About the Project
This PhD project is based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, in close collaboration with Toppan Security https://toppansecurity.com/
Security documents such as passports, identity cards and driving licences are critically important for proof of identity, nationality, and eligibility for international travel. As counterfeiting technologies continue to evolve and methods of document fraud become increasingly sophisticated, their security features must be continuously enhanced to ensure that they remain secure, trusted, and resilient against counterfeiting and tampering.
Toppan Security (formerly part of De La Rue) is a world-leading provider of secure identity and travel documents, including passports, identity cards and driving licences. The company not only manufactures these highly secure documents but also supplies and supports the specialist equipment used in their production at trusted government and industrial partner sites around the world. Through many years of experience, Toppan has established a strong reputation for innovation in the design and manufacture of security features that protect against fraud while supporting efficient identity verification.
Modern passport documents make extensive use of advanced materials and personalisation technologies to provide both durability and security. In particular, current passport datapages use multilayer polycarbonate substrates in combination with subsurface laser engraving technologies that permanently embed images and text within the document structure. These laser-based processes produce highly durable markings that are extremely difficult to alter or remove without leaving visible evidence of tampering.
Whilst these technologies provide a high level of protection, the ongoing evolution of counterfeiting techniques necessitates continuous innovation, with the regular introduction of novel security elements that are difficult to replicate whilst being straightforward to authenticate.
To address this challenge, Toppan Security is keen to explore the application of additional precision laser processing technologies capable of creating next-generation security features. Of particular interest is the use of ultraviolet (UV) laser processing that has the potential to provide features such as bespoke diffractive optics that can generate images when illuminated with a small bright light source such as that in a mobile phone.
The aim of this project is therefore to investigate and develop UV laser modification processes for the creation of advanced security features within secure identity documents. A particular focus will be the direct writing of subsurface diffractive optical structures within polycarbonate passport substrates. In this way the project seeks to establish new methods for generating covert and overt authentication features that can significantly increase resistance to counterfeiting while remaining compatible with existing passport manufacturing workflows.
The project should hence provide a new generation of laser-written security features offering enhanced protection against forgery, improved document authentication, and a clear technological advantage. The project will support Toppan Security's strategic objective of maintaining leadership in secure document technologies while contributing to the long-term integrity and trustworthiness of national identity and travel documents worldwide.
Funding Notes
This project is supported by an EPSRC studentship, for both fees and stipend. The stipend is set at the standard EPSRC level (currently £21,805 per annum) PLUS an additional £3,000 per annum.
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