Peter Milner
Runner Up
What encouraged you to submit your application to the 2024 Postgraduate Research Publication of the Year?
I was encouraged to submit my publication as, to me, it encapsulated a chapter of my PhD which was very rewarding. I have seen this award publicised in previous years, and I felt that this publication fit the description in the call for entries: it is a celebration of research.
What inspired you to choose the subject of your paper?
My PhD is focused on improving the efficiency of ultraviolet LEDs. One approach to achieving this is by using polarisation doping. This is a semiconductor doping technique unique to the III-nitride material system. I find this phenomenon, in which one can obtain free carriers without dopant atoms, fascinating, and was inspired to investigate it further.
What’s your paper about and how did you prepare for it? What role did research excellence play in your approach?
The focus of the paper is twofold: i) investigating different implementations of polarisation doping in UV LEDs, and ii) characterisation of the LEDs down to cryogenic temperatures. One feature of polarisation doping is that the ionisation of carriers is independent of temperature – unlike traditional impurity doping. Therefore, the characterisation of LEDs with different doping approaches from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures was warranted. The temperature dependence of various metrics was then analysed and discussed.
Low temperature characterisation of UV LEDs is not a common measurement (and required the modification of a pre-existing setup), yet it can give insights into another world of semiconductor physics. Research excellence was demonstrated in identifying optimum conditions for polarisation doping (which was found to be different than at another material composition range), as well as providing explanations for observed phenomena through a detailed analysis of the results and simulations.
The selection for Research Publication of the Year is extremely competitive. What is your advice for those aspiring for nomination next year?
I think it is easy to think little of your own work in comparison to others, however, it is important to take a step back and think about what you have achieved in publishing your work and disseminating the research. In submitting my entry, I was able to give context to my contributions to the field, identifying the achievements and research excellence employed.
What is the single most significant support Tyndall has been able to offer you in achieving your research goals?
The most significant support that Tyndall has offered has been surrounding me with interested, knowledgeable, and passionate, researchers. The ability to have impromptu discussions about ideas with colleagues is something I have especially come to appreciate having spent the first year of my PhD in a COVID-19 lockdown at home. As the saying goes: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. Without the help of my peers and supervisors, as well as the infrastructure and facilities provided by Tyndall, none of this work would have been possible.