Industrial collaboration

Research in particle and astroparticle physics requires highly complex detection equipment. Due to the pioneering nature of the research, an institute such as Nikhef can rarely purchase this equipment off the shelf and must largely develop it in collaboration with industry. Nikhef combines its in-house knowledge and expertise with the expertise and production capabilities of companies to create functional systems.

Examples of joint innovation and co-creation:

• Collaboration with MCAP:

In collaboration with MCAP, an oil-filled cable was developed that connects the detectors of the KM3NeT experiment via optical fibres several kilometres deep in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Collaboration with Airborne:

For the ATLAS detector, a rigid composite structure was developed in collaboration with Airborne for a detector component designed to determine the position of passing particles with very high precision.

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Another form of collaboration with industry is the transfer of knowledge and/or technology to existing or newly established companies. Nikhef research has so far resulted in three spin-offs.

Amsterdam Scientific Instruments (ASI), since 2011 – Medipix & Timepix chips

In particle physics, specialised detectors make subatomic particles that are invisible to the human eye detectable. A particle detector can individually detect every proton, electron, neutron or other exotic particle that enters its detection range. ASI applies this technology in various, primarily scientific fields, such as X-ray detection and electron microscopy.

The knowledge and technology transferred to ASI originates from the Detector R&D group and its involvement in the CERN-coordinated Medipix collaborations, which developed the Medipix and Timepix chip technologies. For each new generation of Timepix chips, Nikhef and ASI collaborate closely on the development of readout electronics.

Innoseis Sensor Technologies, since 2013 – seismic sensors

Measuring seismic signals requires a network with a large number of detectors. Innoseis achieved a breakthrough in this field by developing wireless, ultra-low-power seismic detectors capable of measuring very small vibrations with high precision in both time (nanoseconds) and location using GPS.

The knowledge and technology transferred to Innoseis originates from technological developments for the detection of gravitational waves.

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Oliscience, since 2018 – open-source platform

Processing signals from the detectors mentioned above requires specially developed electronics. These electronics use programmable chips known as FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), enabling faster and more flexible development. The programs that can be loaded onto an FPGA are often open source. OpenCores, a platform used to manage these programs, was acquired by Oliscience to improve their quality.

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Nikhef also makes its unique facilities and the expertise of its technicians available to industrial users. For example, some companies use Nikhef’s facilities to produce detection systems based on readout electronics, chips and sensors supplied by the companies themselves.

Nikhef has a long-standing relationship with Malvern PANalytical that brings together knowledge and technology transfer to industry, joint knowledge and technology development with industry, and the use of Nikhef facilities by industry.

Malvern PANalytical specialises in developing and manufacturing measurement instruments for analysing different materials for research and quality control. X-ray detection makes it possible to distinguish between different crystal structures. For example, the pharmaceutical industry can use this technology to verify whether the correct crystal form has been produced during the manufacturing process.

The relationship between Nikhef and Malvern PANalytical began in 2002 with the introduction of Medipix chips at Malvern PANalytical and continues in various forms to this day.

Malvern PANalytical was the first commercial company to take the step of developing a product based on Medipix chips. Since 2007, its products based on different generations of Medipix chips have been successfully brought to market.

For the scientifically driven Medipix collaborations, working with Malvern PANalytical has provided new insights by bringing an industrial perspective to the chips. This has helped further improve both their applicability and quality.

Malvern PANalytical also uses Nikhef facilities, including cleanrooms, for part of its production process.

Another form of industry-related collaboration is Nikhef’s data centre: Nikhef Housing.

Nikhef Housing