Public Funding for Oxford Lasers Limited

Quantum technologies will revolutionise sensing, secure communications, and computing. A compelling vision for this technology is a network of quantum enhanced devices, combining the capability of each constituent node, and extending the range over which they operate. To exploit this upcoming technological revolution and to maintain its national security, the UK must cement its position as a global technology leader by building the capacity to manufacture critical components for future quantum networks. This project develops the core of what will be a sizeable and fully domestic supply chain for quantum networks. Photonic interconnects are the optimal route to quantum networks as photons can be transmitted over long distances whilst maintaining their quantum properties. A critical component of quantum networks will be nodes that can interface between photons and atomic systems. Trapped ions are one of the most promising platforms for quantum computing, sensing and atomic clocks, and have yielded the best quantum logic operations to date. The fact that these systems can also conveniently interface with single photons via a range of optical transitions makes them exceptionally well-suited for quantum networking. LINQED (Linked Ion traps for Networked Quantum Entanglement Distribution) will enable the UK to become a global supplier of compact ion-trap systems which will become commodity components for existing and future quantum networks. This will be achieved by commissioning a novel vacuum processing station at ColdQuanta UK, which will enable the production of compact ion-trap systems. Network capable ion traps will be developed and fabricated by world leaders in quantum networking at the Ion Trap Quantum Computing group at the University of Oxford. World experts in micro-machining Oxford Lasers will develop processes for integrating signal delivery which are vital for scalability. All three partners are working together on related projects and via this proposal we aim to strengthen our partnership and create further business opportunities for both companies. A state-of-the-art quality assurance station will be developed for system performance characterisation. This will enable comprehensive characterisation of ion trap systems, providing metrics such as motional heating rate which are of critical importance for quantum 2.0 technologies. The outcomes of this project will enable the UK to become a world-leader in manufacturing of critical quantum systems which have sufficient SWAP to be utilised as a core component of existing and future quantum networks.

More-than-Moore's law increasingly drives advanced packaging technologies and probecard testing developments for semiconductor wafer-level testing. Sophisticated custom-made probecards for each IC design are used to establish Known-Good-Die before packaging and hence critical . PITCH will develop ultra-high precision laser drilling for next generation (affordable) fine-pitch probecards urgently required by node size reduction below 5nm.

MUTLIBEAM will primarily focus on commercialising recent advances made in precision laser structuring of piezoelectric materials for volume manufacturing of high-resolution ultrasound endoscopes. The project will design/productionise a new laser process head to incorporate all recent advances which have been lab-validated in prior project PA64\. The new advanced laser process head will also be highly suitable for production of many other devices which require the critical combination of high precision and high production throughput using ultrafast lasers. The commercial focus will be on high value ultrasound transducers and other biomedical/pharmaceutical device manufacturing.

LAND will develop ultra-high precision laser drilling in ceramic components for next generation devices. High hole count ceramic plates are required with more than 60,000 laser drilled holes per plate with several plates needed per final device. Oxford Lasers (OL) has been a world-leading supplier of the ceramic drilling technology since 2001 and plays a critically important role in major industrial supply chains. Each year devices get smaller and the technical challenge is to drill ever smaller holes on ever tighter pitches. The project will develop new hardware prototypes and advanced laser drilling recipes to progress current state of art and demonstrate reduced hole size, increased aspect ratio and faster production rates. The project will lift developments from TRL level 3 to 6\. Oxford Lasers will build on existing expertise in this field and deploy our R&D team and dedicated hardware to the project building on 29 years laser drilling experience. We expect this project to enable Oxford Lasers to continue its dominant presence in critical, rapidly growing export markets and increase market share as mechanical drilling is fast dwindling as a competing solution. Keywords: ceramic laser drilling, semiconductor wafer test, Probecard

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Project UltraWELD will develop photonic based processes for highly dissimilar material joining in manufacturing of complex electro optics devices for defence/aerospace applications and OLED lighting. Ultrafast (i.e. pico- or femto-second pulsed) laser welding of glass to metals is proposed as an alternative to other bonding techniques that currently fail to provide a satisfactory solution on demanding requirements for device hermetic sealing and suffer from device degradation due to outgassing of volatile components in adhesives. We will develop new ultrafast laser processes for dissimilar material joining (microwelding) and also design and build a flexible custom laser prototype machine capable of applications development to demonstrate such laser microwelding in key selected real devices at TRL level 6. The project will directly benefit all five industry partners by enabling early adoption of this technology from end users, to enhance product competitiveness by increasing reliability and in-service lifetime and reduce cost of ownership.

