A facility that will support key research and contribute to Australia’s manufacturing sector has just been opened at The Australian National University.
Opening the ACT node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said it would support cross-disciplinary research, addressing national and global challenges by researching and prototyping new materials.
Researchers using this node have already developed an innovative approach to making high-performance nanowire solar cell technology.
"This will make solar cells more economically viable by increasing their energy conversion efficiency and reducing the cost of manufacturing by enabling larger scale production," said Carr.
The Federal Government has invested $91 million from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and the Education Investment Fund Super Science initiative.
The ANFF is a collaborative network involving more than 19 research institutions that gives researchers and industry access to state-of-the-art facilities.
Examining the Focused Ion Beam are (L-R) Professor Lawrence Cram, Deputy Vice Chancellor ANU; Senator Kim Carr; Professor Chennupati Jagadish.
The facilities allow metals, composites, ceramics and polymers to be processed for application in sensors, medical devices, high resolution lenses and nanoelectronics.
Flagship equipment and services available at the Node include Electron Beam Lithography, Electron Beam/ Thermal Evaporation, Focused Ion Beam, Inductively Coupled Plasma Etching, Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition, Nano Imprint Lithography/ Hot Embossing and a Sputter Coater system.
In the ANFF Lab examining the Inductively Coupled Plasma machine are Senator Kim Carr (L) and ANU’s Professor Chennupati Jagadish.
“ANFF research is helping to retain highly skilled Australian research scientists in Australia, benefiting not just the Australian economy, but the Australian community with their skills,” Carr said.