Liquid metal provides ‘once-in-a-decade’ advance in 2D material deposition

A variety of methods exist to deposit atomically-thin (two-dimensional) crystals. But large-scale deposition has remained a challenge. However a recent RMIT-led study has found success with a new technique with potential to open new doors for two-dimensional semiconductors. The discovery has been described as a ‘once-in-a-decade’ advance. The new technique introduces room-temperature liquid metals (gallium-based) as a successful reaction environment …

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Studying electronic structure on Berkeley beamlines

FLEET’s mission to create ultra-low energy electronics depends on an improved fundamental understanding of the electronic structure of atomically-thin, two-dimensional materials. We need to understand how electrons in the material interact with each other and also how they move and scatter through the crystal lattice. FLEET researchers using the vacuum ultraviolet the UV beamline 10.0.1 (HERS) at the Advanced Light …

Ingestible smart pill recognised

Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh’s ingestible smart pill could revolutionise prevention and diagnosis of gut disorders/disease, and make a significant difference to the health of as many as one in five Australians who suffer gut disorders. This month the technology won the prestigious 2017 IEEE Sensors Council achievement award in the field of sensors. Read more at RMIT. At RMIT,Prof Kalantar-zadeh is Director …

Study points to better graphene-based biosensors

There is considerable excitement about graphene-based biosensors. In particular, the material’s unique structure and electronic properties offers great potential for rapid, reliable DNA/RNA sensing and sequencing. To date, this potential has been checked by a lack of fundamental understanding of graphene−nucleobase interactions and the origin of measured molecular fingerprints. A recent study has defined key interactions as DNA/RNA nucleobases are …

Materials one atom thick & nanotransistors: FLEET features in nano edition

FLEET features in this month’s annual ‘nano’ edition of the Australian Manufacturing Tech magazine. The article looks at growth of atomically thin and other novel materials and nanofabrication, with a particular focus on partnerships. Atomically thin material projects presented include semiconductor fabrication at RMIT University (Lan Wang) and the University of Wollongong (Xiaoliang Wang) and molecular beam epitaxy (Mark Edmonds …

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Spin gapless semiconductors: promising materials for novel spintronics and dissipationless current flow

A University of Wollongong study has tightened the search for materials that would allow for ultra-fast, ultra-low energy ‘spintronic‘ electronics with no wasted dissipation of energy from electrical conduction. Spintronics is an emerging field of electronic study in which the ‘spin’ of electrons (their intrinsic angular momentum) is used in addition to their charge. Conventional electronics and information technology are …

ferroelectric domain wall electronics chip diagram

‘Agile’ circuits: new study a step towards ferroelectric domain wall nanoelectronics

A UNSW study published last Friday presents an exciting step towards a novel form of electronics based on nano-scale, ‘disappearing’ conduction paths that could allow for extremely dense memory storage. It’s based on domain walls, which are atomically sharp topological defects separating regions of uniform polarisation in ferroelectric materials. The domain walls are electrically conductive, while the surrounding of the wall …

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Universality of the unitary Fermi gas

A recent Monash University study has investigated Fermi gases with only a small number of interacting particles, and has used that simplified case to predict some behaviours within Fermi gases with many more particles. The study was published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, March 2017 FLEET’s Meera Parish is investigating how robust excitonic superfluidity is …

Investigating spin-orbit coupling in semiconductors

Spin-orbit interaction (SOI), is the interplay between electrons’ inherent angular momentum (their quantum spin) and their orbit around an atom’s nucleus. This interaction is key to the function of topological materials, which are studied at FLEET for their potential to form ultra-low resistance pathways for electrical current. A recent study investigated the relationship between spin-orbit interactions in gallium arsenide quantum …

Film mapping

Room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor strong foundation for spintronics

A barrier to practical spintronic devices has been lowered as room-temperature ferromagnetic semiconductors created in an international collaboration involving FLEET’s Xiaolin Wang. While semiconductor spintronics promise lower switching energy and faster speed, a major limitation on its development as a viable technology is the lack of room temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor materials. A collaborative study between researchers from two Chinese universities …

Peering into the future with bigger Bose-Einstein condensates

A next-generation Bose-Einstein condensate apparatus being built at Monash University will allow bigger Bose-Einstein condensates to be created,  and allow even higher resolution imaging of them. Researchers will also have better optical access to be able to manipulate the atoms within the condensate more precisely. The equipment will allow researchers to study non-equilibrium dynamics and quantum turbulence. FLEET Chief Investigator …

Band alignment at semiconductor junction looking good for low-resistance contacts

The future of ultra-low resistance semiconductor junctions in novel low-energy electronics is looking good after a recent study took a very close look at band alignment. FLEET is using two-dimensional materials in the search for new electronics devices that will carry electrical current without losing the significant energy dissipated in current, silicon technology. The new electronic devices developed at FLEET …

New spin-orbit coupling analysis agrees with experiment

A study by FLEET’s UNSW researchers looked at spin-orbit interaction at the two-dimensional interface between common semiconductor materials. A new semi-analytical method was developed for analysis. Spin-orbit interaction (SOI), is the interplay between electrons’ inherent angular momentum (their quantum spin) and their orbit around an atom’s nucleus. This interaction is key to the function of topological materials, which are studied …