Techniques such as abrasive water jet machining (AWJ), pulsed laser ablation (PLA) and ion beam machining (IBM) are all methods of energy beam processing, by which energy is transferred to a surface and material is removed; this group of technologies can be employed to generate freeforms surfaces by controlled-depth machining. Although the way in which the energy is transferred in each of these methods is very different (AWJ: a high speed mixture of air, grit and water mechanically erodes the surface; PLA: laser pulses vaporize the surface; IBM: high speed charged particles erode the surface), they can be dealt under a unified mathematical framework whereby the rate of erosion of the surface is described by a partial differential equation. This equation relates the footprint of an energy beam (its instantaneous rate of removal, which may be a function of the geometry of the eroding surface, its distance from the source of the beam as well as position within the beam and beam orientation) to the evolution of the surface. The Investigators in this proposal have had significant success in using this mathematical framework to determine the final, machined surface for a given beam footprint and dynamic beam path; this is the forward problem. However, the problem that is of industrial interest is the inverse problem; given a required final surface, how should the beam be moved in order to accurately machine it? Currently, in both academic research and industry, this problem is solved by trial and error (craftmanship). The aim of this project is to develop methods for solving the inverse problem algorithmically, so that end users of this group of technologies (i.e. energy beam controlled-depth machining) can input their required surface into a software package and automatically generate a beam path. We will do this by tackling a series of increasingly realistic mathematical problems which can be related to real energy beam processes, backed up by an experimental programme against which our models can be verified.

Precision laser processing has much potential for advanced manufacturing. Features can be machined at a fraction of a micrometre in size in a wide range of materials. The use of ultrashort laser pulses (with duration less than a picosecond) is important since all of the laser pulse energy is delivered to the focus in a timescale shorter than that for thermal diffusion. Therefore, all the material machining is done before any energy can escape as heat, which underpins the high resolution of the technique. Ultrashort laser pulses provide other unique opportunities, since they can be used for three-dimensional fabrication inside transparent materials, with a range of applications for smart technology. Such precision laser processing is already applied on an industrial scale, with examples such as accurate cutting of glass for smartphones or multi-dimensional data storage. With a constant drive for miniaturisation and enhanced functionality, the sector is destined to blossom over the next decade. The ability to fabricate features at the sub-micrometre scale presents many opportunities for advanced technology. However, accurate positioning of such small features in three dimensions inside centimetre scale workpieces creates a serious challenge. Machine vision uses imaging solutions integrated inside the manufacturing system to provide feedback for the laser process to ensure that the device is machined as designed. However, existing hardware and software systems cannot meet the challenging demands of such high precision laser processing. In this project, we develop new hardware and software solutions that will enable rapid three-dimensional imaging at high resolution. We also introduce new systems that can provide a macroscopic view of the entire device being processed. Additionally we establish innovative forms of optical feedback that can be applied to closely monitor the laser manufacturing process. All of this information is merged together inside a cohesive software framework, that can provide quick data transfer of important information to the laser manufacturing system. This enables quicker, more accurate laser processing of smaller features in demanding applications, to enable industrial scale manufacturing of advanced technology.

Metal thin films are used in a wide variety of technologies, such as solar cells and printed circuit boards for electronics. Inkjet printing has emerged as a practical and low-cost route for manufacturing electrical contacts in these applications. However existing manufacturing technologies use inks that often require a final heat treatment to consolidate or 'sinter' the film. If this last step can be eliminated, by depositing fully dense films, then the inkjet manufacturing process could be applied to temperature sensitive substrates like plastics or vulnerable semiconductor materials. The purpose of this project is to develop 'sinter-free' inkjet manufacturing processes, by taking ink precursors developed for other thin film processes, and exploiting them to use the significant benefits of inkjet process technology e.g. the direct writing of interconnects or wires. If successful, the project will represent a step-change in the manufacturing methods for this type of film.

