Our Mission
The mission for the EPSRC National Epitaxy Facility is to provide an outstanding service for the provision of III-V and Group IV semiconductor epitaxial materials, structures and devices to enable the UK’s research community to compete at the highest levels on the world-stage in this highly active field.
The National Epitaxy Facility will provide a comprehensive cutting edge epitaxy service for both Group III-V and Group IV communities. Our objectives include providing a service which will:
- enable UK University research through provision of high quality semiconductor epitaxy for custom designed structures and devices
- supply all the important III-V materials as well as Group IV epitaxy and hybrid III-V/Group IV epitaxy
- provide comprehensive characterisation and documentation of wafers to ensure quality, accuracy, uniformity and performance
- ensure quality and a rapid response to the needs of users and EPSRC in the provision of the research service in line with Key Performance Indicators
- provide expert advice in all aspects of semiconductor growth, characterisation and initial device processing including advice and training on design of epilayer structures and device processing techniques.
Statement of need
A Statement of Need was successfully conducted by the National Epitaxy Facility in 2020. 136 members of the community attended and contributed to the discussions. The event provided an opportunity to make a concerted statement about the vibrancy and future directions of the semiconductor community in the UK and to help shape the role of a future National Facility.
Following a competitive bid to the EPSRC, the National Epitaxy Facility was awarded a £12M grant to support the UK semiconductor community in world-class research for a further five years from July 2022 to June 2027. The new grant allowed us to enhance our capabilities, including offering novel materials as part of an expanded Pump Priming scheme, installation of a commercial micro-transfer print tool enabling research in heterogeneous integration, and addressing the skills shortage by offering several PhD opportunities in epitaxy.
The EPSRC National Epitaxy Facility, led by the University of Sheffield in partnership with the Universities of Cambridge and UCL, is fulfilling a critical role in semiconductor innovation in the UK, building on a 40-year history of providing epitaxial wafers to both the academic and industrial research community.
With the release of the UK Government’s National Semiconductors Strategy, there has never been as many opportunities for researchers, students and industrial colleagues in the semiconductor sector, and we look forward to working closely with the community to position the UK as a global leader in this field.
The Facility plays a central role in enabling world class III-V research through its support for EPSRC grants and its wide ranging capabilities in epitaxy and device fabrication. We also welcome collaborative engagements with partners under schemes other than EPSRC grant funding eg. Innovate UK, EU, and we work with industrial partners under direct contract mechanisms.