Summary of the impact

Professor Batchelder at Leeds undertook key aspects in the research, design, development and application of Raman microscopes. His partnership with Renishaw plc (Spectroscopy division) led to the development of a new generation of imaging Raman microscope, with performance improved by an order of magnitude. This instrument not only offers dramatically faster performance, meaning spectra could be acquired in seconds rather than tens of minutes, but requires much less laboratory space and maintenance, and offers a wider range of performance compared to other systems on the market. Consequently, the Renishaw system has been the world's best-selling research Raman microscope 2008-13. Wide impact has been generated from the economic benefits of the emergence of the Raman microscope products, from their application within the customer base in terms of improved imaging performance and from the fact that these instruments have since found new applications in a wide range of fields from space research to Forensic Science (see section 4), effectively expanding the customer base.

Summary of the impact

Cascade Technologies is a rapidly expanding technology company that contributes significantly to the UK economy. The company, a spin out from the Physics Department, manufactures gas sensors based on Strathclyde research that are used for environmental monitoring, security monitoring and process monitoring. From 2008 to 2013 the company has expanded to employ 50 people and sales have increased from £0.9 million to £6.4 million. From 2008 the company's products are used on a number of commercial shipping fleets to monitor emissions, and from 2010 until 2011 have been used to increase traveller safety at Glasgow airport

Summary of the impact

Research at the Interface Analysis Centre (IAC) has made innovative analysis products available in a wide range of industries and research fields.

• The design of a novel SEM-Raman instrument has resulted in multi-million pound sales for Renishaw PLC.
• Rolls-Royce PLC has commissioned and used bespoke instruments and non destructive examinations to maintain its competitive advantage and is modifying its technical processes to incorporate these into its standard manufacturing and maintenance procedures.
• In healthcare, work on Raman probes for cancer detection has influenced support of innovation in the NHS.
• Two companies have been formed to develop and market computer control and data acquisition and analysis systems conceived in the course of this work.

Summary of the impact

Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) locking, developed into a practical technique by researchers at the University of Glasgow, is the ubiquitous method for the precise frequency control of stable laser systems. This control is central to laser products from companies such as Toptica and Newport, and has an estimated global annual market in excess of £5M. The PDH stabilisation technique is essential for the operation of the time standards maintained in all of the world's Governmental Metrological Standards Laboratories (e.g. NPL, NIST, BIPM) and finds applications in inspection tools in the semiconductor industry and deep UV lasers for UV-Raman spectroscopy.

Summary of the impact

A range of techniques based on laser physics and developed since 1993 by the group of Prof Telle in our analytical laser spectroscopy unit (ALSU) has led to:

• Founding a spin-off company, Applied Photonics which produces remote-sensing products employing laser spectroscopy to detect the chemical composition of unknown samples aimed at the military and nuclear energy industry. This technology has allowed multi-million pound savings on the operational costs of nuclear plants due to their functionality in normally inaccessible radioactive environments thus avoiding the need for a power station shutdown.
• Establishing a laboratory in the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) dedicated to the stewardship of UK's nuclear weapons stockpile and chemical explosives by detecting isotopic abundances in uranium samples and analysing the composition of munitions deteriorating in desert environments;
• Assisting the design and development of a new product line of Spectrum Technologies, a market-leading company which removes specialised enamel insulation from conductors used in the aerospace industry.

Summary of the impact

Impact: Economic
Based on research carried out within PHYESTA, a range of novel laser devices have been produced and sold under licence by M Squared Lasers Ltd Glasgow.

Significance: The products have significantly expanded the M Squared product range and have led to increased sales and new customer relationships.

Reach: M-Squared have marketed these lasers worldwide and has had major sales from customers in the defence and oil and gas sectors. New collaborations have been enabled with international partners including the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (Glasgow).

Beneficiaries: M-Squared Lasers

Attribution: The devices were developed by PHYESTA Researcher Professor Malcolm Dunn's research group

Summary of the impact

Techniques that can produce detailed chemical information rapidly and non-destructively for many forensic applications have been developed by Queen's University Belfast based on Raman analysis. The techniques have been adopted by the Forensic Science laboratory in Northern Ireland (FSNI) to trace the source of seized drugs, identify novel psychoactive substances ("legal highs") and study paint evidence. More than 2000 cases of supply/possession of ecstasy drugs, 947 paint casework samples and 100 'legal highs' have been analysed. Other law enforcement agencies are now adopting the methods developed at Queen's.