Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Stmicroelectronics S.a.

UniversitÉ De Paris

California Institute of Technology

Universite Paris Cité

Institut National Des Sciences Appliquees De Lyon

Ecole Nationale Travaux Publics De L'etat

Sébastien Hentz

Michael Roukes

Guillaume Jourdan

Philippe Robert

Laurent Duraffourg

Marc Sansa Perna

Julien Renard

Bernard Viala

Eric Colinet

Thomas Ernst

Jean-Louis Pornin

Eric Ollier

Philippe Andreucci

Franck Badets

Thomas Alava

Fabrice Jacquet

Charlotte Gillot

Willy Ludurczak

Carine Marcoux

Emmanuelle Lagoutte

Nicolas Roch

Ivan Favero

Loïc Sibeud

Sébastien Labarthe

Bastien Orlando

Valérie Nguyen

Najib Kacem

Houssein Elmi Dawale

Fabrice-Roland Lamberti

Claude-Henri Lamarque

Luca Leoncino

Carine Ladner

Kazi Rafsanjani Amin

Christophe Masselon

Van Nghi Nguyen

Régis Dufour

Sébastien Baguet

Stéphane Minoret

A MEMs and/or NEMs measurement system includes a resonant assembly comprising: an input and an output, a plurality of N optical resonators Ri indexed i each having a resonance wavelength λr,i, at least one waveguide to which the optical resonators are coupled, at least one element coupled to each resonator Ri, an emission device, a modulation device, an injection device configured to superpose the N light beams to form an input beam and to inject the beam as input to the resonant assembly, at least one detector configured to detect a light beam arising from the beam at the output of the resonant assembly and to generate an output signal, a demodulation device comprising at least N synchronous-detection demodulation modules.

Multisensor MEMS and/or NEMS measurement system

An electro-optical conversion system including an opto-mechanical conversion device which includes a ring cavity formed by an optical waveguide which extends along an annular closed curve, a micromechanical resonator that comprises at least one microbeam, and a zipper type element integrated into the ring cavity, the zipper type element including a first arm made on a portion of the ring waveguide and a second arm made on the microbeam. The conversion system also includes a capacitor with first and second electrodes separated by a gap which varies when the microbeam oscillates.

Electro-optical conversion system

An electromechanical conversion device includes a resonant electrical circuit comprising an inductance and a capacitor, the capacitor including at least a first electrode and a second electrode; and a mechanical oscillator including at least one microbeam formed in a membrane, the first and second electrodes being located side by side and the first electrode of the capacitor being located on a face of the microbeam so that the electrical capacitance of the capacitor varies when the mechanical oscillator oscillates; device wherein the inductance includes an electric track of very low thickness made on the membrane and made of a superconductive material chosen so as to obtain an electric track with a high kinetic inductance.

Electromechanical conversion device and system using such a device

A detecting device configured to detect chemical or biological species in a given environment, includes a matrix-array sensor formed from opto-mechanical discs that are optically and mechanically resonant, able to bind to species of the environment, and arranged in rows and columns. The opto-mechanical discs of a given row are optically coupled to the same optical waveguide. Actuating electrodes are provided in order to ensure the mechanical resonance of the opto-mechanical discs. One p-n junction is associated with each opto-mechanical disc, the junctions of a given column being electrically connected to the same biasing electrode, so as to block the flow through the corresponding opto-mechanical disc of a parasitic electrical current. A control circuit is configured to forward bias, during a time window of read-out of a disc of interest, the p-n junction of a disc of interest so as to place, via a thermo-optical effect, its resonant wavelength at a working wavelength, such that an optical signal propagating through the optical waveguide associated with the disc of interest is amplitude modulated.

Device and method for detecting chemical or biological species

Electromechanical detection device, particularly for gravimetric detection, and method for manufacturing the device. The electromechanical detection device includes a support including a face defining a plane, at least one beam that can move relative to the support, and means of detecting beam displacement, outputting a signal that depends on the displacement. The beam is anchored to the support through an end and is approximately perpendicular to the plane, and the other end of the beam includes at least one reception zone that can receive one or several particles causing or modifying displacement of the beam, in order to determine at least one physical property of the particle(s) from the signal. According to the invention, the detection means are located between the reception zone and the support.

