Australia’s first direct-detection dark matter search, at Stawell Gold Mine. This project aims to develop an underground integrated laboratory at Stawell Gold Mine in Victoria to host the Southern Hemisphere's first-ever direct-detection dark matter experiment. Following the Higgs boson discovery, the direct detection of dark matter is seen as the next major challenge for particle physics. This project sees Australian physicists team up with local and international partners in research and indus ....Australia’s first direct-detection dark matter search, at Stawell Gold Mine. This project aims to develop an underground integrated laboratory at Stawell Gold Mine in Victoria to host the Southern Hemisphere's first-ever direct-detection dark matter experiment. Following the Higgs boson discovery, the direct detection of dark matter is seen as the next major challenge for particle physics. This project sees Australian physicists team up with local and international partners in research and industry to join the search for dark matter. This Australian experiment aims to help to confirm or deny current results from Northern Hemisphere experiments. As the mine nears the end of its working life as a gold mine, this project is expected to benefit the local economy and provide opportunities for education and outreach.Read moreRead less
Predicting Space Weather Using Solar Radio Bursts. Australia's scientific standing and expertise will be enhanced in the fields of space weather, space physics, plasma physics, and complex systems by the new prediction methods and scientific discoveries expected. Better predictions will increase the utility of Ionospheric Prediction Service reports to customers in defence (better communications) and satellite operations (improved survivability), industry (reduced infrastructure damage), and els ....Predicting Space Weather Using Solar Radio Bursts. Australia's scientific standing and expertise will be enhanced in the fields of space weather, space physics, plasma physics, and complex systems by the new prediction methods and scientific discoveries expected. Better predictions will increase the utility of Ionospheric Prediction Service reports to customers in defence (better communications) and satellite operations (improved survivability), industry (reduced infrastructure damage), and elsewhere. Australia's research base will be strengthened by high-level training of Research Associates and students, while its scientific infrastructure and role in international space efforts will be enhanced.Read moreRead less
Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden o ....Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden of annually half a billion dollars on the Australian health budget. Controlling and reducing wear debris in prosthesis joints would reduce these costs and improve patients' quality of life.Read moreRead less
Power scaling of remote plasma sources for gallium nitride film growth with real-time monitoring of activated nitrogen species. Domestic, industrial and community lighting currently accounts for ~20% of the world's overall energy consumption. Commonly used incandescent lights are based on inefficient, century-old technologies. In contrast, light emitting diodes (LEDs) use ~80% less energy and last ~100 times longer. LED deployment will bring substantial economic and environmental benefits for Au ....Power scaling of remote plasma sources for gallium nitride film growth with real-time monitoring of activated nitrogen species. Domestic, industrial and community lighting currently accounts for ~20% of the world's overall energy consumption. Commonly used incandescent lights are based on inefficient, century-old technologies. In contrast, light emitting diodes (LEDs) use ~80% less energy and last ~100 times longer. LED deployment will bring substantial economic and environmental benefits for Australia and globally. Next generation high-efficiency LEDs for lighting, will operate with reduced energy consumption, thus contributing to reaching future national targets for CO2 emission reduction. This project will achieve reduced production cost of a key LED material, and will support Australia's leadership in a growing global semiconductor manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less
New ultraviolet light sources for the disinfection of drinking water and re-cycled waste-water. The disinfection of municipal drinking-water supplies and treatment of waste-water by exposure to high-power ultraviolet (UV) light is now a practical alternative to chlorination. UV light can kill or sterilize the micro-organisms that pose a health hazard through highly selective photo-biological reactions that disrupt the microbial DNA. The aim of this project is to research and develop new 'germici ....New ultraviolet light sources for the disinfection of drinking water and re-cycled waste-water. The disinfection of municipal drinking-water supplies and treatment of waste-water by exposure to high-power ultraviolet (UV) light is now a practical alternative to chlorination. UV light can kill or sterilize the micro-organisms that pose a health hazard through highly selective photo-biological reactions that disrupt the microbial DNA. The aim of this project is to research and develop new 'germicidal' UV light sources based on Barrier Discharge lamps, operating in novel excitation regimes, to yield high UV efficiency. Successful demonstration of the technology will provide solutions to the growing economic and environmental challenges relating to water conservation within Australia. Read moreRead less
New generation evacuated glazing for emissions reduction in the built environment. Energy consumption in buildings now rivals that of transport and agriculture. A new collaboration between the University of Sydney (inventor of evacuated glazing) and world leading glazing manufacturer, VELUX, will deliver new vacuum insulated windows made from toughened glass that will offer both safety and record performance.
