Pushed by an urgent need on high-speed wireless connections, THz communications is now on fast track to be a 6G-enabler as a new wireless standard was released (IEEE 802.5.3d) in 2017. Most appealing technologies are i) photonics techniques, enabling highest data-rates and ii) solid-state technologies, enabling highest output powers. Within Europe, strong collaboration have been established between Univ of Lille and Univ Stuttgart; these two partners being world-class recognized institutes on these two afore-mentioned technologies. So far technologies exist on their own, and in SOLITONIC project we target to make a big boost ahead by co-integration of the core-chips, namely the Uni-travelling carrier photodiodes (French-side) and the solid-state amplifiers (German side). While simple association of French and German technologies already lead to state-of-the art demonstrations, co-integration will enable to target high performance integrated THz communication systems.

This project aims to develop disruptive ocean passive acoustic sensors. Fully bioinspired, ultra-low power, smart and compact, they can monitor in-situ for extended time periods while consuming less than 10 milliwatts (that is, a hundred times better than current technology). The sensor comes from the design of an ultra-low-power (ULP) analog cochlea operating preliminary data processing (analog acoustics signals converted into spike trains), judiciously associated with ULP processors that implement spiking neural networks. These sensors are almost “invisible” and feature a low environmental footprint. They analyse data off the cloud, while being robust because fabricated in (low cost) standard CMOS technology. They can cover a large area and are maintenance-free (long battery lifetime or powered by energy harvesting). This technology strongly contributes to sustainable development through accurate monitoring of the submarine ecosystem: following exposure to the noise of human activities, to pollution or ocean warming. This is made possible through the use of highly tunable ULP AI processor, which process the natural data (spike trains reflecting input acoustic signal features) output by the cochlea(s) to detect, locate, record, analyse, classify and alert acoustic events of interest (presence of cetaceans, boat passages, illegal fishing with explosives). Ocean is the lifeblood of Earth and its biodiversity is threatened. Global warming, acidification, dead zones ... the ocean is one of the first victims of CO2 emissions, but it also protects us by absorbing it, a vital role that we must take into account in climate policies.The project outcomes will allow the design of incentive policies for environmental sustainability, to track their effectiveness over time and provide options for adjusting them. The applicative domain is much larger than ocean ecoacoustics and concerns any kind of sounds in sea, air or ground, including bats, birds, crickets, bees, worms underground, even the ascent of sap in the trees for measuring many aspects of our biodiversity et its evolution. Notably, this research program is based on the interdisciplinary synergy between three distant communities able to develop: ULP analog electronics (CMOS transistors operating in deep subthreshold operation), artificial intelligence (machine learning, spiking neural networks) & ULP AI chips, and bioacoustics/ecoacoustics.

The goal of the joint-research PRISM consortium, involving an academic research laboratory and a company, is to develop a small, lightweight and low-cost passive millimeter wave camera. This kind of cameras is a solution for the detection of hidden objects under cloth, fabrics, paper, cardboard, plastics, wood, plaster and bricks. This new technology will be essential for protecting the citizens and the infrastructures. A well-known example concerns airports. For this kind of applications the passive aspect of the proposed camera is an advantage compared to more standard approaches in test in airports: it will be more easily acceptable by the population (no radiations are emitted by the camera). It must be noted that such passive camera responds to one recommendation of the French ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail) in a report establish on the request of the French DGAC in July 2012. The current technology is based on low noise amplification before detection at 90 GHz. These amplifiers have several drawbacks and the camera would become smaller, lighter and less expensive if a direct detection scheme could be used (no millimetre wave amplification). This is the goal of the PRISM project and it will require extremely sensitive detectors. Two types of detector diodes will be studied: - The first ones are zero-bias thermoionic diodes. They are based on a graded III-V semiconductor heterojunction. The potential profile can be easily varied thanks to a variation of thickness and composition by Molecular Beam Epitaxy. These compositions will be optimized in order to maximize the sensitivity and minimize the noise floor of the diode at room temperature and also at cryogenic temperature. Working at low temperature is an efficient way to improve the sensitivity of the diode and it is easily possible thanks to the fact that detectors dissipate almost no DC power. For all that, original cryocoolers could be used. - The second studied diode will be based on tunnelling effect (backward diodes). These diodes based on InAs nanowires small bandgap pn junctions will be processed and analyses following the technological modifications. The optimization will be focused to maximize the sensitivity and at the same time minimize the input capacitance for a small video resistance. In any case, the impedance matching of the detector is critical and must be as large as possible in bandwidth in order to increase the sensitivity of the detector. It will be studied for the two types of diodes. Increasing the frequency above 90 GHz will studied because it allows to increase the bandwidth and also to reduce the size of the optics of the camera. The low noise low frequency amplifier that follows the detector is also a critical part of the system. It will be specially studied and optimized. One solution to reduce the effect of the noise of this amplifier is to add a modulation of the signal and a lock-in detection. A new modulation scheme is proposed in order to reduce the noise to a value close to the intrinsic noise of the detector. The PRISM academic/industrial consortium has a strong expertise in high-frequency semiconductor devices design and processing, circuit design and system integration. The consortium is completed within its steering committee, by an engineer of the Service Technique de l'aviation civile (STAC), the French DGAC service in charge of the certification of security equipment for aviation security, which will provide inputs on regulator requirements as well as users needs in the field of aviation security which is one leading market for security products. This project should generate the detectors that will be used in the next generation of passive millimetre wave camera. Thanks to their smaller size, weight and cost they will be more generally used, not only in airports but also in all critical areas and in temporary events.

