News archive

30 October 2020
AI archaeologist tops triple investment success at Dragons Den event
Iris Kramer is completing a PhD in Southampton’s Vision, Learning and Control Research Group.
Archaeologist turned computer scientist Iris Kramer secured a record-breaking £770,000 valuation for her deep learning tool for archaeological surveys in a Dragons' Den-style event at the University of Southampton.The Computer Science PhD student was offered a £70,000 investment in her startup, ArchAI, despite pitching from over 200 miles away in the Netherlands for the virtual series hosted by the...
16 July 2020
Silicon Photonics Group introduces a photonics pathway in undergraduate education
Silicon photonics is revolutionising the Datacom industry, compelling educators to modernise the way this technology is taught to the next generation of engineers.Photonics, known to many as 'the electronics of the 21st century', has become a ubiquitous technology in modern society, impacting many fields and addressing several grand challenges.Silicon photonics, in particular, is an important field since it leverages Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor(CMOS) technology and is being increasingly implemented in data centres,...
10 July 2020
Self-patterning light signals bright future for high-power lasers
A picture of Dr Massimiliano Guasoni - ORC
Researchers at the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics are investigating the self-patterning of light in multicore optical fibres as a route to scalable high-power lasers and all-optical signal processing.An international collaboration led by Dr Massimiliano Guasoni is studying how beams in opposing directions arrange themselves into well-defined patterns, ideally suited for producing a high brightness single beam.The research builds upon...
10 July 2020
Plasma patterning technique forms new optical metasurfaces
Researchers from the University of Southampton have demonstrated a new patterning technology that can create high-quality nanostructured surfaces for infrared thermal control coatings and nonlinear optics.The research was carried out through a close collaboration between physicists and Sustainable Electronic Technologies experts in Electronics and Computer Science (ECS).Metasurfaces are man-made structures designed to control light and other forms of radiation using very small elements, typically with sub-micrometer dimensions....
07 July 2020
CORNERSTONE prototyping platform extends service to European innovators
CORNERSTONE silicon chip sheet
A rapid prototyping foundry for silicon photonics based in the University of Southampton cleanroom complex has joined forces with a major European research consortium to help accelerate the next generation of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies.The CORNERSTONE service is now available to EUROPRACTICE customers through the Tyndall National Institute across three different SOI platforms.The open source Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) foundry, based in the Zepler...
30 June 2020
Southampton spin-out launches twin projects for ground-breaking quantum research
Dr Corin Gawith
Covesion Ltd has announced two major research projects for quantum technologies that will unlock the potential of Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystals.The crystal manufacturer, which was established from Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) in 2009, has secured funding from Innovate UK for twin 18-month programmes that will prepare Coversion's products for new applications in quantum technologies.Dr Corin Gawith, ORC Principal Research Fellow and Chief...

The Zepler Institute is a community of researchers from the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre, Electronics and Electrical Engineering Group, Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology Group and Quantum Light and Matter Group