Microelectronics at the beginning was mainly concerned with thin film circuits and had yet to experience the real impact of silicon technology. Nonetheless, one of the most active minds in the department was already working on technologies which would come to play an important role in the future. Ken Nichols’ unconventional path into a lectureship had nurtured a variety of skills, which were to see the department early in the field of electron beam machining and precision mask making equipment. Ken’s enthusiasm, complemented by Greville Bloodworth’s commitment, soon to be joined with that of Henri Kemhadjian from Mullards, was to be crucial to our future.

Towards the end of the 60’s we had the first professional standard clean roomin any university in the country, enabling us to process silicon technology and devices: this facility was also required to be made available to assist other universities wishing to do device work. The achievement of this facility was monumental, as funding had been put together in small packages from a number of contracts and only an outstandingly dedicated and gifted team could have done it. Other staff who were associated with the group included John Beynon, who was to pass through Chairs at UWIST and the University of Surrey before becoming Principal of King’s College London, as well as Arthur Brunnschweiler and Jim Smith who stayed in Southampton.

Mention should be made at this point of the University of Edinburgh, which was a little later than us in the field but was seeking to follow a parallel path. We had a very close relationship with their Electrical Engineering Department, led by Professor Ewart Farvis with whom we had the most friendly of gentleman’s agreements, which ensured that we would always seek to work in complementary ways rather than compete. It was gratifying that Edinburgh too prospered.