EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/G011664/1
Title: Integrated Laser Induced Fluorescence System Using Photonic Crystal Cavities
Principal Investigator: Cryan, Professor MJ
Other Investigators:
Heard, Dr PJ Yu, Professor S Lazarus, Dr CM
Orr-Ewing, Professor A Rorison, Professor J Rarity, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Edinburgh Instruments Ltd NCKU (National Cheng Kung University)
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation: University of Bristol
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 01 April 2009 Ends: 31 March 2012 Value (£): 334,939
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Optical Communications Optical Devices & Subsystems
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
17 Jul 2008 ICT Prioritisation Panel (July 2008) Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Light has many uses, one of its biggest applications is in optical communications systems where a laser is switched on and off to transmit data. There are also many applications in the world of medicine, biology and biochemistry and tradiationally these have required very expensive, very large pieces of equipment. Currently the life sciences are required to look at smaller and smaller samples, sometimes down to the size of a single molecule. What this means is that the world of nanotechnology could be be used to create very small scale pieces of equipment that shine light onto very small samples and observe the light emitted by the samples. This then enables scientists to understand many important properties of the material. To work with light at these very small scales is very difficult, but recently, a new technology known as Photonic crystals(PhCs) has made breakthroughs in the way light can be confined and controlled. To make Photonic crystals nanofabrication procedures are need that are coming into mainstream use and they are now being applied in many different disciplines. This project will look to use PhCs to guide light onto a sample and then guide light emitted by the sample at a different wavelength towards a detector. A very small light source, a laser, will be included on the chip to make a very compact measurement device. The beauty of this approach is that 1000's of these devices could be placed on to a chip to measure many different samples simultaneously. This is the approach that is need for decoding genes to enable new drugs to be made.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.bris.ac.uk