PHOTONIC MATERIALS RESEARCH STAFF OVERVIEW OF PHOTONIC MATERIALS

PHOTONIC MATERIALS RESEARCH STAFF OVERVIEW OF PHOTONIC MATERIALS RESEARCH Prof. Harry Coles Dr. Timothy Wilkinson The Photonics Materials Research Activity is based within the Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics (CMMPE) opened by Lord Sainsbury February 2003, is housed within the Electrical Engineering Division and involves collaborations with the Departments of Engineering, Physics, Chemistry. The activities span the fields of “ in house” materials synthesis, characterisation, and device prototyping for displays, telecommunications devices, and novel laser light sources. . Z O Y Cn H 2 n Dr. Catherine Dobson Dr. Sonja Findeisen-Tandel Dr. Damien Gardiner Dr. Carrie Gillespie Dr. Oliver Hadeler Dr. Philip Hands Dr. Qasim Malik Dr. Stephen Morris Dr. Juergen Schmidtke Dr Poh-Ling Neo Ma The Molecular Materials research activity in Engineering involves 10 SRAs / RAs and 4 research students Equipment infrastructure of value circa £ 3 M Total Current Grant Income of circa £ 5. 2 M including 4 DTI(BERR)/EPSRC projects 14 Ph. D Research Students Materials Design and Synthesis Z O X 10 Post-Doctoral Research Associates: SCALE OF ACTIVITY X Y Technological Applications Materials Characterisation and Devices End to End Research Activities Functional Materials Characterisation l MATERIALS SYNTHESIS l Liquid Crystals l l l Flexoelectric Ferroelectric and Antiferroelectric l Blue Phases l Smectic A & A* l l X-ray and Raman Scattering Static and dynamic light scattering Electro-optic & dielectric properties Optical microscopy and scanning calorimetry Novel Dyes l Screen printing Draw Down PDLC l Dichroic l l Fluorescent l l Black MAJOR PROJECTS Communications l Fibre to Fibre Interconnects l Phase retarders Displays l l Free space optics l Flexible Plastic Displays HIGHLIGHTS Flat panel high speed displays Polariser & colour filter free devices l Storage & Windows l Plastic Production Displays Microscopic Lasers l Laser and Electro-optic Cell construction l Telecommunications devices l Magneto-optics Prototype Device Fabrication Nonlinear optical polymers TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS CHARACTERISATION AND DEVICES l l Tuneable RGB plastic lasers for medical and environmental applications Holographic projection engines Lab on a chip EXPLOITATION The following are Major Current Projects within CMMPE The following Highlights have resulted from research within CMMPE Outputs have resulted from CMMPE Projects v CAPE Holographic Projection Engine (Chiralase) v v CAPE Ferroelectric Displays(FOLCEAB) The invention of high speed flexoelectric materials for displays and telecommunications devices (LGD Award). v. CMMPE’s Research has resulted in 6 recently filed materials and devices patents. v EPSRC Basic Technology Award for Microscopic Lasers (COSMOS) v The invention of polariser/colour filter free colour switchable Blue Phase devices and lasers. (Published Nature, August 2005). v. Merck/LGD evaluating FPD flexoelectric displays. v DTI Collaborative R&D on Electroluminescent/LC Flexible Displays (ELLC 1 & 2) v Invention of novel liquid crystal lasers, coherent and incoherent. v v Merck/DTI KTP on Blue Phase Displays Hub of the highly successful COMIT Faraday Partnership 20012006 (See EPSRC/DTI Review). v. Pelikon (a second generation Cambridge spin out) in production of electroluminescent/LC displays incorporated in Motorola ROKR E 8 morphing phones/cameras. . v EPSRC Dual Mode Displays v Fully Flexible Plastic Displays in Production for Pelikon/Motorola. v LGD FPD and Hand-held Display Programme. v New CNT “In plane” display devices. v New Materials Paradigms for Sm A Energy Efficient Windows. v. Merck/LGD evaluating Blue Phase devices. v. This exploitation has arisen through CMMPE’s involvement with the COMIT Faraday Partnership.