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IHPP PAS becomes a member of PPTF

Monday, 08 May 2023 11:46 |

Institute of High Pressure Physics Polish Academy of Sciences joined the Polish Technological Platform on Photonics (PPTF), an organization that gathers various entities operating in Poland in the field of photonics: companies, scientific units, government and local authorities and non-governmental organizations.

IWC PAN is a leader in the field of gallium nitride (GaN) crystallization and production of high-quality GaN substrates for semiconductor lasers and power electronics. For years, we have been developing epitaxial technologies and physics of devices based on GaN. Our laboratories for crystallization as well as studies of the microstructure, optical and electrical properties are an important node on the Map of Polish Research Infrastructure. We also educate and train young people in the field of photonic technologies.

The PPTF mission is to increase the innovativeness of the Polish photonic industry. As a member of PPTF, the Institute of High Pressure Physics PAS we will cooperate for the development of photonics and microelectronics by the development of new technologies and opto-electronic products, improvement of staff qualifications and the extension of the range of applications of photonic technologies in Poland.

Science in times of transition - FNP publication

Monday, 24 April 2023 15:28 |

Refractive index engineering in GaN-based laser structures is quite a challenge because InN and AlN lattice constants significantly differ from GaN. This lattice mismatch is the reason why the chemical composition of epitaxial layers grown on GaN must be selected in such a way as not to generate mismatch defects.

InAlN with an indium composition of 17% is a good candidate for laser diode cladding layers, as it has a lower refractive index than GaN and is lattice-matched to the substrate. However, its fabrication is very difficult due to completely different optimal temperatures and pressures needed for the synthesis of its binary constituents InN and AlN.

In the publication “Science in times of transition” ("Nauka w czasach przemian”) prepared by the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), dr inż. Marta Sawicka from our Institute tells about a project on improving the quality of InAlN grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) supported by FNP. She also mentions a completely new idea - nanoporous GaN, which she and her research team implemented as a cladding layer in nitride lasers.

The publication is now available on the FNP website. It presents the achievements of more than 30 outstanding scientists whose research was supported by the FNP. Clicking the image below you will direclty open the publication. More about the project and the research team can be found on MBE Laboratory webpage.

Position of the Scientific Council of IHPP PAS on Russia's attack on Ukraine

Wednesday, 19 April 2023 11:47 |

Please follow this link to read the full text

Easter Wishes

Sunday, 02 April 2023 22:29 |

Hydrogen storage is now possible under much higher pressure

Thursday, 27 April 2023 15:30 |

Currently, about 80% of the energy consumed in the world comes from fossil fuels: gas, oil and coal. Both climate issues and limited natural resources motivate the effort toward the development of alternative and green energy sources. The disadvantage of most renewable energy sources is uneven operation, causing a need to store increasing amounts of energy. Hydrogen has the potential to account for more than 10% of total energy by 2050, both as a store of renewable energy and as a source of energy, if hydrogen can be extracted from underground sources. The product of burning hydrogen is only water, unlike fossil fuels, which generate carbon dioxide and other harmful gases when burned.

Undoubtedly, a major challenge on the road to efficient use of hydrogen is its storage. In gaseous form, hydrogen has an extremely low density. Its cubic meter weighs a mere 84 grams, which naturally means that its transportation and storage would be inefficient and thus far more costly than the liquid fuels currently in use. Therefore, various methods of storing hydrogen are being worked on. Depending on the application, these will include technologies using high-pressure hydrogen tanks, storage in liquefied form (which unfortunately requires cooling to extremely low temperatures of -253°C), as well as storage by absorption in metal hydrides or materials with developed surfaces, which are being worked on by a number of research groups around the world.

In response to this problem, a team of scientists and engineers from the Institute of High Pressure Polish Academy of Sciences (IHPP PAS) has developed a high-pressure double-walled hydrogen storage tank, which parameters exceed the currently used designs.

The solution was recognized by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and the National Research and Development Center (NCBiR) in the XXV edition of the "Polish Product of the Future" competition. IHPP PAS received the main prize in the category of Polish Product of the Future of the Institutions of Higher Education and Science for the project "Safe hybrid (double-walled) hydrogen storage tank of high density stored energy with continuous pressure monitoring". The tanks developed at IHPP PAS can be successfully installed in cars or mobile hydrogen storage units, as well as prove themselves in stationary applications, i.e., for example, as storage tanks for solar energy produced by photovoltaic installations, where it is obtained by electrolysis of water.

(Fot. Karol Stanczak)

Polski Produkt Przyszłości z Unipressu

Friday, 21 April 2023 12:06 |

Wczoraj odbyła się uroczysta gala XXV edycja konkursu Polski Produkt Przyszłości organizowanego przez PARP. Miło nam poinformować, że nagrodę główną w kategorii Polski Produkt Przyszłości Instytucji Szkolnictwa Wyższego i Nauki zdobył nasz Instytut (Laboratorium Nadprzewodników NL-6) za projekt Bezpieczny hybrydowy (dwupłaszczowy) zasobnik wodoru o wysokiej gęstości zmagazynowanej energii z ciągłym monitorowaniem szczelności. Szczegóły wkrótce.

PhD students from Unipress will set off for the ZŁOMBOL charity rally

Tuesday, 11 April 2023 08:20 |

Two PhD students from our Institute - Oliwia and Krzysztof Gołyga (from MBE Laboratory) will set off for the ZŁOMBOL charity rally on July 1, 2023.

Złombol is a charity rally organized since 2007 to support the orphaned children. Collected donations are used to finance courses, upgrading job qualifications, organize trips and provide psychological help for the orphaned children and teenagers. All the informaton how to support our PhD students team Maruda Spółka ZOO after clicking the link below the logo.

More about the 17th edition of Złombol rally can be found here.

We will talk about InGaN relaxation in Cambridge

Friday, 31 March 2023 15:03 |

Transmission electron microscopy gives us a particular insight into material structure and defects.

At the upcoming Microscopy of Semi-Conducting Materials Conference on April 3-6, 2023 in Cambridge, dr hab. inż. Julita Smalc-Koziorowska will give an invited talk about "Peculiarities of the strain relaxation in InGaN layers". Dr inż. Joanna Moneta will give an oral presentation "Strain anisotropy of partially relaxed InGaN layers induced by misfit dislocations".

Detailed program of the conference is here.

Misfit dislocation (courtesy of J. Moneta)

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