Next generation front projection screens. Consumer electronics is a huge international market and home theatre is one of the most rapidly growing sectors. A critical part of the home theatre system is the projection screen, an area of technology that has seen only incremental development over the last fifty years, or so. In this project we will take some advanced design concepts developed at the University of Melbourne for laser technology and adapt them to the development of novel approaches to ....Next generation front projection screens. Consumer electronics is a huge international market and home theatre is one of the most rapidly growing sectors. A critical part of the home theatre system is the projection screen, an area of technology that has seen only incremental development over the last fifty years, or so. In this project we will take some advanced design concepts developed at the University of Melbourne for laser technology and adapt them to the development of novel approaches to improving the brightness and resolution of projection screens. The project will look at the design process and address the manufacturing challenges for novel projection screen technology.Read moreRead less
Thulium doped silica-based optical fibres - towards the realisation of an optical amplifier. In the last decade the data capacity of a single optical fibre has grown way beyond all expectations. However, our ability to utilise the available capacity continues to keep pace with any advance. This project has the potential to add substantially to the transmission capacity by developing an optical amplifier at wavelengths which, although available within the fibre, can not currently be utilised. The ....Thulium doped silica-based optical fibres - towards the realisation of an optical amplifier. In the last decade the data capacity of a single optical fibre has grown way beyond all expectations. However, our ability to utilise the available capacity continues to keep pace with any advance. This project has the potential to add substantially to the transmission capacity by developing an optical amplifier at wavelengths which, although available within the fibre, can not currently be utilised. The focus of the project is the study of thulium doped silica-based fibres for amplification in the 1460 to 1530 nm wavelength region. Read moreRead less
Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in com ....Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in common problem areas, such as the tips of elliptic notches and disbonding at the ends of composite joints. Additionally, grating refractive index profiles will be characterised using imaging techniques, to assess performance and possible changes to gratings after prolonged use.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear photonic crystal fabrication in a high refractive index lithium niobate crystal. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to achieve 3D nonlinear PhCs in a high refractive index material. This project will expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs. The successful compensation of the spherical aberration will advance the optical microfabrication technique. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate stu ....Nonlinear photonic crystal fabrication in a high refractive index lithium niobate crystal. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to achieve 3D nonlinear PhCs in a high refractive index material. This project will expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs. The successful compensation of the spherical aberration will advance the optical microfabrication technique. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate students to become involved. Some newly developed devices based on nonlinear PhCs may find their commercial applications and we have a chance of securing the intellectual property related to these applications. In a long term, nonlinear PCs may be widely used in daily life and provide some opportunities to the industries.Read moreRead less
Active Control of Light for Nonlinear Photonic Devices. In free space, light travels in a straight line, but since ancient times mankind has always sought to direct its propagation. Controlling light is an enduring problem in modern photonic technologies. The ultimate goal is to actively manipulate light propagation in space and time with a great accuracy. With this project we will investigate the fundamental science of active control of light in periodic structures and will provide a unique pla ....Active Control of Light for Nonlinear Photonic Devices. In free space, light travels in a straight line, but since ancient times mankind has always sought to direct its propagation. Controlling light is an enduring problem in modern photonic technologies. The ultimate goal is to actively manipulate light propagation in space and time with a great accuracy. With this project we will investigate the fundamental science of active control of light in periodic structures and will provide a unique platform for exploration of ground breaking optical physics, ensuring Australia remains a world leader in the field. Precision manipulation of light will form the basis of new techniques for all-optical signal processing and computing, with great impact on Australian photonic and defense industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775729
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Improved understanding of nanoscale materials - structure, composition, crystallography and defects revealed by electron imaging and analysis at high spatial resolution. Modern materials scientists and engineers are driven by world-wide competition to develop new technology and manufactured devices. The trend has for some time been towards miniaturisation and one of the main challenges lies in effectively characterising nanostructures that are produced as a key step in research and development o ....Improved understanding of nanoscale materials - structure, composition, crystallography and defects revealed by electron imaging and analysis at high spatial resolution. Modern materials scientists and engineers are driven by world-wide competition to develop new technology and manufactured devices. The trend has for some time been towards miniaturisation and one of the main challenges lies in effectively characterising nanostructures that are produced as a key step in research and development of advanced materials. The proposed electron microscope and detectors will provide a state-of-the-art analytical facility to support the cross-disciplinary materials science and nanotechnology research at the Australian National University. It will also provide an important training facility for students and early-career researchers and will be available to investigators from other Australian institutions.Read moreRead less
