The University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge has been at the forefront of academic study and research since 1209. It sits at the heart of one of the world’s largest technology cluster and promotes the interface between academia and business, with a global reputation for innovation.

Overview

Through an initial £12M capital investment in research facilities, Royce at the University of Cambridge supports research and innovation through an inter-departmental network of 18 open access deposition, fabrication and characterisation facilities. Our focus is on supporting the development of materials for energy efficient devices as part of the Royce Atoms to Devices research theme.

Facilities and expertise across Royce at the University of Cambridge contribute to the Royce Research areas of 2D Materials, Biomedical Materials, Advanced Metals Processing, Imaging and Characteristion and Modelling and Simulation. We also host Royce’s national Technology Platform for Physical Vapour Deposition and Characterisation.

Royce at Cambridge also supports commercialisation activities though sponsorship of the impulse Programme for technology entrepreneurs.

Royce at Cambridge Website

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Core Facilities

Based at the Maxwell Centre, Royce at the University of Cambridge is the centrepiece for industrial engagement with scientists and engineers working across the materials sciences on the West Cambridge Science and Technology Campus. Royce facilities include the laboratories listed below.

Physical Vapour Deposition & Characterisation Facility

The Royce Physical Vapour Deposition and Characterisation Facility is a state-of-the-art facility for thin-film deposition and device fabrication.

Royce Dual Beam FIB

The Dual Beam FIB provides a unique capability for the fabrication of 3D heterostructures, allowing for the creation of novel superconducting, magnetic or optical devices.

Royce Transport Magnetometry Facility

The Royce Transport Magnetometer manages equipment for the characterisation of magnetic and electrical properties of materials and devices.

Royce Battery Suite

The Royce Cambridge Battery Manufacturing Facility provides equipment for academic and commercial researchers to manufacture and process battery materials. This will bridge the gap between materials innovation and industrial collaboration.

Technology Platforms

Royce Technology Platforms, which sit within our Research Framework, are groupings of cutting-edge facilities and expertise.

Physical Deposition and Characterisation

This platform enables the growth of thin films and devices with sub-nm thickness control of individual layers, underpinning the development of advanced functional materials and devices for energy-efficient electronics. In particular, the facility focuses on optimising nanoscale materials and devices with targeted properties to enable low-power electronics, quantum technologies, and energy harvesting.

Atoms to Devices

The vision of the ‘Atoms to Devices’ (A2D) Research Area is to provide the cross- disciplinary technology platforms to facilitate the accelerated discovery and development of new device materials.

A2D is the quantum scale engineering of new technologies, that can translate into applications ranging from photonics, imaging, semiconductors and sensors, through to energy storage, biomedical materials and quantum technologies.

The research area comprises modelling, design, growth, fabrication, characterisation, and testing of electronic, spintronic and opto-electronic devices. Application examples include development of electronic materials for the energy transition, and design of bioelectronic sensors to support personalised healthcare.

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Imaging & Characterisation

The Imaging and Characterisation research area aims to provide access to the cutting-edge techniques across the entire scope of Royce’s research areas. This includes the specific expertise needed to describe and quantify the structure and properties of such a broad range of advanced materials. These techniques provide vital information to accelerate and support materials optimisation to improve performance, production, functionality and sustainability.

The applications of the Imaging and Characterisation capability across the partner institutes spans and complements the entire scope of Royce’s research areas and are vital in accelerating the development of advanced materials.

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Biomedical Materials

The objective of the Biomedical Materials research area is to accelerate its discovery, manufacture and translation into usable applications, enhancing the UK’s position as an international leader in the fields of biomaterials and biomedical systems and devices.

Globally, the number of individuals aged 60+ is projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030. In response to the change in the age demographic, a new generation of ‘smart dynamic’ biomedical materials are required to support novel medical approaches that sustain and improve human health and well-being for longer.

Materials for Personal Health has therefore been identified as a National Materials Challenge, which the Biomedical Materials research area feeds into.

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