Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100714
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,000.00
Summary
Shaping light – new frontiers in big fast data. This project aims to address the need for new technologies to tackle the bandwidth overload. Because of the basic human desire to communicate and interact, our society has an exponentially growing Internet data demand. The data capacity crunch is imminent. Data demand is rapidly approaching the nonlinear Shannon limit which governs the maximum data capacity of single-mode optical fibres. Bandwidth limitations may have severe implications for societ ....Shaping light – new frontiers in big fast data. This project aims to address the need for new technologies to tackle the bandwidth overload. Because of the basic human desire to communicate and interact, our society has an exponentially growing Internet data demand. The data capacity crunch is imminent. Data demand is rapidly approaching the nonlinear Shannon limit which governs the maximum data capacity of single-mode optical fibres. Bandwidth limitations may have severe implications for society and economy. This project aims to develop chip-scale mode-multiplexers based on innovative 3D integrated photonics and combine them with optical gain to shape light for space-division multiplexed optical communication networks. This is designed to break through the data capacity limit that currently prevents growth in Internet data rates.Read moreRead less
Liquid light: aqueous bio-sensing in microstructured polymer optical fibres. This project builds on Australia's world-leading position in the development of microstructured polymer optical fibres, and applies the unique benefits they provide to for ultra- sensitive bio-sensing. By using the microstructure to simultaneously confine light and liquid, microstructured optical fibres provide a unique platform for ultra-sensitive spectroscopy and structural studies of biomolecules in solution. The wor ....Liquid light: aqueous bio-sensing in microstructured polymer optical fibres. This project builds on Australia's world-leading position in the development of microstructured polymer optical fibres, and applies the unique benefits they provide to for ultra- sensitive bio-sensing. By using the microstructure to simultaneously confine light and liquid, microstructured optical fibres provide a unique platform for ultra-sensitive spectroscopy and structural studies of biomolecules in solution. The work has profound implications both for fundamental science and applications, particularly in medical diagnostics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100509
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$436,482.00
Summary
Going Fourth: ruling light with pure-quartic solitons. This project aims to develop a novel integrated high-energy light source through the combination of nanoscience and optics. The core research of this project addresses the energy limitation inherent to the current technology which has hindered its use in real applications. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, with publication in world-class scientific journals, and disruptive technological capabilities in miniaturized photonics. The expe ....Going Fourth: ruling light with pure-quartic solitons. This project aims to develop a novel integrated high-energy light source through the combination of nanoscience and optics. The core research of this project addresses the energy limitation inherent to the current technology which has hindered its use in real applications. Expected outcomes include new knowledge, with publication in world-class scientific journals, and disruptive technological capabilities in miniaturized photonics. The expected benefit is to generate high-energy pulses from a battery powered micro-chip that could enhance spectroscopy sensing devices for real-world applications, outside laboratories. This project will strengthen Australian capabilities and expertise in cutting-edge nanotechnology and photonics.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A femtosecond Mmd-IR optical parametric amplifier source for waveguide nonlinear optics. The mid-infrared is an immensely important region of the optical spectrum for sensing toxic or illicit molecules or pollutants using their spectral fingerprints. The equipment will facilitate the development of new techniques for sensing based on nonlinear processes in waveguides.
