Mimento: submicron precision for cutting-edge sectors

What areas of scientific expertise does the MIMENTO platform cover?

Alexandra Monnin : We specialize in micro and nanotechnologies. This includes micro- and nano-acoustics, micro-optics and nanomaterials. Our expertise also extends to upstream components for quantum optics and frequency doubling, as well as to more applied areas such as the manufacture of microsystems (opto-electro-mechanics, sensors, watchmaking parts, microfluidic structures, etc.). Our specificity lies in our ability to work on a wide variety of materials such as silicon, quartz, lithium niobate, lithium tantalate, etc. To achieve this, we have a wide range of equipment for layer deposition, etching, lithography, LIGA, micro-cutting and characterization.

What are the applications of these themes?

AM: Telecommunications, space, sensors, luxury goods, biomedical and microfluidics are the main application sectors. Nano-acoustics is another field of application, for the development of radio frequency filters in antennas for mobile communication systems. As for sensor networks, they benefit from our work on piezoelectric materials. We specialize in sensors capable of withstanding hostile pressure or temperature conditions, such as in pipelines or in space. To this end, we have many innovations linked to new materials, such as lithium tantalate, or gold nanolayers specific to certain uses. We also work a lot with the luxury goods industry.

Why is the luxury goods sector interested in micro and nanotechnology research?

AM: It's true that it's not the industry we first think of when it comes to these disciplines, mainly because luxury players are very discreet and don't communicate much. Luxury manufacturers contact us to improve the adhesion of certain materials, to carry out surface structuring or to study new microfabrication processes... Luxury companies - more precisely in the watchmaking, jewelry and goldsmithing sectors in the case of our collaborations - are really in the process of developing new technologies, in the same way as the medical or space sectors.

What emblematic partnerships is MIMENTO involved in?

AM: We're currently working with Airbus and the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) on satellite components. The general problem is the telemetry from space of activities located on the earth's surface, using microdetectors produced by our platform. These detectors are dedicated to triangulating signals to assess the dynamics of displacements: measuring GPS coordinates, studying the tectonics of terrestrial plates, tracking trajectories, etc.

What specific equipment does MIMENTO have?

AM: Our platform is equipped with over 865 m² of ISO class 4 to 7 cleanroom space. The equipment is designed to adapt to the processing of different materials: photolithography, sputtering or evaporation deposition, wet and dry etching (DRIE), wafer bonding, focused ion probes, ellipsometers, scanning electron microscopy, etc.