Annual Report 2008 - Institut für Halbleiter - JKU

12 Research Initiatives Part A: Semiconductor Physics Group
Project Cluster Nanostructured Surfaces and Interfaces (NSI)
F. Schäffler
The project clusters NSI: Nanostructured Surfaces and Interface, is funded by the Austrian
NanoInitiative since 2005. Work is carried out by a consortium around the Johannes Kepler
University and Upper Austrian Research (UAR). So far, funding was granted for two-year
periods, after which a fully refereed new proposal was required. After two funding periods
(03/2005 - 02/2007 and 03/2007 - 02/2009) in 2008 the proposal and hearing for the third
funding period was due. Modifications in the funding rules led to an increase of the duration
of funding periods to three years, while simultaneously limiting the overall duration of a project
cluster to seven years. On this base the NSI consortium submitted a proposal for its last
funding period 03/2009 - 02/2012. Several modifications in the project structure were introduced
in order to put more emphasis on applied research and nanoanalytics. New partners
were recruited, and new projects were introduced, while others were phased out, as planned.
As an outcome of the hearing and the decision of the Austrian Nanoinitiative, funding for NSI
was granted in Dec. 2008 for the final three year period. Total funding for this period will
amount to € 3.1M, at a total project volume of € 3.6M.
The third funding period of NSI will bring together five (up from four) research institutions
and six (up from five) companies. The former comprises Johannes Kepler University, UAR,
the University and the Technical University of Graz and the Technical University in Vienna.The
companies are from Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna. NSI is coordinated
by the Institute for Semiconductor and Solid State Physics (coordinator: F. Schäffler).
The general purpose of NSI is, to link the expertise and infrastructure in the field of
NanoScience and Technology, which was systematically developed since the early 1990s in
Linz and Upper Austria, and to make them available to both the Austrian industry and to education
inside and outside the university. In this way, NSI is directly related to the aims of the
Exzellenzschwerpunkt in NanoScience/Technology, which was established in 2003 at Johannes
Kepler University. NSI covers the main competence areas at Johannes Kepler University,
namely Biocompatible Nano-structures, Polymers and Nanocomposites, Surfaces and Interfaces
and Semiconductor Nanostructures. The latter contributes chemical synthesis of semiconducting
nanocrystals, nanostructuring in the cleanroom of the Institute for Semiconductor
and Solid State Physics, and nanoanalytics. Additional contributions of the institute to the
aims of the Austrian Nanoinitiative are made via participation in two other project clusters,
namely PLATON and NILAustria.
Besides overall coordination, the Institute for Semiconductor and Solid State Physics is directly
involved in four of the nine (eight) projects of the second (third) funding period of NSI.
More Information: www.nanoscience.at
Funding: Austrian Nano Initiative (FFG, FWF)
Corresponding Author: Friedrich.Schaffler@jku.at