Microwave-modulated optical systems for free-space and undersea communications. Although offering flexible, rapid deployment, free space and underwater comunications have not kept up with progress in optical fibre communications, and current systems are signficantly restricted in range and data rate. To address these needs, we will develop novel laser systems using coherent detection, with infrared output for eyesafe transmission in air, and blue-green output for transmission underwater. The s ....Microwave-modulated optical systems for free-space and undersea communications. Although offering flexible, rapid deployment, free space and underwater comunications have not kept up with progress in optical fibre communications, and current systems are signficantly restricted in range and data rate. To address these needs, we will develop novel laser systems using coherent detection, with infrared output for eyesafe transmission in air, and blue-green output for transmission underwater. The signal is a microwave modulation on the optical carrier, which permits longer-range transmission while maintaining signal coherence. Key advantages include increased detection sensitivity, and potential to scale up the modulation frequency and the power for higher data rates and longer propagation distance.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100791
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,536.00
Summary
Identification of optically efficient erbium centres in silicon. An efficient and economical light source, an essential component for silicon integrated photonics, is still missing. This project aims to identify optically efficient erbium centres in silicon materials that are compatible with the cost-effective silicon integration technology. This project also aims to advance the microscopic study of erbium in silicon to a single-atom level and establish the essential link for optimising light em ....Identification of optically efficient erbium centres in silicon. An efficient and economical light source, an essential component for silicon integrated photonics, is still missing. This project aims to identify optically efficient erbium centres in silicon materials that are compatible with the cost-effective silicon integration technology. This project also aims to advance the microscopic study of erbium in silicon to a single-atom level and establish the essential link for optimising light emission between the microscopic structure and the optical transition. The expected outcomes are optically efficient erbium centres in silicon, which will speed up the material optimisation process and advance the development of silicon integrated photonics in Australia.Read moreRead less
Metal dielectric microstructures: Tuneable metamaterials to medical devices. This project aims to demonstrate tuneable metamaterials fabricated economically and in volume. Tuneability is sought after and difficult to realise. This project will switch a metamaterial from metallic to dielectric behaviour, and dynamically vary the magnification of a hyperlens. To do this, it will create a micro/nanofabrication technology platform with potential widespread uses in high technology manufacturing. It e ....Metal dielectric microstructures: Tuneable metamaterials to medical devices. This project aims to demonstrate tuneable metamaterials fabricated economically and in volume. Tuneability is sought after and difficult to realise. This project will switch a metamaterial from metallic to dielectric behaviour, and dynamically vary the magnification of a hyperlens. To do this, it will create a micro/nanofabrication technology platform with potential widespread uses in high technology manufacturing. It expects to improve multi-modal neural interfaces for optogenetic research and implantable biomedical devices such as cochlear implants.Read moreRead less
Hollow-core microstructured polymer fibres for optical sensing applications. A range of remarkable new optical fibres will be fabricated utilising the capabilities of a unique polymer fibre fabrication facility and focussing on the highly demanding class of microstructured fibres in which guidance in a hollow core is achieved through photonic band gap or Bragg guidance. Long lengths of low-loss fibres of this type will be developed, and applications in optical gas sensing, spectroscopy, voltage ....Hollow-core microstructured polymer fibres for optical sensing applications. A range of remarkable new optical fibres will be fabricated utilising the capabilities of a unique polymer fibre fabrication facility and focussing on the highly demanding class of microstructured fibres in which guidance in a hollow core is achieved through photonic band gap or Bragg guidance. Long lengths of low-loss fibres of this type will be developed, and applications in optical gas sensing, spectroscopy, voltage sensing and telecommunications will be explored.Read moreRead less
Enabling next-generation high-efficiency visible laser sources through advanced waveguide engineering. Lithium niobate has the potential to become the silicon of the optoelectronic industry. In order to realise its potential, fundamental problems associated with long term stability and cost of integration need to be solved. This project will develop a new hybrid fabrication platform that circumvents the traditional approaches pursued in the past for introducing waveguides into a lithium niobate ....Enabling next-generation high-efficiency visible laser sources through advanced waveguide engineering. Lithium niobate has the potential to become the silicon of the optoelectronic industry. In order to realise its potential, fundamental problems associated with long term stability and cost of integration need to be solved. This project will develop a new hybrid fabrication platform that circumvents the traditional approaches pursued in the past for introducing waveguides into a lithium niobate chip. This platform will enable the production of robust, low cost light sources for fields as diverse as biotechnology, environmental sensing and displays. This project will lead to new IP that will establish Australia as a leader in this field.Read moreRead less
Laser Micro-Fabrication of Optoelectronic Devices. The project aims to develop new techniques of laser direct-write fabrication of microstructures (1-100 micron in size) in crystalline materials, and to apply these to fabricating periodically-poled nonlinear crystals for optical frequency conversion. These techniques will use laser ablative surface profiling with subsequent electric field poling, and a completely new process of laser temperature profiling with simultaneous field poling, to writ ....Laser Micro-Fabrication of Optoelectronic Devices. The project aims to develop new techniques of laser direct-write fabrication of microstructures (1-100 micron in size) in crystalline materials, and to apply these to fabricating periodically-poled nonlinear crystals for optical frequency conversion. These techniques will use laser ablative surface profiling with subsequent electric field poling, and a completely new process of laser temperature profiling with simultaneous field poling, to write periodic domains in lithium niobate. Such laser direct-write processing is well suited to rapid prototyping and will enable investigation of novel periodically-poled structures, for example, chirped, fanned and multiplexed structures for nonlinear spectral and temporal conversion.Read moreRead less