ORSAM seeks to address the critical national infrastructure challenge of delivering cost effective, resilient, distributed timing within the telecommunications core and mobile access networks that we all depend on to deliver the emergency service network, data centre access and interconnect, Industrial IoT, financial transactions and nearly all other forms of data access, video streaming and communications. Fundamentally the modern communications network is critically dependent on local, and network level timing and synchronisation. Additive Manufacturing (AM), more commonly known as "3D printing", is a key emerging technology that can provide a step-change in the quest to make optomechanical devices lighter, less sensitive to their external environment and easier/cheaper to manufacture. AM allows the rapid, cost-effective manufacture of geometrically complex parts, featuring performance-enhancing structures that would be near impossible or extremely expensive and laborious to produce via conventional methods. So far, the application of AM within opto-mechanics has been extremely limited. Developing design methods and exploiting AM techniques for applications in optomechanical devices will be key to the future of the telecommunications and quantum industries. The current state-of-the-art in AM optical reference cavities, developed by the University of Birmingham represents a convincing proof-of-principle of the applicability of AM within the TFS sector and the potential benefits it offers, showing that an optimised, vibration insensitive cavity suitable for manufacturing via AM can be designed, simulated and constructed from Invar. Project ORSAM aims to take this further and fully exploit the benefits of AM to produce resilient and lightweight optical references for use in critical infrastructure in remote locations outside of laboratory settings. Proving the efficacy of AM for optomechanical components will open a new market within the quantum sector and extend its application into other areas such as sensing, medical imaging and analytical equipment.

The 369GaN project develops a 369nm GaN laser diode for Yb+ atomic clocks.

To embed advanced robotics and automation design knowledge in order to exploit emerging market opportunities and increase productivity.

The aim of this project is to develop the prototype of a tunable light source specifically adapted for ethanol, aldehydes and C1 to C9 hydrocarbon spectroscopy. Thanks to its small dimensions, low power consumption and simple control interface, the instrument will be suitable for integration in optical gas analyzers. The instrument will be based on disruptive infrared laser sources in the 3-4 um spectral region developed by the consortium.

This project is based on a highly innovative, mass-producible, photonic miniaturised IR spectrophotometer, enabling low power, low cost,fit & forget deployment, multi-gas sensing. Currently no commercial sensor offers these in one product.

CoolBlue2 is a highly innovative project with a goal to develop next generation laser technology for use in the emerging field of quantum sensing. CoolBlue2's disruptive technology has the potential to transform conventional quantum sensing systems making them cheaper and more compact. We will make use of compound semiconductors, advanced materials that can be made to emit light over a wide range of wavelengths, and process them into laser chips using specialised manufacturing techniques. Our chips will emit high quality blue light, displacing current commercially available solutions due to superior performance and lower cost. The devices produced during the project will be packaged and used to verify their efficacy in existing laser cooled systems. The project will be led by CSTG Ltd in partnership with Helia Photonics, National Physical Laboratories, the University of Glasgow and Aston University.

The NMPAS project is focused on an innovation in the Materials & Advanced Manufacturing high growth sector, applying a cutting edge & innovative coating process - Microwave Plasma Assisted Sputtering (MPAS). This offers a room temperature process with up to 6-fold increase in optical coating production throughput compared to current predominantly used high temperature electron-beam deposition production processes. Moreover, MPAS enables use of an expanded range of thermally sensitive/strategic substrates, providing cost and optical coating peformance benefits. Optical coatings are predominant among high value manufacturing sectors & this project opens up new sustainable business for the partners by increasing both the UK’s & China’s competitiveness in lucrative current & emerging high margin global markets. MPAS technology transfer from Univerity of the West of Scotland (UWS) to the project’s industrial partners will enable a step-change in capability for the SMEs. With circa 90% of the worlds optical coatings produced in China, exciting new opportunities for future growth in both capital equipment and coated component sales into the Chinese market. This business-led project brings together three industrial partners from the optical coating sector, UK SMEs Helia Photonics Limited (HPL) & Orion Photonics Ltd (OPL) & Shanghai-based Jason Vacuum Co.,Ltd (SJV), with UK academic partner UWS, pioneer of the MPAS process. The project advances the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of MPAS to a late stage pre-commercial level, i.e. >TRL6.

An integrated GaN laser diode and optical amplifier is developed in GaNAmP to provide a laser source for cold-atom interferometry for optical atomic clocks and quantum sensing applications.

The NMPLAS project is focused on an innovation in the Materials and Manufacturing high growth sector and will apply a cutting edge and innovative, high throughput coating process - Microwave Plasma Assisted Sputtering (MPAS), to produce infrared (IR) transparent and hard, wear/erosion resistant coatings, which are themselves an innovation in materials development. The coatings will be applied on an expanded range of thermally sensitive and strategic substrates, which will initially be exploited in the optical and automotive high value manufacturing sectors, thereby opening up new sustainable business for the partners and increasing the UK's competitiveness, in addition to the transfer of techology to the industrial partners in the project (enabling a step-change in capability for an SME) and opportunities for future growth in capital equipment sales. This business-led project brings together three industrial partners from these sectors, Teer Coatings Limited (TCL), Qioptiq Limited (QUK) and the SME Helia Photonics Ltd (HPL), with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), who have pioneered the MPAS process.

This project is collaboration between Precision Acoustics, a specialist hydrophone manufacturer, and Helia Photonics, a leading optical coatings specialist. The aim is to produce novel thin film coatings on single mode optical fibres in order to develop a range of new ultrasound sensors for use in medical and NDT markets. The new coatings and sensors will enable Helia Photonics and Precision Acoustics to expand their relative markets and cement their positions as leaders in the global marketplace.