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Electronic Materials Engineering

Electronic Materials Engineering is one of the seven Departments which make up the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering at the ANU.

Research in Electronic Materials Engineering concentrates on the near-surface processing, modification and characterisation of materials. Silicon, gallium arsenide and III-V compound semiconductor structures are emphasised but other materials, particularly novel metallic alloys, are also of interest. Our primary research programs focus on Ion-beam modification of materials, Epitaxial Growth of Semiconductor Multilayers and Materials Characterisation.

The ion-beam modification and analysis of materials program is centred around state-of-the-art accelerator facilities, including two ion-implanters and a versatile ion-beam analysis machine (1.7 MV tandem) for materials characterisation. Materials studies include: radiation damage in ion-irradiated semiconductors; quantum-well intermixing; irradiation-induced optical properties; the formation and properties of nanocrystalline semicondiuctors in silica; impurity gettering; and many others. These programs are supported by ion beam analysis studies which involve: Rutherford backscattering and channelling, elastic recoil detection analysis(ERDA), and the development of novel heavy-ion analysis techniques.

The epitaxial growth activity is centred around a Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition reactor, with a vast range of other facilities such as PECVD and lithography also available in-house. Research spans fundamental processes in quantum physics to highly applied photonic devices for telecommunications. The group specialises in the growth of atomically abrupt layers of III-V semiconductors such as GaAs/AlGaAs/InGaAs for optoelectronics applications such as quantum well lasers and ultra fast detectors. We also work on a range of novel devices such as quantum wire lasers and quantum dots.

The Department has an extensive range of materials characterisation facilities which are used to compliment both the ion beam and MOCVD programs as well as to undertake independent studies in physics and materials science. Major facilities include, RBS, SIMS, DLTS, X-ray analysis, electron microscopy, optical and electronic characterisation.

Much more information about the Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, available on the Department's own web pages.