Dans le monde entier, les infections et les décès dus au SARS-CoV-2 se poursuivent. Ce qui a commencé comme un problème sanitaire temporaire s'est transformé en une épidémie plus permanente et de longue durée. Une manière efficace de limiter la propagation du Covid-19 et de gérer l'épidémie de façon adéquate consisterait de disposer des tests rapides, sensibles et spécifiques. Nous avons récemment développé CorDial-1, un capteur électrochimique Covid-19 dépistant l'état infectieux des patients. Bien que moins infectieux que le SARS-CoV-2, l’influenza saisonnière est non seulement sujet à des pandémies occasionnelles, mais présente des symptômes comparables à la Covid-19 tels que la fièvre, fatigue et toux sèche. La différenciation entre les deux infections virales n'est pas anodine. Nous proposons ici CorDial-FLU, une solution nouvelle et innovante pour répondre à ce besoin médical grâce au développement d'un dispositif de diagnostic viral pour la grippe. Pour atteindre cet objectif, l'IEMN (UMR 8520, ULille, coordinateur) apporte son expertise dans la fonctionnalisation de surface et la méthodologie des tests cliniques du capteur. L'AFMB (UMR 7257, Aix Marseille Université) apporte au consortium ses connaissances reconnues mondialement dans la conception de « nanobodies » (VHH) qui ciblent la nucléoprotéine (NP), un déterminant antigénique hautement conservé pour différents types de grippes. Comme deuxième stratégie des nanobodies spécifiques aux protéines de spike seront développés. Le CHU-Lille procèdera directement à la validation clinique (essai clinique déjà autorisé) pour confirmer la sensibilité et la spécificité de détection du virus grippal dans les écouvillons nasopharyngés et la salive et comparer à la technique PCR actuellement utilisée. Le consortium bénéficiera d'un essai clinique déjà autorisé (CorDial-1 ID RCB : 2020-A01147-32). Le résultat attendu sera un appareil de diagnostic rapide (10 min), très sensible (200 VPs/mL), spécifique et peu coûteux (< 15Euros) et portable (< 1kg) qui fournit des réponses positives / négatives de l'état d'infection avec Covid-19 et / ou grippe A sur site. Un dépistage rapide permettra une meilleure prise en charge et un suivi des patients diagnostiqués positifs, réduisant ainsi les souffrances et sauvant des vies

Fast amplitude and phase modulation is essential for a plethora of applications in photonics, including laser amplitude/frequency stabilisation, coherent detection, optical communications, spectroscopy, gas sensing etc. In the mid-infrared (MIR) wavelength range (3-12um) broadband MDs are missing, hampering the progress of MIR photonics. In this project we aim at demonstrating two types of power efficient and broadband (up to ~40GHz bandwidth) integrated MIR amplitude- and phase-MDs, suitable for industrial production, that will be capable of addressing the needs of emerging MIR photonics applications. The frequency response of these devices (optimised in the 9.5-10.5um wavelength range) will be fully characterised using an in-house fabricated ultra-broadband (>70GHz) detector and a VNA analyser. Finally, the potential of the MDs for spectroscopy/gas sensing applications will be demonstrated by setting up an original high resolution-spectroscopy experiment.