Probe based nano-fabrication of micro-electronic and mechanical systems. Integrated circuits (ICs) are the ubiquitous core of today's computers, medical devices and mobile phones. Unfortunately, advanced ICs are becoming more costly and difficult to fabricate. This project proposes a new method that uses a tiny, intense spot of light to create low-cost ICs that are small, fast and will enable a vast range of new technologies.
Silicon-Carbide Switches for Post-Silicon Efficiency of Power Electronics. The aim of this project is to create a prototype of a silicon carbide (SiC)-based power-electronic switch for improved energy efficiency and reduced size of power-electronic circuits, well beyond the theoretical limits of silicon technology. Until very recently, the dominant controlled switch in electronics could only be implemented as a silicon transistor. A new method of electronic passivation of SiC surfaces has enable ....Silicon-Carbide Switches for Post-Silicon Efficiency of Power Electronics. The aim of this project is to create a prototype of a silicon carbide (SiC)-based power-electronic switch for improved energy efficiency and reduced size of power-electronic circuits, well beyond the theoretical limits of silicon technology. Until very recently, the dominant controlled switch in electronics could only be implemented as a silicon transistor. A new method of electronic passivation of SiC surfaces has enabled the recent commercialisation of SiC transistors. It is expected that the material advantages of SiC can be fully exploited by a new device structure and a new fabrication process.Read moreRead less
Efficient computational methods for worst-case analysis and optimal control of nonlinear dynamical systems. Natural and technological systems can exhibit extremely complicated behaviour in worst-case scenarios. This project will develop efficient mathematical and computational tools that will enable this behaviour to be understood and controlled.
Auditory perception in neural electronics. This project aims to develop a practical alternative to conventional electronic design. Faster and more powerful devices have resulted from placing ever more transistors on a computer chip, but this is reaching its physical limits. This project will develop a new way of designing smart electronic devices by taking inspiration from signal processing in biological brains, and applying it to the processing of audio signals. Expected outcomes are a device t ....Auditory perception in neural electronics. This project aims to develop a practical alternative to conventional electronic design. Faster and more powerful devices have resulted from placing ever more transistors on a computer chip, but this is reaching its physical limits. This project will develop a new way of designing smart electronic devices by taking inspiration from signal processing in biological brains, and applying it to the processing of audio signals. Expected outcomes are a device that recognises sounds, without needing remote computers to do the processing. These techniques can be applied to other senses, such as vision, advancing machine perception and enabling smarter devices.Read moreRead less
Hardware Acceleration for Neural Systems. To really understand how brains work, we need to simulate neural networks of a size similar to that of the human brain (100 billion neurons, 100 trillion connections). Simulating such a network on standard computers in not possible because of its sheer size. Several groups are currently building very expensive and proprietary hardware to solve this, but the output from these projects will not be accessible to other researchers. In order to make real prog ....Hardware Acceleration for Neural Systems. To really understand how brains work, we need to simulate neural networks of a size similar to that of the human brain (100 billion neurons, 100 trillion connections). Simulating such a network on standard computers in not possible because of its sheer size. Several groups are currently building very expensive and proprietary hardware to solve this, but the output from these projects will not be accessible to other researchers. In order to make real progress in neuroscience, many more researchers need to be enabled to participate. To do this, the project will build a system from commercial hardware (FPGAs) that will cost only a few ten thousand dollars and it will make this design and software available for free. Read moreRead less
Integrated on-chip force and displacement sensors for high-speed atomic force microscopy of ultimate sensitivity. This project aims to develop next generation atomic force microscopy systems based on a novel interferometric method for on-chip force and displacement sensing. The proposed sensitivity improvement of two orders of magnitude over the present state-of-the-art will provide a disruptive innovation for various present and future nanotechnologies.
Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. This project aims to use a new sensing platform for hydrocarbon monitoring in water to evolve optical on-chip position sensing of suspended micro-structures. Microelectromechanical systems dominate the world in sensing technology; they are common in smartphone, automotive, aerospace, and military applications. However, this multibillion dollar industry has failed to make ch ....Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. Towards a unified technology platform for sensing in liquids. This project aims to use a new sensing platform for hydrocarbon monitoring in water to evolve optical on-chip position sensing of suspended micro-structures. Microelectromechanical systems dominate the world in sensing technology; they are common in smartphone, automotive, aerospace, and military applications. However, this multibillion dollar industry has failed to make chem/bio sensing profitable, mostly due to the absence of a robust and compact read-out technology for sensing in liquids. This project is expected to lead to a unified parallel sensing platform of ultimate sensitivity delivering aqueous sensing for wide ranging applications and markets.Read moreRead less
Synthesis, characterisation, and applications of atomically thin layers of transition metal oxides and dichalcogenides. The project will explore the key fundamental properties of atomically-thin layers of functional materials made of transition metal oxides and dichalcogenides. By reducing the thickness of these materials to only a few atomic layers, the project will create novel electronic properties that are otherwise not exhibited. The aims are to understand layer-dependent changes to their p ....Synthesis, characterisation, and applications of atomically thin layers of transition metal oxides and dichalcogenides. The project will explore the key fundamental properties of atomically-thin layers of functional materials made of transition metal oxides and dichalcogenides. By reducing the thickness of these materials to only a few atomic layers, the project will create novel electronic properties that are otherwise not exhibited. The aims are to understand layer-dependent changes to their physical and chemical properties; to control and tune such properties by altering crystal structure and composition; and to investigate the effect of mixed-layer heterostructure configurations on these characteristics. The fundamental insights gained will serve as the driver for the next generation nanotechnology-enabled electronics and sensing systems.Read moreRead less
Multilayer thin film memristors: designing interfaces and defect states in perovskites for nanoscale multi-state memories. This project will explore memristive devices, a frontier electronic memory technology, where the memory element's behaviour depends on its prior electronic experiences. This project will attempt to understand the processes that govern the storage and recall of information, to realise functional materials and interfaces that maximise memristive performance.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100023
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Flexible transparent oxides – the future of electronics is clear. This project aims to support the development of flexible electronic devices incorporating the functional properties of oxide thin films. Oxide thin films require high processing temperatures, which are incompatible with flexible substrates. This project seeks to provide a solution by using a novel transfer process that allows oxides to be combined with flexible polymer substrates. Applications in sensing under the influence of hea ....Flexible transparent oxides – the future of electronics is clear. This project aims to support the development of flexible electronic devices incorporating the functional properties of oxide thin films. Oxide thin films require high processing temperatures, which are incompatible with flexible substrates. This project seeks to provide a solution by using a novel transfer process that allows oxides to be combined with flexible polymer substrates. Applications in sensing under the influence of heat, gas, and light will be studied. This project will potentially create devices that can be conformally applied to surfaces or worn on a person to act as low-cost sensors for toxic gases or ultraviolet radiation.Read moreRead less