"PreciHol will develop novel ultra-precise laser micro-drilling processes for industrial applications. Laser drilling is fast gaining market share and becoming an enabling or critical process in the manufacture of goods ranging from cars to computers. The laser drilling process at the micron scales is highly complex and involves the optimization of the laser source, beam shaping optics, motion control system and software including complex process recipes and toolpaths. Oxford Lasers has 25 years' laser micro-machining experience and yet the challenges faced here are daunting and will require intense effort to overcome. The continuous miniaturisation trend driven by industrial needs puts pressure on laser technology to deliver millions of perfectly shaped, micron sized holes at ever decreasing cost as these features get incorporated in more consumer goods. Key issues remain: how to control 3D laser etching to achieve millions of identical uniform shaped holes when the laser induced physical processes at play are naturally highly non-linear and to deliver all this at industrial production timescales and with acceptable cost. We will develop new hardware prototypes and advanced laser drilling recipes to progress current state of art and demonstrate reduced hole size, increased aspect ratio and faster production rates at statistically significant levels so as to be production ready. Our activities will lift developments from TRL level 3 to 6\. The project will directly benefit Oxford Lasers by unlocking new and highly desirable technology potential for our customers and their end-users and by enhancing both our product and subcontract service in a highly competitive market that experiences fast paced growth. As these challenges continue we expect the number of suppliers who can meet them to dwindle. If Oxford Lasers can keep pace in this global rapidly changing market we should be able to grow significantly and gain market-share."

RALPH's objective is to develop an autonomous laser micromachining system with fully auto-mated part handling, but agile and easily reconfigurable, suitable for mass customisation pro-duction of different device formfactors. Despite laser manufacturing being a rapid process (typical laser drill/cut time in sec), long production cycle times of several min/part due to manual part handling, hinder further uptake of advanced photonics-based production technologies in high value microelectronics, powertrain or medical device manufacturing, resulting in uncom-petitively high laser process costs and loss of global market share for the UK. The challenge is to satisfy the stringent part positioning accuracy requirements for laser processing ( 5 m) using conventional, affordable, but less accurate robotic pick and place technology. We will develop a technical solution integrating the laser, optics, 6-axis robot and machine vision for parts hand-ling of various sample formfactors (wafer, cylinder, disc) based on intelligent part registration and adaptation of laser beam positioning through high precision optical scan axes.

Laser micromachining is a rapidly growing field due to the accuracy, speed and enviromental benefits it brings. The project is to develop methods of laser drilling highly reproducible micro-holes at high speed for a wide range of applications in healthcare, transport and power generation. It is expected that the techniques developed will significantly reduce production costs while improving reproducibility and quality control.

Project LASTEC (Laser Surface Texturing of Compressor’s Mechanical Components: Increasing Energy Efficiency by Improved Tribological Performance) involves innovation and optimisation of an advanced laser-based manufacturing process aimed at diminishing power consumption on refrigeration systems. The project is aligned with the “Energy” theme of the SENAI-SESI / Innovate UK competition, more specifically, with the topic “optimization of manufacturing processes to diminish power consumption”. Thus, the project aims at developing a dry, solvent free environmentally friendly, one-step process, using flexible and efficient laser surface texturing for compressor’s mechanical components. This will increase significantly the compressor energy efficiency, reduce its power consumption and extend its lifespan for countless household and commercial refrigeration systems in Brazil and in the world. The laser-based process is expected to improve the tribological performance of the mechanical components by creating textures capable of reducing the friction coefficient (friction forces) between the compressor’s mating and reciprocating surfaces. To develop the project, EMBRACO, the global leader in manufacturing of hermetic compressors, will join forces with the SENAI Innovation Institutes (ISI-Laser, ISI-SM and ISI-Eng. Superfícies) as well as Oxford Lasers Ltd, a 40 years old UK based company working on the design and manufacture of custom turnkey laser micromachining systems for advanced manufacturing and R&D activities.

