Tailoring the optical properties of matter with Sol-Gel: innovative optical materials for 3D photonic crystals with complete photonic band-gap. The success of this project will allow for improvement of existing technologies in diverse fields, from optics to green energy production. Realization of 3D complete Photonic Band-Gap (PBG) structures is the first step toward full optic-based data processing systems, which will be one of the most revolutionary achievements in technology after introductio ....Tailoring the optical properties of matter with Sol-Gel: innovative optical materials for 3D photonic crystals with complete photonic band-gap. The success of this project will allow for improvement of existing technologies in diverse fields, from optics to green energy production. Realization of 3D complete Photonic Band-Gap (PBG) structures is the first step toward full optic-based data processing systems, which will be one of the most revolutionary achievements in technology after introduction of electronic-based processors. Improvement of energy conversion efficiency of existing solar cells and polymer-based solar cells will be achievable thanks to implementation of PhCs as high-reflective layers. The establishment of scaleable protocols for production of high quality materials for photonics will put Australia among the leading countries in the future photonic-devices market.Read moreRead less
Nano-Engineering of Optical Fibre Fresnel Lenses. It is expected that the development of the Fresnel Lens Fibre will greatly enhance the simplicity with which fibres can be integrated into a variety of systems. An intrinsically focussing fibre will be cheap to produce and have significant size advantages over its competitors, thus giving it an excellent competitive advantage in the market place. Australia is home to a number of companies that would directly benefit from the commercialisation of ....Nano-Engineering of Optical Fibre Fresnel Lenses. It is expected that the development of the Fresnel Lens Fibre will greatly enhance the simplicity with which fibres can be integrated into a variety of systems. An intrinsically focussing fibre will be cheap to produce and have significant size advantages over its competitors, thus giving it an excellent competitive advantage in the market place. Australia is home to a number of companies that would directly benefit from the commercialisation of a Fresnel Lens Fibre. In addition to a range of possible telecommunications applications, the focussing fibre also has applications in spectroscopy, minimally invasive surgical procedures, and especially in the field of photodynamic therapy. Read moreRead less
Creation of New Precision Optical and Microwave Technologies and their Application to Testing the Fundamental of Physics. Clocks and oscillators are crucial for the highest precision scientific and industrial measurements and are the foundation of modern communications technology. Recent developments in laser-cooled optical clocks promise a wave of revolutionary changes to global navigation, timekeeping and precision measurement. Our group has already achieved world's-best performance in this f ....Creation of New Precision Optical and Microwave Technologies and their Application to Testing the Fundamental of Physics. Clocks and oscillators are crucial for the highest precision scientific and industrial measurements and are the foundation of modern communications technology. Recent developments in laser-cooled optical clocks promise a wave of revolutionary changes to global navigation, timekeeping and precision measurement. Our group has already achieved world's-best performance in this field. To stay at the forefront of this wave we propose a broad-ranging program of research aimed at:
- new clocks of 100 times higher performance than any existing clock,
- development of extremely low noise photonic oscillators,
- the application of these new technologies to test the foundations of Physics, including involvement in a space-based experiment.
