Preparation of silica-based thin film materials with large optical nonlinearity. There is currently a lack of advanced thin film materials suitable for fabricating integrated electro-optic devices to use in optical telecommunication. Such materials will be produced, and their application will be developed through this project. The physical mechanism of the marvelous optical nonlinearities of the materials will also be investigated. Thus the achievement of this project will bring great advancemen ....Preparation of silica-based thin film materials with large optical nonlinearity. There is currently a lack of advanced thin film materials suitable for fabricating integrated electro-optic devices to use in optical telecommunication. Such materials will be produced, and their application will be developed through this project. The physical mechanism of the marvelous optical nonlinearities of the materials will also be investigated. Thus the achievement of this project will bring great advancement in both scientific knowledge and technologies for Australia, and provide huge opportunities to boost Australian telecommunication industries, which are developing quickly in recent years.Read moreRead less
Integrated magneto-optic waveguide materials and devices. We aim to develop chalcogenide glass films for fabricating integrated waveguide magneto-optic (MO) devices as a radical alternative to the use of crystalline MO materials that have proven difficult to manufacture in integrated form. Using our ultra-fast pulsed laser deposition (UFPLD) technique we will produce a wide range of chalcogenide glass compositions through combinatorial materials synthesis and assess them for magneto-optic activ ....Integrated magneto-optic waveguide materials and devices. We aim to develop chalcogenide glass films for fabricating integrated waveguide magneto-optic (MO) devices as a radical alternative to the use of crystalline MO materials that have proven difficult to manufacture in integrated form. Using our ultra-fast pulsed laser deposition (UFPLD) technique we will produce a wide range of chalcogenide glass compositions through combinatorial materials synthesis and assess them for magneto-optic activity. UFPLD will also be used to deposit high optical quality films for device prototyping. We will design and fabricate prototype MO components which are essential, but currently unavailable, for use as optical isolators in integrated optics.Read moreRead less
Ultra-high density permanent and/or erasable optical memory in photorefractive media formed by ultrafast laser pulses. A possibility to form tree-dimensional 10Tb-density optical memory based on permanent modification, or damage, of transparent dielectrics, using powerful femtosecond laser pulses has already been demonstrated by the Applicants. This project aims to improve the fundamental understanding of ultrafast laser formation of nano-bits using unique ability of photorefractive materials t ....Ultra-high density permanent and/or erasable optical memory in photorefractive media formed by ultrafast laser pulses. A possibility to form tree-dimensional 10Tb-density optical memory based on permanent modification, or damage, of transparent dielectrics, using powerful femtosecond laser pulses has already been demonstrated by the Applicants. This project aims to improve the fundamental understanding of ultrafast laser formation of nano-bits using unique ability of photorefractive materials to reversible change and the refractive index. We aim to find ways for controlling the storage time, density and the writing-reading-erasing rate without inducing damage in the material. The results will be applied to efficient formation of high-speed, high density, write-read-erase 3D optical memory for applications in the information technology.
Read moreRead less
Photonic routing with liquid crystals. Liquid crystals became a household item but their unequaled nonlocal optical properties are much less known and studied, although the breathtaking prospects of their future applications in photonics inspire many experts around the world. We will bring to Australia the state of the art research approach, theoretical and experimental, aiming to uncover and realize the potential of long range interaction between laser light and nonlocal liquid crystals for fut ....Photonic routing with liquid crystals. Liquid crystals became a household item but their unequaled nonlocal optical properties are much less known and studied, although the breathtaking prospects of their future applications in photonics inspire many experts around the world. We will bring to Australia the state of the art research approach, theoretical and experimental, aiming to uncover and realize the potential of long range interaction between laser light and nonlocal liquid crystals for futuristic all-optical devices. This project will promote and enhance the rapid development of photonics in Australia, as well as deliver foremost practical expertise and outstanding training of young researchers.Read moreRead less
Defect-induced luminescence from ion-implanted silicon: Towards silicon photonics applications. This project focusses on advanced materials science, photonics and innovative silicon optical devices that have potential for contributing to information and communications technologies, areas where Australia has considerable expertise and investment. Specifically, national benefit will be derived from breakthroughs in fundamental science and intellectual property.
