Page 12 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2019

SYDNEY UNI/RAAF
NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE
Associate Professor
Ben Eggleton outside the cleanrooms in the Sydney Nanoscience Hub.
RAAF and Sydney Uni open nanotech lab
THE University of Sydney Nano Institute and the RAAF have launched a scientific collaboration to provide world-leading sensing technology for Australia’s defence.
Researchers at the Jericho Smart Sens- ing Laboratory will develop nanoscale devices that can assess the physical, chemical, biological, acoustic or elec- tromagnetic environment. This is vital technology for Australia in monitoring electromagnetic, space and underwater domains as they become more contested and congested.
The technology will be optimised for Australian conditions, including humid- ity, foliage and other environmental fac- tors that currently pose challenges for airborne sensors.
Plan Jericho is the RAAF’s project to develop augmented intelligence capability to protect Australia from technologically sophisticated and rapidly changing threats. The Jericho Lab at Sydney Nano will form a critical part of the plan’s scientific infra- structure.
“Advanced sensors give us a clearer pic- ture of what is happening against difficult targets in challenging environments,” Dep- uty Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Gavin Turnbull said.
“We need to think differently to achieve and maintain our competitive edge in a rapidly changing world, and this is some- thing we cannot do alone. Our academic and other partners are helping us to disrupt ourselves in a controlled way, which is a far better proposition than unwillingly being disrupted by our competitors.”
Associate Professor Cara Wrigley from the Sydney School of Architecture, De- sign and Planning has been appointed the Jericho Chair of Design Innovation, responsible for bringing the University of Sydney’s research closer to real-world de- fence problems.
“The University of Sydney’s world-lead- ing design methodologies partnered with Air Force’s experience will accelerate our cutting-edge photonics research into a real defence capability advantage for Austra- lia,” Wrigley said. “When used on aircraft, satellites, vehicles and integrated into a so- phisticated Combat Cloud – or Internet of Defence Things – these sensors will enable game-changing awareness.”
The design-led collaboration brings together Associate Professor Wrigley and Professor Benjamin Eggleton from the School of Physics and Director of Sydney Nano.
“Our smart-sensing technologies are enabled by photonic platforms, which are miniaturised on to thumbnail-sized chips to bring massive reduction in size, weight and power consumption, ideally suited for mobile or aerial platforms,” Professor Egg- leton said.
The sensing chips use photons – particles of light – which cannot be affected by elec- tromagnetic fields in the way that electronic chips can be.
“These compact, power-efficient, rugged and reliable sensors will provide informa- tion that will enable smart, timely decision- making,” Professor Eggleton said.
The experimental work will be located in the Sydney Nanoscience Hub, the headquarters of the University of Sydney Nano Institute. This purpose-built build- ing for research and teaching incorpo- rates environmentally controlled labora- tories specifically designed for research in nanoscale devices, such as those that will underpin the compact smart sensors de- veloped in this project. Researchers will be able to access the cleanroom space pro- viding lithography equipment for print- ing photonic circuits in silicon and other materials as well as packaging and proto- typing facilities.
12 | June 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au