The National Epitaxy Facility
Leading Epitaxy Research from the University of Sheffield, based in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is proud to host the National Epitaxy Facility, a cornerstone of the UK’s advanced semiconductor research ecosystem. The facility offers world-class epitaxial growth services and supports groundbreaking research in materials science, photonics, quantum technologies, and beyond.
Its role is to deliver bespoke semiconductor wafers to world-class semiconductor research projects in universities and industry across the UK and to provide access to the expertise and resources needed to progress from basic discovery to mass manufacture for major economic/societal impact for the UK.
The facility combines decades of expertise in compound semiconductors with state-of-the-art infrastructure, enabling UK researchers to access custom-grown semiconductor materials tailored to their exact research needs.
The facilities 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. It's objectives include:
- Enabling UK University research through provision of high quality semiconductor epitaxy for custom designed structures and devices
- Supplying all the important III-V materials as well as Group IV epitaxy and hybrid III-V/Group IV epitaxy
- Providing comprehensive characterisation and documentation of wafers to ensure quality, accuracy, uniformity and performance
- Ensuring 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
- Providing 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.
Current grants supported here in Sheffield
| Principal Investigator | Grant Title | Grant Reference Number | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tartakovskii | EP/S030751/1 – Light-Matter Interaction and Quantum Photonics in Nano-scale structures and devices | EP/S030751/1 | 01/01/2020 | 30/06/2025 |
| Krizhanovski | EP/V026496/1 – Quantum and Many Body Physics Enabled by Advanced Semiconductor Nanotechnology | EP/V026496/1 | 15/09/2021 | 14/09/2026 |
| Brash | EP/W027909/1 – Controlling Environmental Interactions for Novel Solid-State Quantum Technologies | EP/W027909/1 | 06/06/2022 | 05/06/2027 |
Contact the facility
Centre for Nanoscience and Technology
University of Sheffield
North Campus
Broad Lane
Sheffield, S3 7HQ
E: epitaxyfacility@sheffield.ac.uk