We will establish a UK quantum device prototyping service, focusing on design, manufacture, test, packaging and rapid device prototyping of quantum photonic devices. QuPIC will provide academia and industry with an affordable route to quantum photonic device fabrication through commercial-grade fabrication foundries and access to supporting infrastructure. QuPIC will provide qualified design tools tailored to each foundry's fabrication processes, multiproject wafer access, test and measurement, and systems integration facilities, along with device prototyping capabilities. The aim is to enable greater capability amongst quantum technology orientated users by allowing adopters of quantum photonic technologies to realise advanced integrated quantum photonic devices, and to do so without requiring in-depth knowledge. We will bring together an experienced team of engineers and scientists to provide the required breadth of expertise to support and deliver this service. Four work packages deliver the QuPIC service. They are: WP1 - Design tools for photonic simulation and design software, thermal and mechanical design packages and modelling WP2 - Wafer fabrication - Establishing the qualified component library for the different fabrication processes and materials and offering users a multi-project wafer service WP3 - Integrated device test and measurement - Automated wafer scale electrical and optical characterisation, alignment systems, cryogenic systems to support single-photon detector integration) WP4 - Packaging and prototyping - Tools for subsystem integration into hybrid and functionalised quantum photonic systems and the rapid prototyping of novel, candidate component designs before wafer-scale manufacturing and testing The design tools (WP1) will provide all the core functionality and component libraries to allow users to design quantum circuits, for a range of applications. We will work closely with fabrication foundries (WP2) to qualify the design libraries and to provide affordable access to high-quality devices via a multi-project wafer approach, where many users share the fabrications costs. Specialist test and measurement facilities (WP3) will provide rapid device characterization (at the wafer level), whilst packaging and prototyping tools (WP4) will allow the assembly of subsystems into highly functionalised quantum photonic systems.

Standard multi-kW fibre lasers are now considered 'commodity' routinely produced by multiple manufacturers worldwide and are widely used in the most advanced production lines for cutting, welding, 3D printing and marking a myriad of materials from glass to steel. The ability to precisely control the properties of the output laser beam and to focus it on the workpiece makes high-power fibre lasers (HPFLs) indispensable to transform manufacturing through adaptable digital technologies. As we enter the Digital Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 era, new challenges and opportunities for HPFLs are emerging. Modern product life-cycles have never been shorter, requiring increased manufacturing flexibility. With disruptive technologies like additive manufacturing moving into the mainstream, and traditional subtractive techniques requiring new degrees of freedom and accuracy, we expect to move away from fixed, 'fit-for-all' beams to 'on-the-flight' dynamically reconfigurable 'shaped light' with extensive range of beam shapes, shape frequency and sequencing, as well as 3D focus steering. It is also conceivable that the future factory floor will get 'smarter', undergoing a rapid evolution from dedicated static laser stations to robotic flexible/reconfigurable floorplans, which will require 'smart photon delivery' over long distances to the workpiece. Such a disruptive transition requires a new advanced generation of flexible laser tools suitable for the upcoming 4th industrial revolution. Light has four characteristic properties, namely wavelength, polarization, intensity, and phase. In addition, use of optical fibres enables accurate control and shaping in the spatial domain through a variety of well-guided modes. Invariably, all photonic devices function by manipulating some of these properties. Despite their acclaimed success, so far HPFLs are used rather primitively as single-channel, single colour, mostly unpolarised and unshaped, raw power providers and remain at a relatively early stage (stage I) of their potential for massive scalability and functionality. Moreover, further progress in fibre laser power scaling, beam stability and efficiency is hindered by the onset of deleterious nonlinearities. On the other hand, the other unique attributes, such as extended 'colour palette', extensively controllable polarisation and beam shaping on demand, as well as massive 'parallelism' through accurate phase control remain largely unexplored. Use of these characteristics is inherent and comes natural to fibre technology and can add unprecedented functionality to a next generation of 'smart photon engines' and 'smart photon pipes' in a stage II of development. This PG will address the stage II challenges, confront the science and technology roadblocks, seek innovative solutions, and unleash the full potential of HPFLs as advanced manufacturing tools. Our aim is to revolutionise manufacturing by developing the next generation of reconfigurable, scalable, resilient, power efficient, disruptive 'smart' fibre laser tools for the upcoming Digital Manufacturing era. Research for the next generation of manufacturing tools, like in HiPPo PG, that will drive economic growth should start now to make the UK global leaders in agile laser manufacturing - enabling sustainable, resource efficient high-value manufacturing across sectors from aerospace, to food, to medtech devices and automotive. In this way the UK can repatriate manufacturing, rebalance the economy, create high added-value jobs, and promote the green agenda through efficient manufacturing. It will also enhance our defence sovereign capability, as identified by the Prime Minister in the Integrated Review statement to the House of Commons in November 2020.

