Electronically beam-steerable array antennas (phased arrays or smart antennas) at microwave and millimetre-wave (mm-wave) frequencies are extremely important for various wireless systems including satellite communications, terrestrial mobile communications, radars, "Internet Of Things", wireless power transmission, satellite navigations and deep-space communication. Traditionally, beam steering of antenna is achieved by moving the reflector mechanically, which is slow, bulky and not reliable. Phased arrays, which integrate antennas and phase shifter circuits, are an attractive alternative to gimbaled parabolic reflectors as they offer rapid beam steering towards the desired targets and better reliability. Phase shifters are critical components in phased arrays as the beam steering is achieved by controlling phase shifters electronically. A promising research direction to create small, fast, reliable phase shifters with low insertion loss at high frequency is the use of tunable dielectric materials due to its potential of monolithic fabrication of array antennas and circuits. A breakthrough in such materials came recently when we demonstrated that Lead Niobate Pyrochlores PbnNb2O5+n gives the best combination of dielectric constant, tunability and low loss of any known thin film system. Translating these superior materials properties into actual device performance and high-performance electronically beam-steerable arrays antennas at microwave and mm-wave bands are the key aims of this project

In the 20th century, the development of silicon-based electronics revolutionised the world, becoming the most pervasive technology behind modern-day life. In the 21st century, it is envisaged that technology will move to the use of light (photons) together with, or in place of, electrons, providing a dramatic increase in the speed and quantity of information processing whilst also reducing the energy required to do so. Making this transition to an all optical 'photonic' technology has proved to be a complex task, as the material of choice for electronics, silicon, is limited in its ability to control light. In the search for alternative materials, a class of glasses called amorphous chalcogenides (a-ChGs) have shown remarkable promise, to the point where they have been referred to as the 'optical equivalent of silicon'. Chalcogenides are materials which contain one or more of the elements sulfur, selenium or tellurium as a major constituent. These materials are already widely used in applications such as photovoltaics, memory (e.g. DVDs), advanced optical devices (e.g. lasers), and in some thermoelectric generation systems. It is accepted that the move to all-optical technologies will require an intermediate stage where information processing is undertaken using a hybrid 'optoelectronic' system. This provides a strong and compelling argument for the development of a-ChGs, as they can be deposited on Si to form a hybrid approach en-route to their use as an all-optical platform. Whilst the optical properties of a-ChGs may be controlled and modified it has proved to be extremely difficult to modify their electronic properties during the material preparation, which has typically involved melting at high temperatures. Any impurities that are added to these materials in order to change the electronic behaviour are ineffective under these conditions due to the ability of the ChG material to reorder itself when melted, and so negate the desired doping effect. We have successfully pioneered a method to modify their properties by introducing dopants into a-ChGs below their melting temperature, thus not allowing the material to reorder, using ion-implantation. This method of doping allows precise control of the type of impurity introduced and is widely used in silicon technologies. As a result of this work, we have demonstrated the ability to reverse the majority charge carrier type from holes (p-type) to electrons (n-type) in a spatially localised way. This step-changing achievement enabled us to demonstrate the fabrication of optically active pn-junctions in a-ChGs, which will act as the enabling catalyst for the development of future photonic technologies. In this project we will seek to develop a full understanding of the process of carrier-type reversal on the atomic scale, and use this information to optimize it, and the materials that are to be modified, so as to add further functionality. We will also develop the required advanced engineering methods which relate to the control and activation of dopants introduced using ion-implantation into a-ChGs. Together, these will enable the demonstration of a series of optoelectronic devices demonstrating the key functionalities required to build an integrated optoelectronic technology. This programme will consolidate the position of the UK as the world leader in the field of non-equilibrium doping of chalcogenides. We will, in this way, champion these materials in the world's transition to beyond CMOS technology and therefore directly contribute to the continuing growth of the knowledge economy. We will train the next generation of scientists and engineers in state-of-the-art techniques to ensure that the UK maintains the expertise base required for this purpose, aim to ensure that the impact of this work is maximised and accelerated where possible, and communicate the results widely, including to all stakeholders in this research.

We wish to discover solids that act as highly efficient reservoirs to store - and release - hydrogen gas, for use in fuel cell (hydrogen) vehicles. Currently, there are no solids that will fulfil all the stringent requirements / including requirements for a high storage capacity and low temperature absorption and release of hydrogen gas / for hydrogen stores in mobile applications. Since the choice of potential materials is so bewildering, we must reduce the number elements that may be components in our solids We do this by only using elements that are light enough to give us an efficient hydrogen store. Even when we only consider the light elements of the periodic table, for example elements that weigh less than calcium, there are still very many families and compositions that remain / especially if you consider that very small amounts of heavier elements may be necessary to act as catalysts in our stores. To counteract this surfeit of choice we aim to use theoretical and modelling studies to identify in advance promising hydrogen storage materials families. These materials families will then be produced - and characterized - through the use of innovative high throughput thin film techniques. Combinations of structural and hydrogen absorption characterization will allow us to identify the most effective compositions within each family. Once a composition has been identified we aim to determine whether we can produce the material in larger quantities and / most importantly / whether it retains its key hydrogen storage properties. To do this we will develop methods to synthesize, thoroughly characterize and optimize gram scale quantities of the most promising compositions. These studies will provide essential information allowing us to refine our theoretical and modelling studies, and thus optimize our research pathways and identify new families of materials. They also provide a vital stepping stone to the development of processes for materials synthesis at a scale required for commercial exploitation. Once candidate compositions have been fully tested / and after a full project review to determine the success of our method / we will, in collaboration with our industrial partners, begin the synthesis, characterization and testing of materials on an industrial scale, with a view to commercial exploitation of our hydrogen stores.

