Duarte Esteves, a Técnico PhD Student in Engineering Physics at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores para os Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC-MN), was awarded the NIMB Young Researcher Award at the 22nd Edition of the Radiation Effects in Insulators (REI) International Conference, which took place in Madrid between 8 and 13 June 2025. The award, sponsored by Elsevier’s journal Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B (NIMB), recognised one of the two best oral presentations made by PhD students during the event.

The award-winning presentation, titled “Anisotropic structural effects in Cr-implanted β-Ga₂O₃ single-crystals”, is the result of a collaboration between Técnico and international institutions such as the Universities of Helsinki and Oslo, as well as the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. Duarte Esteves’ research centres on the structural impact of implanting chromium (Cr) ions in single crystals of gallium oxide (β-Ga₂O₃), an emerging semiconductor with great potential for future applications.

The project aims to deepen understanding of the physical foundations of a process that is being developed at Técnico’s Tecnológico e Nuclear Campus (CTN), under the guidance of researchers Katharina Lorenz and Marco Peres, to produce gallium oxide microtubes and nanomembranes through ion implantation. These structures could be applied in the future in devices such as ultraviolet radiation detectors and gas sensors.

“A thorough understanding of the structural effects caused by ion implantation is essential for optimising the properties of materials and guaranteeing their performance in specific applications”, highlights Duarte Esteves.

Organised since 1981, every two years the REI conference brings together the international scientific community dedicated to studying the effects of radiation – such as ions and neutrons – on insulating and non-metallic materials. This scientific forum emphasises both fundamental research and its technological applications.