The properties of light are already exploited in communications, the Internet of Things, big data, manufacturing, biomedical applications, sensing and imaging, and are behind many of the inventions that we take for granted today. Nevertheless, there is still a plethora of emerging applications with the potential to effect positive transformations to our future societies and economies. UK researchers develop cutting-edge technologies that will make these applications a reality. The characteristics of these technologies already surpass the operating wavelength range and electronic bandwidth of our existing measurement equipment (as well as other facilities in the UK), which currently forms a stumbling block to demonstrating capability, and eventually generating impact. Several important developments, relating for example, to integrated photonic technologies capable of operating at extremely high speeds or the invention of new types of optical fibres and amplifiers that are capable of breaking the traditional constraints of conventional silica glass technology, necessitate the use of ever more sophisticated equipment to evaluate the full extent of their capabilities. This project aims at establishing an open experimental facility for the UK research community that will enable its users to experiment over a wide range of wavelengths, and generate, detect and analyse signals at unprecedented speeds. The new facility will enable the characterisation of signals in time and will offer a detailed analysis of their frequency components. Coherent detection will be possible, thereby offering information on both the amplitude and phase characteristics of the signals. This unique capability will enable its users to devise and execute a range of novel experiments. For example, it will be possible to experiment using signals, such as those that will be adopted in the communication networks of the future. It will make it possible to reveal the characteristics of novel devices and components to an extent that has previously not been possible. It will also be possible to analyse the response of experimental systems in unprecedented detail. The facility will benefit from being situated at the University of Southampton, which has established strong experimental capabilities in areas, such as photonics, communications and the life sciences. Research at the extended cleanroom complex of Southampton's Zepler Institute, a unique facility in UK academia, will benefit from the availability of this facility, which will enable fabrication and advanced applications research to be intimately connected. Furthermore, this new facility will be attached to EPSRC's National Dark Fibre Facility - this is the UK National Research Facility for fibre network research, offering access and control over the optical layer of a dedicated communications network for research-only purposes. The two together will create an experimental environment for communications research that is unique internationally.

Southampton and Glasgow Universities currently contribute to a project entitled CORNERSTONE which has established a new Silicon Photonics fabrication capability, based on the Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) platform, for academic researchers in the UK. The project is due to end in December 2019, after which time the CORNERSTONE fabrication capability will be self-sustaining, with users paying for the service. Based upon demand from the UK's premier photonics researchers, this proposal seeks funding to extend the capability that is offered to UK researchers beyond the current SOI platforms, to include emerging Silicon Photonics platforms, together with capabilities facilitating integration of photonic circuits with electronics, lasers and detectors. These emerging platforms enable a multitude of new applications that have emerged over the past several years, some of which are not suitable for the SOI platform, and some of which complement the SOI platform by serving applications at other wavelengths. Southampton, and Glasgow universities will work together to bring the new platforms to a state of readiness to deliver the new functionality via a multi-project-wafer (MPW) mechanism to satisfy significantly increasing demand, and deliver them to UK academic users free of charge (to the user) for the final six months of the project, in order to establish credibility. This will encourage wider usage of world class equipment within the UK, in line with EPSRC policy. We seek funding for 3 PDRAs and 2 technicians across the 2 institutions, over a 2 year period, to facilitate access to a very significant inventory of equipment at these 2 universities, including access to UK's only deep-UV projection lithography capability. During this 2 year period, we will canvas UK demand for the capability to continue to operate as an EPSRC National Research Facility, and if so, to establish a statement of need. We currently have 50 partners/users providing in-kind support to a value of to £1,705,000 and cash to the value of £173,450.

The progressive miniaturization of materials and devices in the 21st century has enabled important discoveries and access to a wide range of phenomena of fundamental and applied interest. But future progress and innovative solutions to global challenges require a shift towards transformative material systems and integration technologies. Here we propose to establish at the University of Nottingham a facility (EPI2SEM) for the EPItaxial growth and in-situ analysis of a new generation of 2-dimensional SEMiconductors based on metal chalcogenides. Their unique electronic properties (tuneable band structure, IR-VIS-UV broad optical absorption, electron correlations, high electron mobility, etc.) and versatility for a wide range of applications (digital flexible electronics, optoelectronics, quantum technologies, energy, etc.) have attracted a surge of interest worldwide. However, for these new materials to meet academia and industry needs, several challenges must be addressed, including their controlled scalable growth, investigation by advanced techniques, and integration in complex device architectures. EPI2SEM will provide the UK community with a unique capability for the development of semiconductors grown with atomic layer precision in a clean ultra high vacuum system with fully-characterised electronic, chemical and morphological properties for advances across several research disciplines. EPI2SEM will enable the transformative miniaturization and functionalization of semiconductors for advances in condensed matter (quantum materials), manufacturing (new processes and designs), quantum technologies (security, sensing, communication), nanotechnologies (low-energy consumption, diversification, integration), surface physics (sensing, catalysis, energy conversion). Progress in these areas is key to the health of several research disciplines (engineering, medicine, chemistry, biology, etc.) contributing towards prosperity outcomes. The future competitiveness of the UK economy relies on innovation in science; ability to respond timely to global changes/challenges through innovation in infrastructure; the availability of highly-skilled and trained scientists and technologists; and flexibility to exploit novel technologies and materials to deliver better quality of life. This proposal has the potential to deliver innovation across these areas, addressing several challenges facing society. In particular, EPI2SEM will contribute to address the EPSRC priority of "21st Century Materials". In 2013, David Willetts announced the Eight Great Technologies that will propel the UK to future growth. This includes "Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology" that led to the establishment of the Henry Royce Institute (NGI) and the National Graphene Institute (NGI). One of the research pillars of the HRI/NGI is "2D Materials", but methods for their manufacturing need to be developed. The new equipment will set out the key steps needed to reach a long-term vision and benefit strategically important research areas, as set out in the 2018 government industrial strategy White paper.