Fabrication of complete photonic band gap structures by two-photon polymerization and subsequent infiltration with high refractive index materials. The ability to shrink photonic circuits by orders of magnitudes by the integration of photonic crystals offers many stimulating possibilities for novel device designs. A speculative view is that this miniaturisation can have a similar impact to that experienced in electronic components in the 1960s. However, the fabrication of 3D photonic crystals re ....Fabrication of complete photonic band gap structures by two-photon polymerization and subsequent infiltration with high refractive index materials. The ability to shrink photonic circuits by orders of magnitudes by the integration of photonic crystals offers many stimulating possibilities for novel device designs. A speculative view is that this miniaturisation can have a similar impact to that experienced in electronic components in the 1960s. However, the fabrication of 3D photonic crystals remains a major challenge and the development of new, flexible, and fast nano-fabrication techniques is vital. The realization of an innovative technique for the fabrication of 3D complete photonic band gap structures as it is suggested will make an essential contribution to the emerging field of all-optical tele- and data-communications and will deliver major economic benefit to Australia. Read moreRead less
Functional micro-multiplexers based on nonlinear three-dimensional photonic crystal superprisms. The development of functional nonlinear micro-multiplexers is vital to on-chip applications in optical information processing, telecom and bio-sensing. The proposed project will enable both enormous improvements of device performance and the significant reduction in the cost and size of the associated infrastructures and eventually facilitate the next generation miniaturised all-optical networks. The ....Functional micro-multiplexers based on nonlinear three-dimensional photonic crystal superprisms. The development of functional nonlinear micro-multiplexers is vital to on-chip applications in optical information processing, telecom and bio-sensing. The proposed project will enable both enormous improvements of device performance and the significant reduction in the cost and size of the associated infrastructures and eventually facilitate the next generation miniaturised all-optical networks. The success of the project will make essential contributions to the emerging photonics and nanotechnology, and strengthen Australia's international leading role in these fields. The improvement of device performance, the development of new IP, and the commercialisation of novel products will deliver major social and economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Silicon Photonic Platform for Quantum Encryption and Communications. The integrity of a secure communications link can mean the difference between life and death in a defence environment. In the civilian arena, the security of electronic financial transactions is also critical to guard against 'cyber' theft. Encryption of data using unique quantum 'noise' as a key has been proposed as an exceptionally strong approach. Attempts to intercept the key during transmission can easily be detected.
....Silicon Photonic Platform for Quantum Encryption and Communications. The integrity of a secure communications link can mean the difference between life and death in a defence environment. In the civilian arena, the security of electronic financial transactions is also critical to guard against 'cyber' theft. Encryption of data using unique quantum 'noise' as a key has been proposed as an exceptionally strong approach. Attempts to intercept the key during transmission can easily be detected.
Quantum key transmission has been demonstrated but requires impractically expensive, bulky and exotic equipment. This project will explore low-cost, silicon chip based quantum key transfer modules. Our aim is to render quantum encryption as simple as adding an expansion card to a standard computer or portable device.Read moreRead less
Adaptive aberration compensation in high refractive index materials for next-generation active microphotonic devices. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to compensate the strong aberration in a high refractive index material. The successful compensation of such aberration will allow people to fabricate microdevices directly inside high refractive index materials. This project will greatly advance optical fabrication techniques and expand the national kno ....Adaptive aberration compensation in high refractive index materials for next-generation active microphotonic devices. The method proposed in this project is a very promising and versatile method to compensate the strong aberration in a high refractive index material. The successful compensation of such aberration will allow people to fabricate microdevices directly inside high refractive index materials. This project will greatly advance optical fabrication techniques and expand the national knowledge in the area of nonlinear PhCs (photonic crystals) and related applications. It is expected that the project will provide many chances for postgraduate students to be involved. In future, nonlinear PhCs and related devices may be widely used in daily life and this project may provide some opportunities for industry.Read moreRead less