Mapping electronic structure and material properties with atomic resolution. This project will use electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to map the bonding and electronic structure of InGaN quantum wells at the atomic scale. We will measure and correlate the local composition, strain and electronic structure variations within the wells in order to understand the optical emission in this system. The characterisation tools developed will allow us to go beyond measuring structure and composition ....Mapping electronic structure and material properties with atomic resolution. This project will use electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to map the bonding and electronic structure of InGaN quantum wells at the atomic scale. We will measure and correlate the local composition, strain and electronic structure variations within the wells in order to understand the optical emission in this system. The characterisation tools developed will allow us to go beyond measuring structure and composition and map properties of nano-materials at the atomic scale.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL100100099
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,340,409.00
Summary
An accelerating journey to the new era of Petabyte optical memory systems. Optical data storage is one of the core aspects of optical information technology which has been globally recognised as one of the next generation high-technology areas that can boost our economy for sustainable development. However, the emergence of blue ray or high-definition DVDs has identified that current optical data storage technology will soon approach the limit of the data storage capacity of approximately 100 Gi ....An accelerating journey to the new era of Petabyte optical memory systems. Optical data storage is one of the core aspects of optical information technology which has been globally recognised as one of the next generation high-technology areas that can boost our economy for sustainable development. However, the emergence of blue ray or high-definition DVDs has identified that current optical data storage technology will soon approach the limit of the data storage capacity of approximately 100 Gigabytes. The ground-breaking Petabyte data storage technology we will research will result in the storage capacity of 10,000 DVDs in one disc and thus underpin every sector of our modern life such as remote education, portable banking, global e-security and telemedicine as well as lead to enormous economic benefits in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100810
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,450.00
Summary
Optical tweezers for bio-nanotechnologies. This project aims to develop a platform of diamond nanosensors and novel optical tweezers for probing cellular processes with single-molecule resolution, in vivo and over physiologically relevant time scales. In biomedicine, long-term imaging of single-molecules is beyond reach with existing bio-labels. The project combines the superior properties of nanodiamond biomarkers (brightness, stability, small size and non-toxicity), with new optical tweezers w ....Optical tweezers for bio-nanotechnologies. This project aims to develop a platform of diamond nanosensors and novel optical tweezers for probing cellular processes with single-molecule resolution, in vivo and over physiologically relevant time scales. In biomedicine, long-term imaging of single-molecules is beyond reach with existing bio-labels. The project combines the superior properties of nanodiamond biomarkers (brightness, stability, small size and non-toxicity), with new optical tweezers which exploit laser trapping of atoms to manipulate nanodiamonds in three-dimensional biological environments. By accessing smaller size and higher force regimes, the platform will improve bio-imaging and bio-manipulation techniques, and potentially advance pathogentracking and early detection of diseases.Read moreRead less
Novel 2-photon atom manipulation for ultra-nanoscale processing of diamond. There is intense interest in exploiting diamond's remarkable properties in many fields of science and technology, but fabricating and processing devices remains a major challenge. This project will build on previous work, using a recently discovered novel laser-induced surface phenomenon that enables, for the first time for any material, the exciting prospect of using light to manipulate surface atoms with atomic precis ....Novel 2-photon atom manipulation for ultra-nanoscale processing of diamond. There is intense interest in exploiting diamond's remarkable properties in many fields of science and technology, but fabricating and processing devices remains a major challenge. This project will build on previous work, using a recently discovered novel laser-induced surface phenomenon that enables, for the first time for any material, the exciting prospect of using light to manipulate surface atoms with atomic precision. This project aims to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning the optical interaction to reveal its full potential and use it to address key problems in diamond nano-device fabrication that lie beyond the reach of current techniques. It is expected that the outcomes will directly enhance Australia's current strengths in diamond-based quantum and photonic technologies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100884
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,000.00
Summary
Integration of Nanoantenna-Enhanced Sensors and Light Sources. Metal nanoparticles are ideal candidates to enhance and modify the radiation of nanoscale light sources. However, research in nano light sources is only just beginning, thus their full potential has not yet been unlocked. This project aims to develop novel nano light sources to control the polarisation-state of emission and to enhance their efficiency and brightness. The project aims to deliver a new technology platform for on-chip i ....Integration of Nanoantenna-Enhanced Sensors and Light Sources. Metal nanoparticles are ideal candidates to enhance and modify the radiation of nanoscale light sources. However, research in nano light sources is only just beginning, thus their full potential has not yet been unlocked. This project aims to develop novel nano light sources to control the polarisation-state of emission and to enhance their efficiency and brightness. The project aims to deliver a new technology platform for on-chip integration of these light sources which is needed to demonstrate real-world applications. This platform will also be used to develop a new class of compact waveguide sensors that are highly sensitive and flexible with a broad range of applications.Read moreRead less