Electromechanical detection device, particularly for gravimetric detection, and method for manufacturing the device

A method of characterizing frequency fluctuations of a resonator comprising the steps of: a) driving the resonator, in a linear regime, by simultaneously applying two periodical driving signals having respective frequencies, the frequencies being different from each other and from a resonant frequency of the resonator, but contained within a resonance linewidth thereof; b) performing simultaneous measurements of response signal of the resonator at the frequencies of the periodical driving signal; and c) computing a value representative of a correlation between the measurements, the value being indicative of frequency fluctuations of the resonator. An apparatus for implementing such a method is provided.

Method and apparatus to implement frequency stabilization of a resonator

Optomechanical device for actuating and/or detecting movement of a mechanical element, in particular for gravimetric detection. It includes a support with a mechanical element anchored to the support which is designed to move relative to the element, and a device for actuating and/or detecting movement or of variations in frequency of movement of the element. A portion of the device is arranged beneath at least part of the element, between the element and the support. The device includes a fixed optical device with at least one optical waveguide arranged beneath all or part of the element at a determined distance from the element, and which is designed to propagate at least one optical wave having a given wavelength designed to interact with the element. The optical waveguide is at a determined distance from the mechanical element so that the evanescent field of the optical waveguide interacts with the mechanical element.

Optomechanical device for actuating and/or detecting movement of a mechanical element, in particular for gravimetric detection

A measuring system including: at least two electromechanical resonators each having a resonant frequency varying around an offload resonant frequency according to a physical quantity to be measured; at least one reading device connected to inputs of the resonators and configured to supply an excitation signal on the inputs; and a memory in which is recorded, for each resonator, offload resonance information relating to the offload resonant frequency of the resonator. Each reading device is configured to determine the resonant frequency of one or more resonators selected for reading by configuring at least one element of the reading device using the offload resonance information stored for each selected resonator.

Measuring system having electromechanical resonators, method for manufacturing such a system, and method for reading at least two electromechanical resonators

An in-plane MEMS or NEMS detection device for measuring displacements directed along a direction including a seismic mass suspended with respect to a substrate, the seismic mass being pivotable about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the substrate, at least one piezoresistive strain gauge mechanically connected to the seismic mass and the substrate, wherein the piezoresistive gauge has a thickness lower than that of the seismic mass, and wherein the axis of the piezoresistive strain gauge is orthogonal to the plane containing the pivot axis and the center of gravity of the seismic mass and the plane is orthogonal to the direction of the displacements to be measured.

In-plane piezoresistive detection sensor

The invention relates to a micromachined accelerometer using a movable seismic mass suspended in relation to the substrate by elastic connections only allowing translation in its own plane along a sensitive axis (Oy). The mass acts on at least one elongate resonator by means of a force amplification structure associated with this resonator. The amplification structure comprises a rigid lever arm, a first end of which is connected to the seismic mass by a connection having, in the plane of the mass, a high stiffness in the direction of the sensitive axis (Oy) and a low stiffness in the perpendicular direction, and a second end is connected to an anchor point on the substrate. The second end of the lever arm is a rigid head piece surrounding the anchor point and connected to this anchor point by a rotational connection about a center of rotation. The resonator has one end fixed to the rigid head piece at a point such that the longitudinal axis of the resonator passes a distance h, small in relation to the length L of the lever arm but nonzero, from the center of rotation of the rotational connection.

Resonant-beam accelerometer with rotating articulated lever arm

The magnetic device according to the invention is integrated on a substrate and comprises at least one element made of piezoelectric material associated with actuating electrodes, and at least one magnetic element able to deform under the stress of the piezoelectric material element. The device has the form of a beam movable with respect to the substrate, and comprises two transverse parts of predetermined width, along a reference longitudinal axis. The piezoelectric material element is formed by at least a part of a transverse part and each transverse part comprises a zone for mechanical anchoring on the substrate. The transverse parts are connected by at least one central branch, of predetermined width, on which the magnetic element is arranged.

Piezoelectrically-controlled integrated magnetic device

The invention relates to accelerometer structures micro-machined according to micro-electronics technologies. The accelerometer according to the invention comprises a substrate, an elastically deformable thin-layer membrane suspended above the substrate and secured to the substrate at its periphery, a proof mass suspended above the membrane and linked to the latter by a central stud, and capacitive interdigitated combs distributed about the mass, having movable plates secured to the mass and fixed plates secured to the substrate. The fixed plates and movable plates of the various combs are of differentiated heights to help in the discrimination of the upward and downward vertical accelerations.

Triaxial membrane accelerometer

Growing community of inventors

Grenoble, France

Sébastien Hentz