Intelligent Image Retrieval from Distorted and Partial Queries for Rapid Mobile Identification of Pests Threatening Food and the Environment. Pests and diseases are major threats to the Australian food industry and environmental biosecurity. A rapid and mobile pest information retrieval system is critical to prevent a pest becoming established and devastating the region. However, automated insect image retrieval remains an unsolved challenge in the research community. This project addresses the ....Intelligent Image Retrieval from Distorted and Partial Queries for Rapid Mobile Identification of Pests Threatening Food and the Environment. Pests and diseases are major threats to the Australian food industry and environmental biosecurity. A rapid and mobile pest information retrieval system is critical to prevent a pest becoming established and devastating the region. However, automated insect image retrieval remains an unsolved challenge in the research community. This project addresses the fundamental problem of distorted and partial image query in cluttered background in order to achieve pest identification at a much earlier on-site stage. The success of this research will not only make a technical breakthrough towards retrieving objects with movable body parts, but also revolutionise the current pest detection and monitoring process.Read moreRead less
New Directions in Silicon Solar Cell Technology. The fabrication of pure silicon is energy intensive, but solar cells can return 10 times more energy than is used to fabricate them. By investing in the development of silicon solar cells, Australia will develop a technology capable of encapsulating its vast coal resources within pure silicon. This has the potential to create an export market of clean energy and have an explosive effect on the growth of the local industry and skilled jobs.
Th ....New Directions in Silicon Solar Cell Technology. The fabrication of pure silicon is energy intensive, but solar cells can return 10 times more energy than is used to fabricate them. By investing in the development of silicon solar cells, Australia will develop a technology capable of encapsulating its vast coal resources within pure silicon. This has the potential to create an export market of clean energy and have an explosive effect on the growth of the local industry and skilled jobs.
This project will bolster the already prominent position of Australia in the field of photovoltaic solar energy by establishing collaborations with the top international organisations in the field. It will also coordinate efforts with all the main university research groups in the country. Read moreRead less
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
Lifetime spectroscopy of impurities in silicon solar cells. This project aims to apply recently developed experimental techniques to the important problem of characterising impurities in silicon, with a strong focus on solar cell applications. These new spectroscopic techniques, which are based on carrier lifetime measurements, are more sensitive and less ambiguous than most existing methods. The results will have important implications for solar cell technologies in two independent ways - first ....Lifetime spectroscopy of impurities in silicon solar cells. This project aims to apply recently developed experimental techniques to the important problem of characterising impurities in silicon, with a strong focus on solar cell applications. These new spectroscopic techniques, which are based on carrier lifetime measurements, are more sensitive and less ambiguous than most existing methods. The results will have important implications for solar cell technologies in two independent ways - firstly, by allowing accurate diagnosis of the performance-limiting impurities in standard silicon solar cells - and secondly, by identifying particular impurities which could boost cell performance beyond the conventional limit through the impurity photovoltaic effect.Read moreRead less
ADVANCED PHYSICS AND CHARACTERISATION OF SILICON MATERIALS AND DEVICES. Silicon, the semiconductor material that has revolutionised modern society through Microelectronics, is also at the centre of Photovoltaics, the technology that permits harvesting the energy from the sun to improve the quality of life and sustain it beyond the limitations of fossil fuel resources. By improving our understanding of the fundamental properties of silicon and advancing the solar cell devices made from it, this p ....ADVANCED PHYSICS AND CHARACTERISATION OF SILICON MATERIALS AND DEVICES. Silicon, the semiconductor material that has revolutionised modern society through Microelectronics, is also at the centre of Photovoltaics, the technology that permits harvesting the energy from the sun to improve the quality of life and sustain it beyond the limitations of fossil fuel resources. By improving our understanding of the fundamental properties of silicon and advancing the solar cell devices made from it, this project aims to increase Australia's presence in the vast field of Microlectronics and maintain its leading position in solar energy technologies.Read moreRead less
Improving silicon grain boundaries by linking electronic material quality and device manufacturing conditions. This project develops our recent findings for improving silicon grain boundaries in electronic devices such as cheap solar cells, active matrix displays, thin-film transistors, etc. The performance of such devices and their applications have been limited mainly because no simple link between manufacturing conditions and device quality has been found. However, we recently verified a phys ....Improving silicon grain boundaries by linking electronic material quality and device manufacturing conditions. This project develops our recent findings for improving silicon grain boundaries in electronic devices such as cheap solar cells, active matrix displays, thin-film transistors, etc. The performance of such devices and their applications have been limited mainly because no simple link between manufacturing conditions and device quality has been found. However, we recently verified a physical model description of grain boundaries on a broad range of devices, and this allows us to find such a link and to address prevailing problems from a new perspective. This will improve both the understanding and the manufacturing of such devices.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear Signal Processing: Optimisation and Tracking on Manifolds. Most hi-tech electronic devices must process signals. A mobile phone, for example, must encode, transmit, decode and receive voice signals. This project will use specialised mathematical theories applied in novel ways to advance the theoretical foundations of signal processing and develop better signal processing algorithms for practical applications. Companies with access to better signal processing algorithms have an edge ov ....Nonlinear Signal Processing: Optimisation and Tracking on Manifolds. Most hi-tech electronic devices must process signals. A mobile phone, for example, must encode, transmit, decode and receive voice signals. This project will use specialised mathematical theories applied in novel ways to advance the theoretical foundations of signal processing and develop better signal processing algorithms for practical applications. Companies with access to better signal processing algorithms have an edge over their competitors, and consumers benefit too from better and more advanced products.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
Investigation of P Type Emitters for Future Generation Photovoltaics. The overseas market for photovoltaic panels is large and rapidly expanding - it is expected to grow six-fold over the next decade, to nearly US$10 billion per annum. Australia is well placed to capture a significant share of this market, creating employment and export earnings. The project is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of a vibrant and highly competitive photovoltaics industry in Australia, ....Investigation of P Type Emitters for Future Generation Photovoltaics. The overseas market for photovoltaic panels is large and rapidly expanding - it is expected to grow six-fold over the next decade, to nearly US$10 billion per annum. Australia is well placed to capture a significant share of this market, creating employment and export earnings. The project is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of a vibrant and highly competitive photovoltaics industry in Australia, since the results of the research are expected to lead to improved manufacturing processes. In addition, photovoltaics will be a key technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus mitigate the magnitude and severity of the effects of global warming. Read moreRead less