Enabling semiconductor nanowire technologies via 3D atomic-scale insight. Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are nanotechnology building blocks that have the potential to transform solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers and transistors, creating new industries in communications, energy and healthcare. The industrial development of NWs has been blocked by uncertainties in the relationships between their growth conditions, properties and atomic-scale structure. This project will address this chall ....Enabling semiconductor nanowire technologies via 3D atomic-scale insight. Semiconductor nanowires (NWs) are nanotechnology building blocks that have the potential to transform solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers and transistors, creating new industries in communications, energy and healthcare. The industrial development of NWs has been blocked by uncertainties in the relationships between their growth conditions, properties and atomic-scale structure. This project will address this challenge by establishing a rigorous framework for these relationships. The project aims to achieve this by harnessing the unique power of atom probe microscopy to reveal the NW structure in three dimensions, and at atomic-resolution. The project aims to place Australian research at the frontier of development of these future industries.Read moreRead less
Making every electron count in atomic resolution microscopy. The development of aberration-corrected electron microscopy, which allows individual atom imaging with unprecedented precision, was recognised by the 2011 Wolf Prize in Physics. However, only a very limited amount of the wealth of information obtainable from such microscopes is currently exploited. By collecting a maximal data set of electrons scattered in manifold different ways and using the fundamental theory of electron-specimen in ....Making every electron count in atomic resolution microscopy. The development of aberration-corrected electron microscopy, which allows individual atom imaging with unprecedented precision, was recognised by the 2011 Wolf Prize in Physics. However, only a very limited amount of the wealth of information obtainable from such microscopes is currently exploited. By collecting a maximal data set of electrons scattered in manifold different ways and using the fundamental theory of electron-specimen interaction, this project will realise the huge potential of this untapped data. This will improve the utility of scanning transmission electron microscopy far beyond its current level. Applying these new techniques will expand our understanding of the structure and function of advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Imaging light elements, dopants and vacancies. This project will pioneer techniques for seeing light atoms, such as oxygen in superconductors and lithium in lithium battery materials. Coming to understand the function of light elements in advanced materials is vital as such materials play a pivotal role in meeting the pressing challenges that beset us in energy management.
Atomic scale imaging with high coherence electrons and ions. This project aims to combine a cold atom electron-ion source with a commercial microscope column for atomic-scale imaging in biosciences and materials science. Nanoscale imaging with electron and ion microscopy are tools for investigating the world at the atomic scale, underpinning development in modern technologies from semiconductor devices to medical treatments. This project will use ideas from laser cooling of atoms and atom optics ....Atomic scale imaging with high coherence electrons and ions. This project aims to combine a cold atom electron-ion source with a commercial microscope column for atomic-scale imaging in biosciences and materials science. Nanoscale imaging with electron and ion microscopy are tools for investigating the world at the atomic scale, underpinning development in modern technologies from semiconductor devices to medical treatments. This project will use ideas from laser cooling of atoms and atom optics to achieve new imaging modalities for time-lapse imaging of fundamental processes at the nano-scale. It will allow increasingly small scale resolution of fundamental processes at the nano-scale.Read moreRead less
Phonon based condensed matter imaging. This project will exploit observations of phonon-based chemical contrast in the SHeM to determine the physics that underpins the imaging mechanism and use them to probe vibrational processes in condensed matter imaging. Imaging is an essential tool for the discovery, application and fabrication of new materials, structures and devices. However, many delicate structures are irrevocably degraded and changed when imaged using conventional microscopy. This team ....Phonon based condensed matter imaging. This project will exploit observations of phonon-based chemical contrast in the SHeM to determine the physics that underpins the imaging mechanism and use them to probe vibrational processes in condensed matter imaging. Imaging is an essential tool for the discovery, application and fabrication of new materials, structures and devices. However, many delicate structures are irrevocably degraded and changed when imaged using conventional microscopy. This team recently invented the scanning helium atom microscope (SHeM), which can image surfaces non-destructively with nanoscale resolution. They will use the SHeM to determine the new fundamental physics that underpins the imaging mechanism. Outcomes include turning SHeM into a tool that materials and biological scientists can use in laboratories worldwide.Read moreRead less
