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| Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics | |
|---|---|
| Name | Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics |
| Established | 2008 |
| Location | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| Type | Research centre |
| Parent | University of Cambridge |
Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics is a research centre located within Cambridge and affiliated with the University of Cambridge. It focuses on photonics, electronics, optoelectronics and device integration, linking applied research with industrial translation and policy-relevant partnerships. The centre connects researchers from departments and institutes across Cambridge and collaborates with international laboratories, national laboratories and corporate research hubs.
The centre traces origins to strategic initiatives at the University of Cambridge and departmental consolidations involving the Cavendish Laboratory, the Department of Engineering, and the Department of Materials. Early milestones involved joint programmes with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the European Research Council, aligning with national roadmaps such as those promoted by Innovate UK and the Royal Society. Its formation followed precedents set by laboratories like the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory and initiatives involving the Cambridge Enterprise technology transfer office. The centre expanded through capital investments influenced by policy documents from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and input from stakeholders including ARM Holdings and Nokia Bell Labs. Over time, academic appointments connected to institutes such as the Cambridge Graphene Centre and collaborations with the Wellcome Trust and EPSRC helped define its research culture.
Research themes span integrated photonics, silicon photonics, plasmonics, quantum photonics and optoelectronic device engineering, intersecting with projects involving the Cavendish Laboratory, Microsoft Research Cambridge, and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. Work includes design and fabrication of photonic integrated circuits relevant to partners such as Intel and IBM Research, plus investigations of two-dimensional materials in collaboration with the Cambridge Graphene Centre and the National Graphene Institute. Quantum information and sensing efforts link to initiatives at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Physical Laboratory, while biomedical photonics collaborations tie to the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Medical Research Council. Research into optical communications connects to standards and consortia including ITU and European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
The centre houses cleanrooms, nanofabrication suites, optical laboratories and cryogenic measurement rigs, integrating capabilities from the Cavendish Laboratory and the Department of Materials. Facilities include electron-beam lithography stations comparable to those at the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, scanning electron microscopes akin to assets at the National Physical Laboratory, and ultrafast laser laboratories paralleled by setups at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. Instrumentation supports device prototyping for collaborations with Intel Labs and manufacturing trials with TSMC partners. Shared infrastructure links to the Cambridge Graphene Centre and regional innovation hubs such as the AURORA Innovation Centre.
The centre collaborates with multinational corporations, startups and public research organisations, including ARM Holdings, Nokia Bell Labs, Microsoft Research Cambridge, Intel, IBM Research, Cisco Systems, Sony, and BT Group. Academic partnerships extend to University of Oxford, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Max Planck Society. Funding and project consortia have involved the European Commission, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and industry consortia coordinated with Innovate UK. Technology transfer paths work through Cambridge Enterprise and incubators such as ideaSpace and connections with venture investors including Amadeus Capital Partners and Sequoia Capital.
The centre contributes to postgraduate training within the University of Cambridge, supervising PhD students registered through the Department of Engineering, the Cavendish Laboratory, and the Department of Materials. It hosts taught modules linked to the Cambridge Judge Business School entrepreneurship programmes and doctoral training partnerships with the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training. Short courses and workshops engage engineers and scientists from industry partners including Intel and ARM Holdings, while summer schools and outreach events coordinate with the Museum of Cambridge and the Cambridge Science Centre. Student placements and internships are brokered via Cambridge Enterprise and international exchange schemes with ETH Zurich and Stanford University.
Highlights include advances in silicon photonics transceivers tested in collaboration with Intel and trial deployments with BT Group, development of graphene-based photodetectors in partnership with the National Graphene Institute, and quantum photonics demonstrators aligned with programmes at Microsoft Research Cambridge and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The centre has contributed to publications in journals associated with the Royal Society and collaborative patent filings with industry partners such as ARM Holdings and Nokia Bell Labs. It has seeded start-ups that progressed through Cambridge Enterprise spin-out routes and received awards from bodies including the Royal Academy of Engineering and recognition at conferences hosted by the Optical Society.
Governance involves academic leadership drawn from the University of Cambridge faculties, advisory input from industry representatives such as Intel and ARM Holdings, and oversight through university boards that interact with funders including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the European Research Council, and Innovate UK. Funding streams combine competitive grants from the EPSRC and the European Commission with industry contracts and philanthropic support from institutions such as the Wellcome Trust. Strategic planning aligns with national initiatives influenced by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and collaborative frameworks with entities like the National Physical Laboratory.
Category:Research institutes in Cambridge