Royce at Imperial

Dr Freya Johnson is a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Physics. Her research focuses on advanced materials for ultra-fast energy-efficient computing. Dr Johnson has been using the facilities at Royce at Imperial including the Pulsed Laser Deposition, Atomic Force Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Cleanrooms and SPIN-lab to support her research. In this blog post, she discusses her research and her experience using the Royce facilities at Imperial. 

Can you tell us more about your research?

I am currently working on advanced materials for ultra-fast energy-efficient computing. Current computing technologies require a constant input of energy – which is mostly wasted as heat. I am developing nitride magnetic materials that can operate 1000x faster than current computers and have reduced losses, therefore saving energy.

Why do you use the Royce facilities at Imperial for your work?

Royce at Imperial is the home of a state-of-the-art kit I couldn’t really access anywhere else, so that was a big motivating factor. Also, getting access to the Royce facilities is straightforward, and nearly everything I need is located in the same area. So, I can grow a sample in the morning and be performing structural and surface analysis on the same sample in the afternoon, without any time wasted!

Which facilities do you use at Royce?

Growth facilities (Pulsed Laser Deposition), Atomic Force Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Cleanrooms (Ion milling, E-beam lithography) and SPIN-lab – it is probably easier to list the facilities I don’t use!

In what ways did access to our facilities contribute to your research?

It is essential for my research. Using the facilities here has allowed me to develop new processes and new material combinations I have never tried before, with great success.

Has working at the Royce facility led to any new insights or learning experiences?

Royce offers a space to interact with other users and find out about their projects. From this, I have had many new opportunities to collaborate and learn new things, which is a massive benefit to me!

Royce at Imperial is a hub for start-ups, industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems.

If you are interested in using the facilities, please visit the Royce at Imperial website.

Read Researcher spotlight: Dr Freya Johnson in full

 

Nikalyte have recently used the facilities at Royce at Imperial to support their company. In this blog post, they share more about their company and the facilities they have used at Royce.

Can you tell us more about your startup/company?

Nikalyte is a nanomaterials company based near Oxford and provides deposition equipment and research services to the academic and industrial research community. The experienced team develops functional materials for photonics, sensing and electronics using its own PVD deposition equipment.

Why did you choose to use the Royce facility?

Nikalyte’s expertise covers a range of vacuum deposition coating techniques. The development of these functional coatings requires regular microscopy analysis to understand the properties of the coatings and enable improvements to be made. 

What facilities do you use/did you use at the Royce facility?

Nikalyte used the Scanning Electron Microscope at Royce and plans to use the ICP etch tool in the future.

What has been your biggest learning curve since starting the business?

Since starting the business five years ago, we have learned many lessons. The biggest learning curve has been understanding how to best match our expertise to our customers’ needs.

Royce at Imperial is a hub for start-ups, industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems.

If you are interested in using the facilities, please visit the Royce at Imperial website.

Read Company spotlight: Nikalyte in full

SPECU is working on creating embedded hyperspectral vision sensors that capture, on average, five times more detail than traditional cameras, including information invisible to the naked eye.

The company recently utilised the facilities at Royce Imperial to support its research and development. In our latest blog post, they share more about their company and how the facilities at Royce have supported their work.

Royce at Imperial is a hub for start-ups, industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems. Start-ups and companies like SPECU can access our state-of-the-art Royce facilities, resources and expertise to drive innovation and development.

Can you tell us more about your startup/company?

SPECU was founded in 2022 in the UK. Our company focuses on creating embedded hyperspectral vision sensors that capture, on average, five times more detail than traditional cameras, including information invisible to the naked eye.

This technology holds immense potential for applications in precision farming, environmental monitoring, medical imaging, ADAS, and food safety. Our team consists of experts from top universities like Imperial College London, Cambridge, and MIT, as well as industry professionals with extensive experience in hyperspectral vision. Together, we are working to make these high-tech cameras affordable and widely available.

Our start-up was recently backed by international venture capitalists and has secured millions in funding to support its journey towards global commercialisation. We aim to bring our transformative technology to a wider audience.

Why did you choose to use the Royce facility?

Choosing the Royce facility has been instrumental for our early-stage deep-tech startup, especially at a critical juncture where transitioning from extensive research to commercialization involves significant non-commercial activity. Royce has supported us comprehensively in several key ways:

Comprehensive Resources: Royce provides a full suite of devices, from basic wafer cleaning to advanced thin film deposition and etching. This array of equipment allows us to conduct all necessary research under one roof without the need to seek additional facilities.