Plasma processes for optimising the performance of surfaces for biomedical applications. Australia faces a number of pressing problems in health care, including an aging population, environmental damage control and national security, which can be addressed, in part, by effectively interface synthetic materials surfaces with biological systems. Examples of technologies relying on such functional interfaces include implantable medical devices and prostheses, enzymatic conversion of chemicals and w ....Plasma processes for optimising the performance of surfaces for biomedical applications. Australia faces a number of pressing problems in health care, including an aging population, environmental damage control and national security, which can be addressed, in part, by effectively interface synthetic materials surfaces with biological systems. Examples of technologies relying on such functional interfaces include implantable medical devices and prostheses, enzymatic conversion of chemicals and waste, as well as diagnostic arrays and biosensors. The new understanding of fundamental surface properties driving these interactions, together with the new surface modification processes developed in this project, will drive new technologies in these important areas.Read moreRead less
Diamond-based Ultra Violet (UV)-emitting devices. The development of UV-emitting solid state devices will enable new applications and drive rapid growth of new industries in particular in health care (sterilisation), microelectronics (lithography) and high-density data storage. With its deep expertise in photonics, Australia is well positioned to become a significant player in these industries. This collaborative project, involving academic and industrial partners, seeks to leverage Australian s ....Diamond-based Ultra Violet (UV)-emitting devices. The development of UV-emitting solid state devices will enable new applications and drive rapid growth of new industries in particular in health care (sterilisation), microelectronics (lithography) and high-density data storage. With its deep expertise in photonics, Australia is well positioned to become a significant player in these industries. This collaborative project, involving academic and industrial partners, seeks to leverage Australian scientific expertise to create new hybrid diamond/nitride structures potentially capable of emitting UV-radiation with high-efficiency and power. The outcomes will help seed new industry and economic growth in Australia.Read moreRead less
Exploring the Fundamentals of Atomically Precise Manufacturing with Scanning Probe Microscopes. Over the past five years, Australian researchers have pioneered the development of a new method for fabricating electrical devices in silicon with atomic precision. By partnering with the world leader in nanotechnology manufacturing, these same researchers now have an opportunity to extend Australia's early lead in this area. The proposed research will lead to new capabilities for Australia within the ....Exploring the Fundamentals of Atomically Precise Manufacturing with Scanning Probe Microscopes. Over the past five years, Australian researchers have pioneered the development of a new method for fabricating electrical devices in silicon with atomic precision. By partnering with the world leader in nanotechnology manufacturing, these same researchers now have an opportunity to extend Australia's early lead in this area. The proposed research will lead to new capabilities for Australia within the growing field of electro-mechanical devices. It will strengthen and broaden Australia's leadership in atomic-scale device fabrication in silicon. It will assist world-leading Australian researchers to evaluate and prioritise the commercial potential of their technologies.Read moreRead less
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SILICON ON SAPPHIRE THIN FILMS GROWN USING SOLID-PHASE EPITAXIAL TECHNIQUES. Devices based on silicon-on-sapphire processing are potentially faster and are prepared with fewer processing steps than those based on conventional silicon processing technology. However, silicon-on-sapphire films prepared by traditional methods are unsatisfactory due to the high densities of defects they contain. The development of solid phase epitaxial processing has lead to significant increas ....STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF SILICON ON SAPPHIRE THIN FILMS GROWN USING SOLID-PHASE EPITAXIAL TECHNIQUES. Devices based on silicon-on-sapphire processing are potentially faster and are prepared with fewer processing steps than those based on conventional silicon processing technology. However, silicon-on-sapphire films prepared by traditional methods are unsatisfactory due to the high densities of defects they contain. The development of solid phase epitaxial processing has lead to significant increases in performance. This project will characterize the structures of films grown by this new process, and relate them to both the processing conditions and device performance. A greater understanding of the relationship between processing, structure and properties will assist the commercial development of these devices.Read moreRead less