Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Over the last few decades, the world has experienced an electro-optical revolution: digital light displays that light up car dashboards, mobile phones and stereo sound systems; fluorescent and phosphorescent screens, for example in portable computers; underwater lighting-equipment and night-working apparatus; optical switches and shock-wave triggers for use within electronic circuitry itself. The optoelectronic and photonics industry was estimated to be worth $236 million on the world market in 2004, and is expected to exceed $1 trillion by 2015. Consequently, there is a clear need for major research and development in this area. It is generally known that the controlling optical and optoelectronic phenomena are all the result of electronic charge-transfer or ionic displacement within a molecule. It is therefore vital to study the molecular structure of optical and optoelectronic candidate materials, and to establish relationships between the structure and the observed physical properties. Once one has built up sufficient relationships, one can start to 'structurally engineer' materials to tailor them for a specific device application. The structural characterisation tools required for this work are based on X-ray and neutron diffraction, and optical spectroscopy. The three projects described herein are aimed at identifying new materials for: (a) optical data storage; (b) light-emitting diodes (LEDs); and (c) advanced non-linear optical media. The results of the first project could see special holograms replacing the CDs and DVDs in your home, which could hold a staggering Terabyte (1000 Gb) of data in the size of a sugar cube! The second project has strong connections with the Canadian Light Source, a very exciting new venture for Canada. The third project has already reached the demonstration stages of innovation, which is a very encouraging sign for future industrial application.