Flexibility: Unlike traditional fabs, Royce offers greater flexibility, enabling us to freely test and iterate on our ideas. This adaptability is crucial for a startup like ours, where evolving prototypes swiftly is vital.

Expert Guidance and Training: The facility offers state-of-the-art equipment and provides extensive training and expert guidance. This support has been essential in enhancing our team’s device-handling methodologies, ensuring that we use each piece of equipment to its fullest potential.

We contacted numerous other fabs and university labs, but none could offer the comprehensive, integrated support provided by Royce. Their professional environment and flexible approach make Royce particularly well-suited to supporting innovative startups like ours, enabling us to refine our technology efficiently and effectively.

What facilities do you use/did you use at the Royce facility?

We utilise more than half of the facilities available at Royce, including the basic wafer cleaning and drying system, various thin film deposition devices, different etching facilities, and device characterisation equipment. These comprehensive resources support our extensive research and development efforts, allowing us to explore and refine our technologies effectively.

What has been your biggest learning curve since starting the business?

Our biggest learning curve has been embracing the philosophy of ‘think less, do more.’ Early on, we learned that sometimes taking action, even if not perfect, is better than inaction. This approach has been vital in product development, where real-world application and iterative adjustments have allowed us to refine our ideas continuously. Through actively engaging with challenges and scaling up production, we’ve managed to come 80-90% closer to our ideal solutions. Embracing this proactive mindset has significantly accelerated our learning and adaptation, proving crucial in navigating the complexities of growing a successful business.

Royce at Imperial is a hub for start-ups, industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems.

If you are interested in using the facilities, please visit the Royce at Imperial website.

Read Company spotlight: SPECU in full

Dr Bruno Rente is a Research Facility Manager at the Royce at Imperial facility. The facility was officially opened in Spring 2023 and is a hub for industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems.

In the blog post below, he tells us more about his role and what he enjoys the most.

Can you tell us more about your role – what does a typical week involve?

My role at the Royce@Imperial A2D facility is to ensure that all the activities run in our laboratories follow the Royce strategy and expectations.

If we think about the roles of running a facility as a pyramid, the base would be to provide an environment where people can excel in their research, providing technical knowledge on each of the nanofabrication and characterization techniques. This is done by teaching and training researchers and ensuring all activities are run up to the technical and scientific standards expected from such a high-end facility.

The middle of this pyramid provides more advanced specialist knowledge when the researchers need something extra to achieve their goals, which they will surely need at some point in their work or studies.

The tip of the pyramid is to keep up with the future demands of the facility on state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques. This is done by undertaking high-level research on the area and engaging with our academic and entrepreneurship leads/stakeholders to continuously assess the need for new or upgraded systems/techniques.

Therefore, a typical week will be divided between managing the facility, training and supporting the users, and research activities.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The most rewarding part of my role is seeing students present their work with passion and full ownership of their projects. It is great to see their growth from the moment they stepped into the facility to the end of their work.

Another is witnessing the whole chain from basic research to translation science. The Royce A2D platform allows me to witness research being applied and becoming devices or prototypes, which is the ultimate goal in science: to create better technology for society. In my opinion, the activities we do for commercial partners and start-ups are the best way to contribute to improving industrial applications and keep up to date with the innovations in the field.

Can you tell us more about the facilities at Royce?

I see the whole facility as parts of a repertoire that you will need in combination to achieve the devices with the desired characteristics. Because of my background, I identify some techniques for which my skills and knowledge benefit our researchers the most. I have been working on pulsed laser deposition and e-beam lithography facilities for quite some time now and can pass the experience on to researchers and students.

Are there any plans on the horizon for Royce at Imperial?

We are always trying to expand our horizons and expect to introduce new technologies to Royce in the foreseeable future. We plan to expand our lithography capabilities to meet the needs of the industry and small businesses and bring new options for researchers, such as nanoimprint lithography. We also expect to implement new advanced thin film deposition processes, focusing on strategic goals such as quantum and net zero. I’m looking forward to our future developments and the scientific work that we will do.

Royce at Imperial is a hub for start-ups, industry and academia to make, test and characterise materials, components and systems.

If you are interested in using the facilities, please visit the Royce at Imperial website.

Read Royce Insights with Dr Bruno Rente in full