Currently, special fibres are a crucial enabling technology that communicates worldwide, navigates airliners, monitors oil wells, cuts steel, and shoots down missiles (and even mosquitoes!). New classes of special optical fibres have demonstrated the potential to extend the impact of optical fibres well beyond the telecommunications arena, in areas as diverse as defence, industrial processing, marine engineering, biomedicine, DNA processing and astronomy. They are making an impact and commercial inroads in fields such as industrial sensing, bio-medical laser delivery systems, military gyro sensors, as well as automotive lighting and control - to name just a few - and span applications as diverse as oil well downhole pressure sensors to intra-aortic catheters, to high power lasers that can cut and weld steel. Optical fibres and fibre-related products not only penetrate existing markets but also, more significantly, they expand the application space into areas that are impossible by conventional technologies. To fulfil this potential and further revolutionise manufacturing, there is a strong need to continue innovating and manufacturing market-worthy fibres, in order to sustain the growth in the fast expanding fibre-based manufacturing sectors.From its inception in the 1960s, the UK has played a major role in shaping the optical fibre industry, and the highly regarded Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton is at the forefront. Our vision is to build upon the rich expertise and extensive facilities that are already in place to create a world-class, industry-led Centre for advanced manufacturing processes for new photonic components and materials that will fuel the growth of UK companies, enabling them to expand their product portfolio, enhance competitiveness and increase their market penetration and overall share. We will liaise closely with UK and other European Research Centres to advance further the fibre and related material technology, as well as increase the application space. The Centre is expected to play a key role in job and wealth creation in the expanding and highly competitive advanced technology and manufacturing sector. The UK industrial sector accounts for a production volume in photonics of EUR 5.2 billion, which corresponds to 12% of the European volume, and 2.3% of the world market. Particularly notable about the photonics industrial sector is that it comprises a majority of SMEs, who typically do not have the economies of scale nor the financial resources to invest heavily in infrastructure on their own. Use of the Innovative Manufacturing funding mechanism, complemented by industrial user-provided direct and in-kind contributions of ~4M (similar in amount to that sought from EPSRC for the establishment of this IMRC) , will supply the seed funding and focus needed to research and develop the next generation fibre material and technology platforms, which in turn will fuel the growth in photonics related manufacturing. The establishment of such a manufacturing research centre, working closely with existing key high-tech photonic UK companies as well as emerging companies and new start-ups, will make a substantive difference to their ability to develop and gain larger penetration in their respective markets. The IMRC strategy will follow multiple strands taking a number of initiatives to continuously expand and strengthen the initial research portfolio by moving it further up in the innovation and value-added spectrum. During its lifetime, the IMRC will make concerted efforts to further increase the user number and level of engagement.

Optical fibres lie at the heart of our increasingly technological society, for example: supporting the internet and mobile communications that we all now take for granted, saving lives through medical diagnosis and interventions using fibre-optic endoscopes, and enabling the mass production of a huge array of commercial products through fibre laser based materials processing. However, current fibre optics technology has its limitations due largely to the fact that the light is confined to a solid glass core. This places fundamental restrictions on the power and wavelength range over which signals can be transmitted, the speed at which signals propagate, and in terms of sensitivity to the external environment. These limits are now starting to impose restrictions in many application areas. For example, in telecommunications, nonlinear interactions between wavelength channels limit the maximum overall data transmission capacity of current single mode fibres to ~100-200 Tbit/s (for amplified terrestrial systems). Moreover, nonlinear, thermal and material damage thresholds combine to limit the maximum peak and average powers that can be delivered in a tightly focusable beam. This restricts the range of potential uses, particularly in the important ultrashort pulse regime increasingly used for a wide variety of materials processing applications These limitations can in principle be overcome by exploiting new light guidance mechanisms in fibres with a hollow core surrounded by a fine glass microstructure. Such fibres are generally referred to as Hollow Core Fibres (HCFs). Within this Programme we will seek to reinvent fibre optics technology and will replace the glass core with air or vacuum to produce Optical Fibres 2.0, offering vastly superior but largely unexplored potential. Our ultimate vision is that of a Connected World, where devices, machines, data centres and cities can be linked through these hollow light pipes for faster, cheaper, more resilient and secure communications. A Greener and Healthier World, where intense laser light can be channelled to produce goods and run combustion engines more efficiently and to image cancer tissues inside our bodies in real time. And an Explorative World, where hollow lightguides will enable scientific breakthroughs in attosecond science, particle physics, metrology and interplanetary exploration. Our overall ambition is therefore to revisit the way we think about light guidance and to develop a disruptive technology that challenges conventional thinking. The programme will provide the UK with a world-leading position both in HCF technology itself and in the many new applications and services that it will support.