High-resolution electron beam lithography tools for the specialist laser gratings industry

Prof Jonathan Weaver, Dr Douglas Macintyre, Prof Charles Ironside, Prof A. Catrina Bryce Coleman, Prof John Marsh, Dr Lianping Hou

Researchers at UofG have been at the forefront of advances in nanofabrication since 1978, becoming a world-leader in Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) research. This has resulted in one of the most advanced, large-area, high-resolution capabilities in the world. UofG’s EBL is now one of the core technologies for creating nanoscale patterns, a key fabrication step in the manufacture of chips used in of novel semiconductor lasers and grating-based devices for data communications (datacomms) products, one of the technologies central to modern life. This research has enabled UofG-owned Kelvin Nanotechnology (KNT) to expand its business. More recent UofG research has shown the versatility of EBL in atomic cooling applications for quantum technologies, which are increasingly central to the tool’s commercial exploitation. KNT manufactures gratings for the cutting-edge quantum markets, enabling, for example. customer TMD Technologies Ltd produce the world’s first portable grating magneto-optical trap for quantum sensing and timing applications.