The project is to prove that an advanced laser micromachining system can be built with a three-fold improvement in accuracy over current, world leading designs. The main target market will be the microelectronics sector.

The project is to research the market potential for laser micromachining of certain critical parts required by the semiconductor industry. The market will be served by the supply of laser micromachining systems and subcontract micromachining services in the Asia Pacific region. The semiconductor industry is dependent on certain micromachined parts to manufacture microprocessors and memory. At present most of these parts are machined mechanically. However, the industry trend towards greater complexity and smaller feature sizes has pushed certain semiconductor designs beyond current mechanical machining methods. Laser micromachining is therefore starting to be used for leading edge chips. The demand for laser micromachining is expected to grow rapidly as today’s leading edge chips become tomorrow’s volume product. Oxford Lasers has been successful in securing business with a number of companies in Europe and the USA. This project will enable Oxford Lasers to establish the industry requirements for laser micromachining in the Asia Pacific region and enable it to be ready to satisfy this rapidly growing market. It will also enable Oxford Lasers to understand the particular requirements of this market which appears to be different to other regions. As the Asia Pacific region dominates the market for semiconductors it is an extremely important potential market.

Today a clear market opportunity for low to medium volume but high value display applications is poorly served by high volume Far Eastern manufacturers. The development and production of new display designs using active matrix backplanes are inhibited by high up-front costs and long lead times, mainly due to the several photolithography masks required. In this proposal the consortium aims to replace these masks by patterning the active matrix backplanes using novel direct write laser technology benefiting from the recent advances in industrially robust ultrafast Diode-Pumped Solid-State lasers and associated fast beam scanning devices. In order to unlock this technical route, two major technical challenges will be addressed: high speed, high reliability via drilling technology and high resolution thin layer patterning for transistor electrodes. The integration of the two key processes within the Plastic Logic proprietarory active matrix backplane technology will enable the flexibility and customisation of plastic electronics to specific applications such as truly flexible smart watch and interiors displays for automotive and aerospace.

Caterpillar UK Engines Company Ltd, in partnership with Ford Motor Company Ltd, BP, Oxford Lasers Inc. and Nottingham University, will launch a 2-year program of research in which the basic principles of friction will be re-examined using a novel test rig which will replicate conditions in conventional powertrains, specifically, between the piston rings and the cylinder liner walls. The consortium aims to extend the capabilities of this novel, but practical, test rig to fully validate the new friction models that will be derived. Further, the outcome of this work will include the development of a lubricant formulated to interact with the topography and material of the cylinder and piston rings. In the long term, if all powertrain bearing surfaces are considered, it is believed that a significant improvement in fuel economy is possible by the reductions in friction that will be demonstrated in this project. This research programme, scheduled to start in late 2013, is enabled by an £812,000 grant from the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), and builds on an earlier programme, led by Ford, which was also co-funded by the TSB. The programme of research will be performed across the consortium members' facilites in Peterborough, Basildon, Reading, Oxford and Nottingham.

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Project DigiPRINT will explore low temperature, maskless digital fabrication of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on large area rigid and flexible substrates. Both “laser-assisted” inkjet printing (IJ) and “laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)” of functional materials will be investigated

Awaiting Public Summary

Awaiting Public Summary

Train borne inspection of railway track has until recently been restricted to Ultrasonic or Electromagnetic testing and measurement, neither of which is capable of resolving shallow Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) cracks of a few mm long. Hence, these techniques are reactive to events & are not advanced enough to measure the key characteristics of RCF, i.e. shape, angle, length, linear density & position of crack initiation. They cannot be used to either enhance rail life or predict /prevent broken rails. It is this type of defect which was evidenced at Hatfield and is currently a subjective measurement resulting from manual visual inspection. This proposal details the development of an image acquisiton & analysis system enhanced by laser illumination & video imaging of the critical rail-wheel interface, in particular the contact band and the characterisation of visible rail head defects. This will be a preventative measure offering both safety and cost benefits. Image acquisition at high-speed, i.e. up to 125mph is a considerable challenge, requiring significant expertise. This is offered by the proposed consortium, along with ~8 years of rail defect data already obtained by Corus.