Glass has been a key material for many important advances in civilization; it was glass lenses which allowed microscopes to see bacteria for the first time and telescopes which revealed the planets and the moons of Jupiter. Glassware itself has contributed to the development of chemical, biological and cultural progress for thousands of years. The transformation of society with glass continues in modern times; as strands of glass optical fibres transform the internet and how we communicate. Today, glasses have moved beyond transparent materials, and through ongoing research have become active advanced and functional materials. Unlike conventional glasses made from silica or sand, research is now producing glasses from materials such as sulphur, which yields an unusual, yellow orange glass with incredibly varied properties. This next generation of speciality glasses are noted for their functionality and their ability to respond to optical, electrical and thermal stimuli. These glasses have the ability to switch, bend, self-organize and darken when exposed to light, they can even conduct electricity. They transmit light in the infra-red, which ordinary glass blocks and the properties of these glasses can even change, when strong light is incident upon them. The demand for speciality glass is growing and these advanced materials are of national importance for the UK. Our businesses that produce and process materials have a turnover of around £170 billion per annum; represent 15% of the country's GDP and have exports valued at £50 billion. With our proposed research programme we will produce extremely pure, highly functional glasses, unique to the world. The aims of our proposed research are as follows: - To establish the UK as a world-leading speciality glass research and manufacturing facility - To discovery new and optimize existing glass compositions, particularly in glasses made with sulphur - To develop links with UK industry and help them to exploit these new glass materials - To demonstrate important new electronic, telecommunication, switching devices from these glasses - To partner other UK Universities to explore new and emerging applications of speciality glass To achieve these goals we bring together a world-class, UK team of physicists, chemists, engineers and computer scientists from Southampton, Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge and Heriot-Watt Universities. We are partners with over 15 UK companies who will use these materials in their products or contribute to new ways of manufacturing them. This proposal therefore provides a unique opportunity to underpin a substantial national programme in speciality-glass manufacture, research and development.

The Programme on "The Physics and Technology of Photonic Metadevices and Metasystems" is constructed with Impact in Mind. It is united by the goal of finding new and radical solutions for today's society wherein photonics and advanced materials are now universally seen as enabling technologies of the 21st century. In recognition of this the United Nations has declared 2015 The "International Year of Light". Today photons, quanta of light, are the primary information carriers, delivering video, internet and telephone calls through global information networks. Displays, laser surgery and manufacturing, metrology and many security applications all depend upon our ability to master light. Progress in improving the performance of all light-enabled devices depends on, and is ultimately limited, by the functionality of available photonic materials. At the core of this Programme is the radical new idea that the properties of media in which light propagates do not have to be static, as traditionally assumed, but may be changed at will at any point in space and/or moment in time. Indeed, "optical properties on demand" can be achieved using emerging paradigms of reconfigurable and tuneable metamaterials - functional matter structured on the sub-wavelength scale, and by engaging new ideas of phase-change and coherent control. We envisage that by engaging this plethora of new ideas we will be able to open a path to several technological step changes that may enable increased information flow, while reducing power consumption to the ultimate quantum limit and achieving new levels of miniaturisation for photonic devices. We see our Programme as a major step forward in the global process of deriving true commercial and societal impact from fundamental research on metamaterials: a field in which the EPSRC has made substantial prior and continuing investment. Indeed, innovative materials are crucial for rebalancing the UK economy as they are, and will continue to be, a major component of UK export. They are internationally recognised as a key performance enabler in several economically significant areas including electronics, telecoms and energy. We have assembled a team of researchers at Southampton and Heriot-Watt Universities offering a perfect complementarity of skills across the entire translation spectrum, from fundamental physics to device and system engineering, and a healthy balance between proven, established expertise and new research talent. We will develop our Programme in close collaboration with the UK and international research community, including strategic partners at the National Taiwan University and Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. To maximise impact we will work closely with Industrial Partners DSTL, BAE Systems plc, Ilika plc, and Oclaro Technology Ltd., all of whom will gain from exposure to early stage research and development in a new emerging technology, in return facilitating exploitation of results. In support of our programme, our Academic and Industrial Partners, and the host universities together commit in excess of 2 million pounds of their resources (cash and in kind).