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Proximity effects and new correlated phases in closely spaced quantum electronic devices. The aim of this project is to understand the interactions between quantum electronic devices when they are brought into close proximity. A detailed knowledge of these interactions and how to control them is important both for conintued miniaturisation in the semiconductor industry, and for the fundamental understanding of new quantum ground states. To achieve these goals new coupled device designs will be e ....Proximity effects and new correlated phases in closely spaced quantum electronic devices. The aim of this project is to understand the interactions between quantum electronic devices when they are brought into close proximity. A detailed knowledge of these interactions and how to control them is important both for conintued miniaturisation in the semiconductor industry, and for the fundamental understanding of new quantum ground states. To achieve these goals new coupled device designs will be engineered in collaboration with NTT's Basic Research Laboratories in Japan. Theses novel devices will be used to study fundamental correlations in quantum semiconductor systems, with the possibility of forming new correlated states of matter such as electron-hole superfluids.Read moreRead less
Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer sola ....Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer solar cells in order to maximise the efficiency of the cells and build prototype nanoscale polymer devices. This will lead to the improvement in devices delivering sustainable energy production - a technology which has the promise of producing energy cheaply from sunlight.Read moreRead less
Direct deep-ultraviolet tunable laser sources generating continuous and ultra-short-pulse radiation for photonics applications. This project will develop two versatile and efficient sources of tunable deep-ultraviolet laser radiation. These sources are an enabling photonics technology that will have impact in the applied fields of precision spectroscopy and flow cytometry for detection of biological agents. The proposed ultrafast laser source will enable new fundamental research probing high-ene ....Direct deep-ultraviolet tunable laser sources generating continuous and ultra-short-pulse radiation for photonics applications. This project will develop two versatile and efficient sources of tunable deep-ultraviolet laser radiation. These sources are an enabling photonics technology that will have impact in the applied fields of precision spectroscopy and flow cytometry for detection of biological agents. The proposed ultrafast laser source will enable new fundamental research probing high-energy processes, such as ultrafast chemical reactions, on the femtosecond timescale.
Training through an APD fellowship in the national priority area of Frontier technologies: photonics will enhance Australia's expertise in this important area. Read moreRead less
Design and Experimental Demonstration of Ultrabroadband Silicon Optical Amplifiers. The current success of the electronics industry rests on pillars made from the low cost, high performance and flexibility of silicon compounds. Silicon-based optics provides a new platform for the monolithic integration of optics and electronics. In this project, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of pioneers of nonlinear optics and siliconized photonics build a next-generation broadband silicon optical amplif ....Design and Experimental Demonstration of Ultrabroadband Silicon Optical Amplifiers. The current success of the electronics industry rests on pillars made from the low cost, high performance and flexibility of silicon compounds. Silicon-based optics provides a new platform for the monolithic integration of optics and electronics. In this project, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of pioneers of nonlinear optics and siliconized photonics build a next-generation broadband silicon optical amplifier which can open the door to a new low-power, wide-bandwidth, high-speed and ultra-small optoelectronic devices. The technological advances arising from this project will provide Australia with critical capabilities for future commercial ventures and strengthen Australia's stake in the multi-trillion dollar semiconductor industry.Read moreRead less
Low energy all-optical logic gates with improved cascadability and fan-out for future optical communications and signal processing systems. All-optical logic processing is the key to overcoming electronic bottlenecks in high-speed communication networks as single-channel speeds exceed electronic capabilities. This research will build off and extend Australia's world leading specialty fibre and fibre device capabilities and place Australia at the forefront in the international all-optical digital ....Low energy all-optical logic gates with improved cascadability and fan-out for future optical communications and signal processing systems. All-optical logic processing is the key to overcoming electronic bottlenecks in high-speed communication networks as single-channel speeds exceed electronic capabilities. This research will build off and extend Australia's world leading specialty fibre and fibre device capabilities and place Australia at the forefront in the international all-optical digital information-processing race. High quality research publications will enhance Australia's strong research reputation in photonics and advanced materials and promote international collaboration. New optical processing capabilities will benefit other application areas such as sensing and security.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.
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Plasmon nanobiosensor for whole blood analysis. The new method will be able to detect specific disease markers or to identify subtle differences in protein content in complex dense analytes such as blood and other body fluids, of practical utility in diagnostic and clinical situations. It will also be relevant in other areas such as medical diagnostics of viral diseases, and for unsolved environmental monitoring problems such as the presence of specific microorganisms in industrial waste. Owing ....Plasmon nanobiosensor for whole blood analysis. The new method will be able to detect specific disease markers or to identify subtle differences in protein content in complex dense analytes such as blood and other body fluids, of practical utility in diagnostic and clinical situations. It will also be relevant in other areas such as medical diagnostics of viral diseases, and for unsolved environmental monitoring problems such as the presence of specific microorganisms in industrial waste. Owing to their design simplicity and low cost of components, the devices developed in this program will lend themselves well to the development of new commercial technologies for Australia.Read moreRead less