Royal Holloway’s world-class nanofabrication facility, SuperFab, was highlighted at The National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2017 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster this week.
SuperFab is dedicated to the development of quantum device technology through the application of fundamental phenomena based on superconductivity. It is owned and operated by the internationally renowned Department of Physics at Royal Holloway in association with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and JEOL as an open user facility serving academic and industrial interests, and will open at the Royal Holloway campus at Egham next Summer.
Organised by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in collaboration with the National Network of Quantum Technology Hubs and the other National Programme Partners, the showcase event demonstrated the technological progress arising from the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme, its relevance to commercial sectors and the collaborative nature of the programme involving academia, industry and government partners. Colleagues attending from Royal Holloway included Professors Oleg Astafiev, Victor Petrashov and Phil Meeson together with Peter Palasz of the Research and Enterprise Office. They were joined by York Instruments whose revolutionary new MEGSCAN brain scanning healthcare instruments are based on the HyQUID device developed at Royal Holloway by Professor Petrashov.
The showcase provided the SuperFab team with an opportunity to talk with science and industry specialists about the new facility, which offers state-of-the-art nanofabrication facilities specialising in superconducting and normal state metals, high resolution electron-beam lithography, specialist metal deposition systems and related services, including advanced expertise in condensed matter quantum technologies.
Professor Phil Meeson commented,
“The Quantum Technologies Showcase was a great opportunity to meet face to face with potential collaborators on the next generation of superconducting quantum devices. As we count down to the opening of SuperFab, we are inviting expressions of interest from academic, industrial research projects and SMEs that could lead to new and unique types of ultra-sensitive sensing devices including access for industrial projects to assist with the commercialisation of Quantum technology.”
Royal Holloway is co-founder and joint home to the UK Centre for Superconducting and Hybrid Quantum Systems (UK-CSQS), an exciting collaboration between Royal Holloway, NPL and Lancaster University which brings together the UK’s most experienced and well known scientists working on superconducting quantum technologies.
About the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme
The UK National Quantum Technologies Programme is a £270m UK Government investment over five years, aimed at accelerating the translation of quantum technologies into the marketplace, boosting British business and making a real difference to our everyday lives. The vision is to create a coherent quantum technology community that gives the UK a world-leading position in the emerging multi-billion-pound new quantum technology markets, and to substantially enhance the value of some of the biggest UK-based industries. The programme supports investments in research, innovation, skills and technology demonstration to help UK industry to commercialise these new technologies.
Superconducting quantum technology research expertise at Royal Holloway
The Department of Physics at Royal Holloway has established world-leading expertise in superconducting nanophysics and nano technology. In recognition of this, the team, led by Professor Oleg Astafiev, Professor Phil Meeson and Professor Alexander Tzalenchuk and including Professor Victor Petrashov, Dr Vladimir Antonov and Dr Rais Shaikhaidarov, were awarded funding for the creation of a new UK Centre for Superconducting and Hybrid Quantum Systems (UK-CSQS).
The co-funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , NPL and JEOL, establishes Royal Holloway as the national centre for nanofabrication in the rapidly advancing field of superconducting quantum electronics.
Find out more about research and study opportunities in Physics at Royal Holloway here
