Extreme Performance in Optical Coatings testbed (EPOC)

EPOC (Extreme Performance in Optical Coatings) operates the UK’s first production-ready facility for the manufacture of large-area, high-precision coatings by ion beam deposition (IBD). Hosted within the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) in Renfrewshire’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS), EPOC was established by the Universities of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and West of Scotland alongside industrial partners Gooch & Housego and Helia Photonics. Born from world-leading gravitational wave detection research, EPOC provides UK industry with access, training, and manufacturing capabilities for next-generation optical coatings. IBD produces the densest, most uniform thin films achievable, delivering ultra-low optical loss and exceptional laser damage resistance. Applications span photonics, quantum technologies, aerospace, defence, biomedical and high-energy laser systems including fusion optics. By lowering barriers to advanced coating technology, EPOC enables Scottish and UK enterprises — particularly SMEs — to compete globally in markets demanding the highest optical performance.