Locating Atoms by Observing Crystallographic Phase. Atomic structures are determined by measuring how they scatter radiation. However half of the necessary information, the crystallographic phase, cannot be measured from the scattered intensity. For a century the only option has been to deduce the phase via the statistical analysis of thousands of intensity measurements. This project aims to develop a method to determine atomic structures from the direct observation of phase. From a handful of o ....Locating Atoms by Observing Crystallographic Phase. Atomic structures are determined by measuring how they scatter radiation. However half of the necessary information, the crystallographic phase, cannot be measured from the scattered intensity. For a century the only option has been to deduce the phase via the statistical analysis of thousands of intensity measurements. This project aims to develop a method to determine atomic structures from the direct observation of phase. From a handful of observations and no formal measurements, atoms can be located with picometre precision. It is predicted that this method will be direct, rapid and unequivocal, sensitive to light atoms and applicable to nanostructures, which will represent a paradigm shift in crystallography.Read moreRead less
Advancing the visualisation and quantification of nephrons with MRI. . This project aims to characterise key components of nephrons, the glomeruli and tubules, using magnetic resonance imaging without contrast agents, in combination with Deep Learning and super-resolution techniques. Nephrons, the basic functional unit of the kidney, are critical to the maintenance of the body’s homeostasis. Their number and architecture are critical determinants of kidney function. The expected outcomes are inn ....Advancing the visualisation and quantification of nephrons with MRI. . This project aims to characterise key components of nephrons, the glomeruli and tubules, using magnetic resonance imaging without contrast agents, in combination with Deep Learning and super-resolution techniques. Nephrons, the basic functional unit of the kidney, are critical to the maintenance of the body’s homeostasis. Their number and architecture are critical determinants of kidney function. The expected outcomes are innovative semi-automated nephron visualisation and quantitation tools that enable efficient renal phenotyping. Techniques tailored to widely accessible preclinical research scanners are expected to accelerate research into genetic and environmental factors affecting kidney microstructure in embryonic and post-natal life.Read moreRead less
Nanoscale field mapping in functional materials. This project aims to develop tools to map electric and magnetic fields within matter on smaller-length scales than has previously been possible. Such fields are used for encoding information in data storage microelectronic devices. Since the world now generates more data than it can store, the search is on for new technologies to improve storage capacity and energy efficiency by encoding information at the smallest possible length scales. It is an ....Nanoscale field mapping in functional materials. This project aims to develop tools to map electric and magnetic fields within matter on smaller-length scales than has previously been possible. Such fields are used for encoding information in data storage microelectronic devices. Since the world now generates more data than it can store, the search is on for new technologies to improve storage capacity and energy efficiency by encoding information at the smallest possible length scales. It is anticipated that the new characterisation techniques resulting from this project will enable academic and industrial researchers working on the next generation of data storage technology to solve problems they could not otherwise solve.Read moreRead less
Microwave System for Early Breast Cancer Detection Employing Ultra Wideband Conformal Array Antenna. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in various parts of the world. Currently the primary method for breast screening is X-ray mammography and in rare cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging. X-ray mammography has saved many lives, but the technology still produces a relativity high number of false negative and false positive diagnoses. In the last decade, active microwave techniqu ....Microwave System for Early Breast Cancer Detection Employing Ultra Wideband Conformal Array Antenna. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in various parts of the world. Currently the primary method for breast screening is X-ray mammography and in rare cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging. X-ray mammography has saved many lives, but the technology still produces a relativity high number of false negative and false positive diagnoses. In the last decade, active microwave techniques have attracted considerable interest as viable alternatives to X-ray mammography. This project aims at the design and development of a low-cost microwave system, which will complement all the currently available breast cancer diagnosis tools. Read moreRead less
Microwave System for Breast Cancer Detection. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in various parts of the world. Currently the primary method for breast screening is X-ray mammography and in rare cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging. X-ray mammography has saved many lives, but the technology still produces a relativity high number of false negative and false positive diagnoses. In the last decade, active microwave techniques have attracted considerable interest as viable alter ....Microwave System for Breast Cancer Detection. Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in various parts of the world. Currently the primary method for breast screening is X-ray mammography and in rare cases Magnetic Resonance Imaging. X-ray mammography has saved many lives, but the technology still produces a relativity high number of false negative and false positive diagnoses. In the last decade, active microwave techniques have attracted considerable interest as viable alternatives to X-ray mammography. This project aims at the design and development of a low-cost microwave system, which will complement X-ray mammography as a breast cancer diagnosis tool. Read moreRead less