronic countermeasure systems. The project will investigate the development of a suite of printed antennas that cover bands in the range from 2-40 GHz realised on a single substrate. Nesting these antennas to reduce system size, and integration of this module with a custom optical modulator array and ....Photonic Antenna: Nested multi-band patch antenna and arrayed photonic interconnect. This project aims to investigate the design of a broadband ?photonic antenna? for airborne radar warning and electronic countermeasure systems. The project will investigate the development of a suite of printed antennas that cover bands in the range from 2-40 GHz realised on a single substrate. Nesting these antennas to reduce system size, and integration of this module with a custom optical modulator array and RF signal combiner will be investigated. The resulting broadband antenna suite with photonic interconnect will require minimal fabrication and packaging resources, and will thus be an economically viable photonic solution for practical defence systems.Read moreRead less
Quantification of the Remineralisation of Enamel. This project has three specific aims:
1. To quantify the ultrastructure and mechanisms of remineralisation of enamel using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
2. To determine the mechanical properties of remineralised tissue and compare with those of sound enamel.
3. To develop an in-vivo optical fibre probe for monitoring and quantifying the changes of mineralised carious tissue during remineralisation.
This project will enable ....Quantification of the Remineralisation of Enamel. This project has three specific aims:
1. To quantify the ultrastructure and mechanisms of remineralisation of enamel using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
2. To determine the mechanical properties of remineralised tissue and compare with those of sound enamel.
3. To develop an in-vivo optical fibre probe for monitoring and quantifying the changes of mineralised carious tissue during remineralisation.
This project will enable patients prone to orthodontic induced root resorption to be identified and also to assist with validating repair of enamel tooth structure in a non-surgical manner. It is anticipated to result in the development of a novel fibre optic instrument with applications beyond dentistry.
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Novel optical dispersion compensation techniques in an optical transmission system. The outcomes of the project will lead to crucial innovations in reconfigurable ultrahigh bit rate optical networks whose deployment in Australia will lead to widespread availability of broadband data communications services to individuals and businesses. This crucial infrastructure will create a platform for services and products from the Australian ICT sector in areas including e-education, e-health and telecomm ....Novel optical dispersion compensation techniques in an optical transmission system. The outcomes of the project will lead to crucial innovations in reconfigurable ultrahigh bit rate optical networks whose deployment in Australia will lead to widespread availability of broadband data communications services to individuals and businesses. This crucial infrastructure will create a platform for services and products from the Australian ICT sector in areas including e-education, e-health and telecommuting.
The outcomes of the project will be commercialized, leading to significant exports and employment opportunities for photonics scientists and engineers.Read moreRead less