Applications accepted all year round
Competition Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Supervisory team: Professor Anna Peacock and Professor David Thomson
Bringing optical and electronic functionality together on a single chip promises to transform the way we process and transmit information, which is crucial for achieving faster and more efficient data centres and sensors. By developing low-cost, flexible polysilicon components this project will tackle key issues associated with integrating optical and electronic circuits.
Silicon materials are synonymous with the microelectronics industry and, in particular, the processors used in everyday gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets, digital radios and televisions. More recently, due to its favourable optical properties, silicon has gained popularity in the field of optical information technologies, i.e., using photons instead of electrons to transfer information. Bringing these two research areas together on an integrated platform will have huge technological consequences. However, there is a challenge: silicon photonic devices are typically fabricated via complex processing of expensive single crystal wafers, which renders multi-device integration difficult. This project seeks to develop a simple, low-cost laser materials processing procedure to fabricate high quality polysilicon photonic platforms that will ease issues associated with optoelectronic integration.
The work will have elements of materials deposition, device fabrication, and optical characterization of components such as couplers, resonators, and modulators. It will also be possible to extend this work to other semiconductor materials, including silicon-germanium alloys where laser processing can be used to locally control the composition to tune device performance. You'll join our team of dynamic and skilled researchers. There will be opportunities to interact with our academic and industrial partners across the UK and internationally.
At the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), your PhD will equip you with the knowledge, skills and experience needed for a successful research career. The structured first year involves attending our training programme running in parallel with carrying out your research project. This provides a smooth transition from your degree course towards the more open-ended research that takes place in the following years under the guidance of your project supervisors. A range of technical skills training will also be carried out in areas such as fabrication, component characterization, general laboratory work, and data analysis, depending on needs. You will also have the opportunity to present your work at international conferences and to write papers in leading academic journals. You can expect to emerge from your PhD with skills at the forefront of future photonics research.
Entry requirements
You must have a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.
Fees and funding
We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.
Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.
Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs for top-ranked applicants.
Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
For more information, please visit our postgraduate research funding pages.
How to apply
You need to:
- choose programme type (Research), 2027/28, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
- select Full time or Part time
- search for programme PhD ORC (7097)
- add name of the supervisor in section 2 of the application
Applications should include:
- your CV (resumé)
- 2 academic references
- degree transcripts and certificates to date
- English language qualification (if applicable)
Contact us
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
For questions about applying, doctoralcollege-admissions@soton.ac.uk.
Project leader
For an initial conversation, acp@orc.soton.ac.uk.
The School of Optoelectronics (ORC) is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.