Efficient, directional and spin-controlled nanoscale light sources. This project aims to develop a new class of functional light sources by harnessing the nanoscale interactions between emitters and metallic or dielectric nanoparticles. Understanding of these interactions would lead to efficient energy extraction from emitters to far-field radiation; in addition, new functionalities including highly directional emission, circularly polarised emission, and super-radiance would be realised. The ou ....Efficient, directional and spin-controlled nanoscale light sources. This project aims to develop a new class of functional light sources by harnessing the nanoscale interactions between emitters and metallic or dielectric nanoparticles. Understanding of these interactions would lead to efficient energy extraction from emitters to far-field radiation; in addition, new functionalities including highly directional emission, circularly polarised emission, and super-radiance would be realised. The outcomes of this project are expected to enable unprecedented control of light emission beyond current capabilities and will revolutionise lighting and display technologies. Furthermore the project aims to open new opportunities for the development of bright bio-medical fluorescent markers as well as deterministic sources of quantum light.Read moreRead less
Optically-driven micromachines and microtools. The use of optical forces to trap and manipulate microscopic particles has developed from a novelty into a widely used versatile research tool - optical tweezers. New advances, such as the application and optical measurement of optical torque, have been brought to the brink of practical application. We will apply these methods to the development and production of micromachines of unprecedently small size, and the development of new medical diagnosti ....Optically-driven micromachines and microtools. The use of optical forces to trap and manipulate microscopic particles has developed from a novelty into a widely used versatile research tool - optical tweezers. New advances, such as the application and optical measurement of optical torque, have been brought to the brink of practical application. We will apply these methods to the development and production of micromachines of unprecedently small size, and the development of new medical diagnostic techniques, and industrial and research tools.Read moreRead less
Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cel ....Development of a molecular flash memory for long-term, extremely high-capacity, unpowered data storage. This collaborative project with INTEL will demonstrate an array of Flash-RAM molecular-memory cells capable, at room temperature, of storing a terabit of data on an area of 2 square mm. This data density is more than four orders of magnitude greater than any commercially available technology and unattainable by conventional silicon-based electronics. We will design and optimize the memory cell, develop the synthesis method, synthesize arrays of the memory cells, and develop new molecular addressing technologies.Read moreRead less
Development of a Novel and Quantitative Approach to Phase Imaging with Applications to Functional Nanomaterials. This project will improve and apply an innovative approach to obtaining phase information from electron microscopy images, currently being commercialised by IATIA Ltd. We will develop the approach so that it is fully quantitative, even at the nanoscale, and explore the effect of experimental parameters such as beam coherence, aberrations, specimen contamination and diffraction. We wil ....Development of a Novel and Quantitative Approach to Phase Imaging with Applications to Functional Nanomaterials. This project will improve and apply an innovative approach to obtaining phase information from electron microscopy images, currently being commercialised by IATIA Ltd. We will develop the approach so that it is fully quantitative, even at the nanoscale, and explore the effect of experimental parameters such as beam coherence, aberrations, specimen contamination and diffraction. We will apply the method to both physical and molecular nanomaterials, including a new class of self-organising molecules. Phase imaging can visualise the structures, polarities, charge and conductivity distributions in these materials and so assist in the development of new materials and devices.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453320
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$347,886.00
Summary
Advanced Spectroscopy for Nano-characterisation of Materials Chemistry and Properties. This application proposes to establish a cutting-edge spectroscopic facility which includes; electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), cathodoluminescence (CL), photoluminescence (PL) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Each of the spectrometers to be installed has significantly higher sensitivity and resolution than any other facility available in Australia and is capable ....Advanced Spectroscopy for Nano-characterisation of Materials Chemistry and Properties. This application proposes to establish a cutting-edge spectroscopic facility which includes; electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), cathodoluminescence (CL), photoluminescence (PL) and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Each of the spectrometers to be installed has significantly higher sensitivity and resolution than any other facility available in Australia and is capable of full spectrum imaging. This new spectroscopic infrastructure will enable the knowledge-based development of new materials by allowing complete characterisation of structure-composition-property relationships at the nanometre level.Read moreRead less