Abstract
The fundamental nature of matter and the basic forces which shape our Universe have preoccupied many brilliant scientists. Many fundamental questions remain unanswered – for instance, what are the ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy’ which dominate the large-scale evolution of our Universe? Why is there a matter/anti-matter asymmetry in our Universe? What is the origin of the masses of fundamental particles?In September 2003 the Liverpool Semiconductor Detector Centre was officially opened by Britain’s Chief Government Scientist.Based in The University of Liverpool’s Oliver Lodge Laboratory, the Centre is equipped with state of the art microelectronicsassembly equipment capable of creating the large, high-precision arrays which scientists need to develop a better understandingof our Universe.
