Advanced Functional Coatings for Integrative Semiconductor Materials and Devices

New materials with low manufacturing embodied energy are required for the next wave of optoelectronic technologies. This is particularly the case for advanced semiconductor platforms where we are beginning to see combinatorial approaches - for example the integration of compound and silicon semiconductors. The key objective of the proposed research project is to investigate the use of novel, low energy deposition processes such as molecular vapour deposition for the creation of dielectrics, metals and semiconductors for use in future optoelectronics. The project will require the development of new processing methodologies and precursor materials, plus the careful structural, optical, electrical and chemical analysis of the resultant thin films. Potential applications of this research include thin film solar cells and photodetectors, and nanostructured acoustic-optical devices.

Research Area: The research is relevant to a number of engineering, physical and chemical science areas including Advanced Manufacturing; Chemical Reactions (dynamics and mechanisms); Electrochemical Sciences; and Light Matter Interactions and Optical Phenomena.