EPSRC Reference: |
EP/F013140/1 |
Title: |
Nanocrystals as a route to Silicon Optics |
Principal Investigator: |
Halsall, Professor MP |
Other Investigators: |
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Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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Project Partners: |
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Department: |
Electrical and Electronic Engineering |
Organisation: |
University of Manchester, The |
Scheme: |
Standard Research |
Starts: |
01 October 2007 |
Ends: |
30 June 2009 |
Value (£): |
191,429
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EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
Materials Characterisation |
Materials Synthesis & Growth |
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EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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Related Grants: |
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Panel History: |
Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
30 Apr 2007
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Collaborating for Success Through People
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Silicon chips have revolutionised the way we live our lives. Silicon is used in almost all electronic circuitry. However, there is one area of electronics that, at the moment, silicon cannnot be used to fill; that is in the emission of light. Silicon cannot normally emit light, but nearly all telecommunications and internet data transfer is currently done using light transmitted down fibre optics. So in everyones home signals are encoded by silicon and transmitted down wires to a station where other (expensive) components combine these signals and send light down fibres. If cheap silicon light emitters were available, the fibre optics could be brought into everyones homes and the data rate into and out of our homes would increase enormously. The applicants intend to collaborate with international research groups who are trying to make silicon emit light using tiny clumps of silicon called nanocrystals . These nanocrystals can emit light in the visible and can be made to emit in the infrared by adding erbium atoms to them. A number of techniques available in Manchester, Guildford and Japan will be applied to silicon chips made in Canada to understand the light emission and to try to make silicon chips that emit light. In addition we will work with the UK company Qinetiq to investigate other uses of the nanocrystals in sending coded messages down fibers.
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Key Findings |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
Summary |
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Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Project URL: |
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Further Information: |
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Organisation Website: |
http://www.man.ac.uk |