Tunable nonlinear photonic devices with liquid crystals. This project will help to initiate in Australia a systematic study of nonlinear properties of liquid crystals for applications in optical components. Taking the advantage of strong and tunable nonlinear response of liquid crystals and low threshold powers, it will analyse new opportunities for controllable light manipulation in nanoscale photonic devices, suggesting realistic designs for tunable photonic circuits. The project will promote ....Tunable nonlinear photonic devices with liquid crystals. This project will help to initiate in Australia a systematic study of nonlinear properties of liquid crystals for applications in optical components. Taking the advantage of strong and tunable nonlinear response of liquid crystals and low threshold powers, it will analyse new opportunities for controllable light manipulation in nanoscale photonic devices, suggesting realistic designs for tunable photonic circuits. The project will promote this attractive field and will facilitate the emergence of novel technologies. It will also lead to important international collaborations and bring important new expertise to Australia, complementing the core research program of the ARC Centre of Excellence CUDOS.Read moreRead less
Miniaturised Adiabatic Light Processing Devices. The project will develop, model and analyse a range of miniaturised light-processing devices for optical communications applications that rely soley on their geometrical design for their optical functionality. Such devices are less complex than devices that rely on other physical phenomena for their operation, such as interference, resonance or grating phenomena. They have potential application to a wide range of applications including optical tel ....Miniaturised Adiabatic Light Processing Devices. The project will develop, model and analyse a range of miniaturised light-processing devices for optical communications applications that rely soley on their geometrical design for their optical functionality. Such devices are less complex than devices that rely on other physical phenomena for their operation, such as interference, resonance or grating phenomena. They have potential application to a wide range of applications including optical telecommunications, optical sensing and biophotonics. The major outcome will be a range of novel devices that are very compact, have very low optical power loss and process light signals in ways that either cannot be readily achieved by other approaches or are simpler than other approaches.Read moreRead less
Asymmetric InP-based structures for high power laser diodes at 1400-1500 nm for pumping optical amplifiers used in communication systems. This project is aimed at obtaining high power, single mode 1400-1500 nm wavelength laser diodes using a novel design of asymmetric InP-based structures. These devices are in great demand for pumping of erbium-doped and Raman amplifiers for powering the next generation of dense wavelength division multiplexing optical networks. The low modal gain (confinement f ....Asymmetric InP-based structures for high power laser diodes at 1400-1500 nm for pumping optical amplifiers used in communication systems. This project is aimed at obtaining high power, single mode 1400-1500 nm wavelength laser diodes using a novel design of asymmetric InP-based structures. These devices are in great demand for pumping of erbium-doped and Raman amplifiers for powering the next generation of dense wavelength division multiplexing optical networks. The low modal gain (confinement factor) of this asymmetric structure is expected to reduce internal losses and hence increase the output power with better thermal dissipation. Single mode could be obtained by careful design in the trade-off between filamentation and threshold current. Ion implantation is also proposed to suppress higher order modes.Read moreRead less
Monolithic Integration of Silicon Waveguide and Ge1-xSix Photodetector on Silicon-on Insulator Platform for Intra-chip Optical Interconnect. Photonics has become the major technology underpinning the communication and storage of data. As photonics advances applications are emerging which demand components be manufactured cheaply in the manner achieved by the electronics industry in the silicon chip. Silicon is now emerging as an important photonic material and devices can benefit from inexpensiv ....Monolithic Integration of Silicon Waveguide and Ge1-xSix Photodetector on Silicon-on Insulator Platform for Intra-chip Optical Interconnect. Photonics has become the major technology underpinning the communication and storage of data. As photonics advances applications are emerging which demand components be manufactured cheaply in the manner achieved by the electronics industry in the silicon chip. Silicon is now emerging as an important photonic material and devices can benefit from inexpensive processing methods developed for electronics. This project aims to capture key intellectual property for monolithically integrating key photonic components onto a silicon platform. The project can bring social and commercial benefits to Australia such as high-level research and training in nanotechnology as well as opportunities for commercialisation in niche markets.Read moreRead less
Novel Silicon-Based Photonic Devices. Silicon's pre-eminence in high-speed digital electronics does not extend to optoelectronics where the demand is for devices that can generate, guide, detect and process light. However, the properties of silicon are dramatically altered when it is reduced to nanometre dimensions. Advances in the understanding of such effects and in the fabrication and application of nanoscale silicon have provided the prospect of new and innovative Si-based photonic devices, ....Novel Silicon-Based Photonic Devices. Silicon's pre-eminence in high-speed digital electronics does not extend to optoelectronics where the demand is for devices that can generate, guide, detect and process light. However, the properties of silicon are dramatically altered when it is reduced to nanometre dimensions. Advances in the understanding of such effects and in the fabrication and application of nanoscale silicon have provided the prospect of new and innovative Si-based photonic devices, and of fully integrated electronic and photonic functionality. This project aims to extend the understanding of nanoscale silicon and to develop and prototype novel Si-based photonic devices based on this material.Read moreRead less