Ultrafast photonic hammer: A new strategy to synthesise super-dense super-hard nanomaterials. We will develop a new way for laboratory synthesis of new classes of super-hard and super-dense materials at and above the extremely high temperature and density range currently accessible only in nuclear explosions. The ability of ultra-fast laser-induced phase transformations will be exploited aiming to form materials with exotic properties, which are theoretically predicted, but has not experimental ....Ultrafast photonic hammer: A new strategy to synthesise super-dense super-hard nanomaterials. We will develop a new way for laboratory synthesis of new classes of super-hard and super-dense materials at and above the extremely high temperature and density range currently accessible only in nuclear explosions. The ability of ultra-fast laser-induced phase transformations will be exploited aiming to form materials with exotic properties, which are theoretically predicted, but has not experimentally confirmed yet. Our new approach will have a profound interdisciplinary impact. The project will deliver underpinning knowledge, foremost practical expertise, and the prominent training of young researchers to secure Australia's international position among the leaders in the rapidly growing and competitive field of nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Optical-spin coupling in the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. Australia has made investment in the developing area of quantum information processing where information is stored and processed by manipulating the spin states in solids. One of the most promising materials for this purpose is diamond incorporating nitrogen-vacancy colour centres. The appeal with this material is that the processing can be faster and components smaller as the spins can be controlled by laser beams. This project in ....Optical-spin coupling in the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. Australia has made investment in the developing area of quantum information processing where information is stored and processed by manipulating the spin states in solids. One of the most promising materials for this purpose is diamond incorporating nitrogen-vacancy colour centres. The appeal with this material is that the processing can be faster and components smaller as the spins can be controlled by laser beams. This project investigates the control of spin with light to obtain optimum performance.Read moreRead less
Investigating the behaviour of semiconductor materials under extreme pressures. The study of materials at extreme pressures is important and interesting from both a technological and a fundamental perspective. This project will significantly advance the understanding of how semiconductors react to high-pressure environments by exploiting new and innovative approaches to both the application of the extreme pressure and the in-situ measurement of the resultant structures. It will establish a compr ....Investigating the behaviour of semiconductor materials under extreme pressures. The study of materials at extreme pressures is important and interesting from both a technological and a fundamental perspective. This project will significantly advance the understanding of how semiconductors react to high-pressure environments by exploiting new and innovative approaches to both the application of the extreme pressure and the in-situ measurement of the resultant structures. It will establish a comprehensive understanding of the deformation behaviour of semiconductors that will be essential in the search for advanced materials with entirely new properties that may be useful in semiconducting device applications.Read moreRead less
Swift Heavy Ion Tracks in Semiconductors and Insulators: New Insights using Synchrotron Scattering Experiments. The proposed research will broaden the domestic knowledge base and enhance the national research profile in an important cross-disciplinary and technologically-relevant field with a potential high impact in areas with considerable national activity. It will train young scientists, particularly in the use of two national facilities: the Australian Synchrotron and the ANU Heavy-Ion Accel ....Swift Heavy Ion Tracks in Semiconductors and Insulators: New Insights using Synchrotron Scattering Experiments. The proposed research will broaden the domestic knowledge base and enhance the national research profile in an important cross-disciplinary and technologically-relevant field with a potential high impact in areas with considerable national activity. It will train young scientists, particularly in the use of two national facilities: the Australian Synchrotron and the ANU Heavy-Ion Accelerator facility. Furthermore, domestic capabilities in materials characterization will be bolstered and the collaboration with overseas investigators will facilitate mutually beneficial transfer of expertise. The proposal is consistent with National Research Priority 3 and the Priority Goals: Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. Read moreRead less
The development of inexpensive negatively charged films to increase the efficiency of commercial solar cells. This project aims to reduce the cost of solar electricity by developing inexpensive, negatively charged dielectric films. When deposited on the surfaces of commercial solar cells, these films will significantly increase cell efficiency, thereby producing more power from a given area.
Nanoclusters with Extraordinary Properties Made out of Ordinary Materials. Ultrafast laser deposition - a process pioneered by the Applicants - has already demonstrated record yields in the production of carbon-based nano-clustered materials with better control over the size of the nano-particles than any other process. This project aims to improve fundamental understanding of the ultra-fast laser deposition method of nano-fabrication through theoretical and experimental studies, which accurate ....Nanoclusters with Extraordinary Properties Made out of Ordinary Materials. Ultrafast laser deposition - a process pioneered by the Applicants - has already demonstrated record yields in the production of carbon-based nano-clustered materials with better control over the size of the nano-particles than any other process. This project aims to improve fundamental understanding of the ultra-fast laser deposition method of nano-fabrication through theoretical and experimental studies, which accurately correlate the ablation conditions to the structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of resulting nano-particles. The results will be applied to efficiently produce nano-clustered materials with tuneable properties for a wide range of new technologies such as spintronics, biophotonics, and nanoclinics.Read moreRead less
High-energy electron scattering of surfaces: new spectroscopies and new physics. Electrons sometimes behave as particles, and sometimes as waves. Both aspects are used when investigating nano-structures with electron beams. In this research program we design and perform experiments to measure sample composition using the particle nature, and the atom positions by using the wave nature of electrons. These novel experiments, using unique spectrometers designed and developed in Australia, are aime ....High-energy electron scattering of surfaces: new spectroscopies and new physics. Electrons sometimes behave as particles, and sometimes as waves. Both aspects are used when investigating nano-structures with electron beams. In this research program we design and perform experiments to measure sample composition using the particle nature, and the atom positions by using the wave nature of electrons. These novel experiments, using unique spectrometers designed and developed in Australia, are aimed at making new forms of electron microscopy possible, but will also result in a better understanding of existing electron microscopies and synchrotron-based measurements.Read moreRead less
Atomic-Scale Identification of Amorphization and Relaxation Processes in Compound Semiconductors. We seek a fundamental understanding of the processes that govern implantation-induced structure, at the nanometer scale, in the compound semiconductors used in photonic device fabrication. Since implantation-induced disorder limits the performance of such devices, the proposed project is of substantial technological significance and national benefit. The Photon Science techniques of perturbed angu ....Atomic-Scale Identification of Amorphization and Relaxation Processes in Compound Semiconductors. We seek a fundamental understanding of the processes that govern implantation-induced structure, at the nanometer scale, in the compound semiconductors used in photonic device fabrication. Since implantation-induced disorder limits the performance of such devices, the proposed project is of substantial technological significance and national benefit. The Photon Science techniques of perturbed angular correlation and extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy will be used to identify the mechanism of amorphisation and relaxation in order to enable more effective exploitation of compound semiconductors in advanced telecommunications systems.Read moreRead less
Charge transport and trapping in high-k dielectric films containing self-assembled nanocrystals. Growth in the use of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPods, MP3-players and personal digital assistants (PDA's) has resulted in increased demand for low-power, high-density Flash memory. However, existing memory devices are difficult to scale to smaller dimensions and lower power without severely compromising reliability. This project will investigate the synthesis and properties ....Charge transport and trapping in high-k dielectric films containing self-assembled nanocrystals. Growth in the use of portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPods, MP3-players and personal digital assistants (PDA's) has resulted in increased demand for low-power, high-density Flash memory. However, existing memory devices are difficult to scale to smaller dimensions and lower power without severely compromising reliability. This project will investigate the synthesis and properties of a new class of materials that have the potential to overcome these limitations. Read moreRead less
The effect of stress on the production and evolution of defects in ion-implanted silicon. This project aims to improve the reliability of semiconductor devices by understanding how stresses created within the device during processing affect the formation and migration of defects, and by using this information to improve device modelling and process simulation.