Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101721
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Probing the excited states of organic semiconductor systems with photoinduced absorption spectroscopy. Plastic semiconductors have the potential to revolutionise consumer electronics by enabling cheap, flexible and low power devices. The success of these devices depends on our understanding of the optical and electronic properties of the materials, which this project aims to address through the use of photoinduced absorption spectroscopy.
Early-Stage Medical Diagnostics by Plasmon-Mediated Gas Sensing. This project will investigate the use plasmonic absorption of light in metal nanostructures to activate the selective oxidation/reduction of a gas molecule on a semiconductor nanoparticle. This concept will be used with the aim of developing a sensing technique capable of measuring ultra-low concentrations (ppb) of breath markers for lung cancer detection. It is expected that porous sensing films of semiconductor and metal nanopart ....Early-Stage Medical Diagnostics by Plasmon-Mediated Gas Sensing. This project will investigate the use plasmonic absorption of light in metal nanostructures to activate the selective oxidation/reduction of a gas molecule on a semiconductor nanoparticle. This concept will be used with the aim of developing a sensing technique capable of measuring ultra-low concentrations (ppb) of breath markers for lung cancer detection. It is expected that porous sensing films of semiconductor and metal nanoparticles with well-defined light absorption properties will be fabricated. Superior selectivity will be achieved by matching the wavelength of the absorbed light with the required activation energy for oxidation/reduction. Successful outcomes will enable multi-analyte fingerprint identification by on-chip devices with applications ranging from portable medical diagnostics to national security.Read moreRead less
Electronic properties of diamondlike carbon for applications in planar optical waveguides. This project will explore new applications of diamondlike carbon in the area of integrated optics for telecommunications systems. Diamondlike carbon offers opportunities to create novel electro-optic devices owing to its high refractive index and its ability to be deposited directly onto silicon substrates. This project will conduct a thorough study of the electronic properties of diamondlike carbon depo ....Electronic properties of diamondlike carbon for applications in planar optical waveguides. This project will explore new applications of diamondlike carbon in the area of integrated optics for telecommunications systems. Diamondlike carbon offers opportunities to create novel electro-optic devices owing to its high refractive index and its ability to be deposited directly onto silicon substrates. This project will conduct a thorough study of the electronic properties of diamondlike carbon deposited by two techniques and develop potential niche applications in the $5 billion integrated optical telecommunications devices. The work will combine fundamental studies of thin film electronic properties with leading edge industry applications of technology and provide an excellent research training opportunity.Read moreRead less
Quantum coherence of electronic transport in layered magnetoresistive materials. The continued rapid expansion of information technology requires new materials and devices for information storage. State of the art computer memories are based on new materials which consist of layers of complex arrays of atoms. These materials have metallic properties quite unlike those of simple metals such as copper and steel. This research will lead to a greater understanding of and ability to design better ma ....Quantum coherence of electronic transport in layered magnetoresistive materials. The continued rapid expansion of information technology requires new materials and devices for information storage. State of the art computer memories are based on new materials which consist of layers of complex arrays of atoms. These materials have metallic properties quite unlike those of simple metals such as copper and steel. This research will lead to a greater understanding of and ability to design better materials. Australia's capacity for research and development in this scientifically challenging and technologically important field will be enhanced by this project. Read moreRead less
Sensing single electrons with single molecules. The focus of this project is on optical detection of single electron transport in solids and in large/bio molecules. Successful experimental demonstration of the proposed technique will considerably enhance Australia's standing in high profile areas of natural sciences. In practical terms, it can contribute to development of new generation solar cells, artificial photosynthetic centres, and a new generation of nanoprobes for biomedical application ....Sensing single electrons with single molecules. The focus of this project is on optical detection of single electron transport in solids and in large/bio molecules. Successful experimental demonstration of the proposed technique will considerably enhance Australia's standing in high profile areas of natural sciences. In practical terms, it can contribute to development of new generation solar cells, artificial photosynthetic centres, and a new generation of nanoprobes for biomedical applications. Because the single-molecule technique is a new and dynamic field, opportunities exist for significant commercial property development. The project will also train a number of students in several fields of high technology, all of which are likely to have high demand in the future.Read moreRead less
