Dr Richard James Edward Taylor , Vector Photonics / University of Bristol

Industrial Fellowships 2024

Dr Richard Taylor is a founder, director and CTO of Vector Photonics, a company based on technology he developed during his PhD. Having completed the original engineering development work within UK universities, he began the process of commercialising the technology with Vector Photonics, which spun-out of the University of Glasgow in March of 2020. Since incorporation, Vector has raised more than £4 million in equity investment leveraged by more than £5 million in grant funding and has expanded the team to 21 staff. During his PhD, Dr Taylor developed photonic crystal surface emitting lasers (PCSELs), a new class of laser which is set to revolutionise the semiconductor laser market. During this Fellowship, Dr Taylor will work with the University of Bristol to realise lasers that can hit several wavelengths on a single wafer of quantum dot material. 

There is huge global demand to develop quantum systems for applications such as position, navigation and timing. These systems all require lasers; however, they all require lasers with different wavelengths. Growth in the quantum market is limited by the relatively low volume for each laser system and lack of turnkey solutions. Low demand limits the development at each wavelength and the economic advantage of development. 

Dr Taylor’s Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowship will develop a laser system combining PCSELs, quantum dots and frequency doubling allowing multiple wavelengths to be demonstrated on a single wafer and one fabrication run to hit multiple quantum wavelengths. This will change the economics of laser development costs and make this route commercially viable, vastly reducing production costs. 

 

 

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