Thin film coatings are core components within the majority of the technology that surrounds us, typically providing optical, electronic and/or protective/decorative functionality. Thin films are a key enabling technology within numerous vital sectors, including optical devices, telecommunications, energy and energy storage, functional/durable materials, biomedical, etc. Many commercial applications have helped drive the development of thin film coatings. For example, ion beam deposition (IBD) was originally developed for fabricating multilayer reflectors for laser ring gyroscopes, and then later exploited within the telecoms industry. The precision and uniformity of these coatings enabled the telecoms industry in the 1970s to fabricate DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) filters, allowing transmission (and subsequent separation) of multiple optical signals at nearby wavelengths. Although IBD has typically remained the method of choice for the most demanding optical applications, the cost associated with the technology means that UK companies have to source from overseas companies. We note that the UK has a large number of companies that procure high-performance IBD coatings, within sectors such as defence, biomedical, laser engineering, and quantum technology. We also note that the UK plays a leading role in a number of large European and international science projects, which require enhanced performance IBD coating technology, including ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) and in gravitational wave detection (LIGO and the Einstein Telescope). The University of Strathclyde has pioneered electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion beam deposition, which can surpass the performance of current state-of-the-art ion beam deposition. This technology also has the ability to reduce associated costs, due to having core components which are maintenance-free (unlike current RF ion beam deposition). This project seeks to transfer this technology to a leading international supplier of photonic and optoelectronic devices, to enable the UK to be the international go-to-supplier of extreme performance optical coatings for next generation optical and quantum technologies.

The overall aim of this new CDT is to generate a body of highly-trained, doctoral scientists and engineers expert in the emerging and economically important area of metamaterials and possessing the skills, knowledge and professional attributes required to meet the challenges of employment in industry, academia and other commercial or governmental spheres. We will provide students with a detailed understanding of metamaterials from fundamental theory right through to prototype device design. At the same time they will be formally trained in the wider professional and personal skills such as innovation, engagement, commercial awareness and, importantly, leadership. Metamaterials are widely recognized as one of the most significant recent technical discoveries, highlighted as a top-ten insight of the last decade by Science Magazine. They are also set to become a major economic factor. In 2011 the global market for metamaterials was worth $256M, and is predicted by BCC Research to grow to $760M million by 2016, and to reach almost $2 billion by 2021. While products based on metamaterials are appearing (e.g. metamaterial antennas in mobile handsets and spacecraft; heat-assisted magnetic recording; transparent conductors for displays; surface bound data transfer and noise barriers etc.), the UK must ensure that future developments in these areas are strongly underpinned at the fundamental research level and also supported by highly skilled practitioners. The Government report on "Technology and Innovations Futures: UK Growth opportunities for the 2020s" (2010) lists 'metamaterials' and 'carbon nanotubes and graphene' as two key advanced materials areas. The UK's Ministry Of Defence (MOD) regards metamaterials as a key emerging technology, specifically listing advanced optical materials, advanced materials, bio-inspired technologies, and micro and nano technologies, as key areas, all topics that are of direct relevance to this CDT proposal. We note the comment from Professor Young's (Dstl) letter of support: "Dstl fully supports your proposal as a timely and unique vehicle for training future scientists, engineers and leaders for the benefit of the wider UK defence and security sector." Our cohort-based training will also help fulfil one of Minister David Willets' key aims "To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe." To meet this last aim and to stimulate future UK work in this fast moving materials area we will establish a new CDT in a broad range of metamaterials research with PhD training that has an embedded engagement with industry. We will, together with our collaborators from industry, governmental laboratories and universities overseas, strengthen the synergy between physicists and material engineers, building on our pre-existing excellence in metamaterials and functional materials research. The research focus will be on EPSRC's Physical Sciences theme, specifically the sub topics "Photonic Materials, Metamaterials" (one of only three "Growth" research areas for this theme), and "Plasmonics" (a "Maintain" area). In addition, our CDT is relevant to the EPSRC's grand challenges of "Nanoscale Design of Functional Materials", and "Quantum Physics for New Quantum Technologies". There is also significant overlap with the EPSRC ICT "Growth" research areas of "RF and microwave communications" and "RF and microwave devices", which also encompass THz devices. Our team of 33 academics are addressing key and topical challenges across a range of internationally competitive metamaterials research: from microwave metasurfaces to carbon nanotubes, from graphene plasmonics to spintronics, magnonics and magnetic composites, from terahertz photonics to biomimetics. With the recent recruitment of two world leading theoreticians in transformation optics plus new work in acoustics, we shall combine depth and breadth of metamaterial research linked to industrial and Government laboratory researchers

Thin film coatings are core components within the majority of the technology that surrounds us, typically providing optical, electronic and/or protective/decorative functionality. Thin films are a key enabling technology within numerous vital sectors, including optical devices, telecommunications, energy and energy storage, functional/durable materials, biomedical, etc. Many commercial applications have helped drive the development of thin film coatings. For example, ion beam deposition (IBD) was originally developed for fabricating multilayer reflectors for laser ring gyroscopes, and then later exploited within the telecoms industry. The precision and uniformity of these coatings enabled the telecoms industry in the 1970s to fabricate DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) filters, allowing transmission (and subsequent separation) of multiple optical signals at nearby wavelengths. Although IBD has typically remained the method of choice for the most demanding optical applications, the cost associated with the technology means that UK companies have to source from overseas companies. We note that the UK has a large number of companies that procure high-performance IBD coatings, within sectors such as defence, biomedical, laser engineering, and quantum technology. We also note that the UK plays a leading role in a number of large European and international science projects, which require enhanced performance IBD coating technology, including ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) and in gravitational wave detection (LIGO and the Einstein Telescope). The University of Strathclyde has pioneered electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion beam deposition, which can surpass the performance of current state-of-the-art ion beam deposition. This technology also has the ability to reduce associated costs, due to having core components which are maintenance-free (unlike current RF ion beam deposition). This project seeks to transfer this technology to a leading international supplier of photonic and optoelectronic devices, to enable the UK to be the international go-to-supplier of extreme performance optical coatings for next generation optical and quantum technologies.