Ultraprecise sensing with microcavity optomechanics. New technologies will be developed to observe nanoscale motion with light confined on a silicon chip. Based on advances in integrated photonics and nanofabrication, these technologies will enable microscale magnetic field, mass, and gas sensing with precision surpassing today’s state-of-the-art. Important proof-of-principle applications will be realised, including ultrasensitive monitoring of greenhouse emissions, hydrogen absorption into fuel ....Ultraprecise sensing with microcavity optomechanics. New technologies will be developed to observe nanoscale motion with light confined on a silicon chip. Based on advances in integrated photonics and nanofabrication, these technologies will enable microscale magnetic field, mass, and gas sensing with precision surpassing today’s state-of-the-art. Important proof-of-principle applications will be realised, including ultrasensitive monitoring of greenhouse emissions, hydrogen absorption into fuel cell materials, space communication technologies, and magnetic resonance techniques for diagnosis of disease and airport security. The capacity to observe microscopic processes with record precision will further enable fundamental studies in areas such as condensed matter physics and photosynthesis.Read moreRead less
Quantum Nanoscience. This project will deliver a new Australian capability in the core nanotechnology of quantum electromechanical systems. Nanotechnology is a suite of techniques and processes to create new materials and devices through complex processing of constituents at the nanoscale and, in the case of quantum electromechanical systems, even with moving parts. At the nanoscale, quantum principles apply. New nano-fabrication methods are now available to build nano-electromechanical systems ....Quantum Nanoscience. This project will deliver a new Australian capability in the core nanotechnology of quantum electromechanical systems. Nanotechnology is a suite of techniques and processes to create new materials and devices through complex processing of constituents at the nanoscale and, in the case of quantum electromechanical systems, even with moving parts. At the nanoscale, quantum principles apply. New nano-fabrication methods are now available to build nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS), integrated with electronics and nano optics and cooled into the quantum regime. Quantum electromechanical systems (QEMS) enable new sensors with ultimate sensitivity limited only by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, with applications in photonics, metrology and bio molecular imaging.Read moreRead less
Optomechanical refrigeration of electronic circuits. The project aims to apply laser light to reduce the temperature of electronic circuits. This aims to greatly suppress electronic noise, and enable a new class of technologies for future telecommunication systems. By developing new techniques to confine light, electric fields and vibrations at sub-micron scale on a silicon chip, devices such as ultralow noise amplifiers, clocks and radio frequency receivers will be realised, along with ultra-ef ....Optomechanical refrigeration of electronic circuits. The project aims to apply laser light to reduce the temperature of electronic circuits. This aims to greatly suppress electronic noise, and enable a new class of technologies for future telecommunication systems. By developing new techniques to confine light, electric fields and vibrations at sub-micron scale on a silicon chip, devices such as ultralow noise amplifiers, clocks and radio frequency receivers will be realised, along with ultra-efficient optical modulators. In future, these technologies could reduce energy consumption and improve reliability in telecommunication networks. They could improve the range of satellite communication, robustness of GPS against cosmic radiation, and performance of surveillance systems such as radar and sonar.Read moreRead less
Biomolecular optoelectronic materials and devices. The melanins are the molecules in our skin, eyes and hair that provide colour and protection from the sun. In addition to being important bio-molecules, they have properties which make them useful for high tech applications especially in electronics and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these fascinating materials is poor. In our project we aim to solve this limiting problem. We will develop new science to explain thei ....Biomolecular optoelectronic materials and devices. The melanins are the molecules in our skin, eyes and hair that provide colour and protection from the sun. In addition to being important bio-molecules, they have properties which make them useful for high tech applications especially in electronics and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these fascinating materials is poor. In our project we aim to solve this limiting problem. We will develop new science to explain their behaviour, and use this knowledge to create bio-compatible hi-tech materials and devices. We anticipate significant benefits from the perspectives of basic science and utilisation of biomaterials for new green technologies.Read moreRead less
Next generation lasers for short-reach optical fibre communication. This project aims to develop next-generation laser systems for multimode fibre-optic communication systems, by leveraging recently developed techniques for measuring and controlling the spatial properties of light. These techniques will provide new insights into the physics of the lasers themselves, as well as overcoming fundamental limitations which have traditionally hindered their operation at high speed. The expected outcome ....Next generation lasers for short-reach optical fibre communication. This project aims to develop next-generation laser systems for multimode fibre-optic communication systems, by leveraging recently developed techniques for measuring and controlling the spatial properties of light. These techniques will provide new insights into the physics of the lasers themselves, as well as overcoming fundamental limitations which have traditionally hindered their operation at high speed. The expected outcome of this project is the inclusion of these techniques in the development and operation of future generations of fibre communication systems. Creating new classes of laser systems, which can scale to large bit rates, will enable the growth in this area to be sustained into the future.Read moreRead less