Full speed ahead For r&d - CEA Saclay

CEA's corporate technology offering
www.cea-technologies.com
////////////////No.90 ///September
2008
extremely
powerful
ultrashort
laser pulses
gilles riboulet (amplitude technologies) read page 16
P.10 special report:embedded systems
Full speed ahead for R&D

Contents
innotechno(s)
i s t o c k
Anti-cancer vaccine:
the solution lies in the
immune response. p.4
The reality of flexible
printed electronics. p.5
Contactless cards go
into overdrive.
p.7
NMR: high resolution for
very small samples. p.9
Special report
The everincreasing
integration of
electronics and
embedded systems
is revolutionising
the automotive
industry. p.10
NANOTECHNOLOGIES
Nanosafe2
on the agenda
he nternational Nanosafe08
conference will be held from 3 to
7 November at Minatec (Grenoble).
Objective: present the results of the
European project Nanosafe2, together with
areas in which progress is required for safe
use and production of nanomaterials.
Although the rapid development of
nanotechnologies makes it possible
to create new materials and access
revolutionary applications in the fields
of energy, the environment or medecin, a
detailled study into the potential impact
of nanoparticules on our health and the
environment is still required.
find out more at www.nanosafe2008.org
Intelligent textiles
platform
Would you like to find out
more about how micronanotechnologies
are
infiltrating traditional
industries and SMEs? Head
to the Metis Forum to be held
on 1 October 2008 at the CCI
in Nord Isère. On the agenda:
presentation of original
activities on Metis platform
(see page 15) and results
summary of four years of
successful exchanges.
Inscription: Yasmina Gentil
+33 (0)4 74 31 44 07
find out more at
www.ccinordisere.fr
Platform(s)
LLB: all there is to know
about metal structures.
p.14
Headlines
Gilles Riboulet
(Amplitude Technologies).
p.16
c e a
Microelectronics
Asygn launches its
first software
Asygn is a young spinoff
company created by CEA LETI
in January 2008. It designs
and edits software for the
business startups nine CEA projects
receive awards
///////////
CEA's corporate technology offering
No.90/// September 2008. C E A -
DRT, Revenue Di v ision, 1 7 r ue des
Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9.
Tel. +33 (0)4 38 78 40 60 - Fax +33 (0)4 38 78
51 58 /// Legal deposit 16.03.92. /// Print
run 4500 copies /// Executive Editor Jean-
Charles Guibert /// Editor in chief Elisabeth
Lefèvre-Rémy /// Editorial Committee
Claire Abou, Susana Bahri, Claire-Noël
Bigay, Françoise Cadiou, Elisabeth Lefèvre-
Remy, Frédéric Lardé, Romain Marlange,
Jean-Bernard Poiré, Thierry Roll, Hélène
Vatouyas, Gilles Vériot, Sylviane Zaninotti.
/// Journalists Nancy Furer, Isabelle Bellin,
Clotilde Waltz, Vincent Feuillet (NF2 presse,
Lyon) /// Design and Production Magazine
(14 quai Lassagne 69001 Lyon - +33 (0)4 78 28
84 84) /// Photo credits CEA, iStock, Jean-
Jacques Raynal (cover photo).
Any adaptation or reproduction of texts and
information published in CEA Techno(s), partial or
otherwise, is strictly prohibited, without express
written permission from the editorial committee.
ISSN 1166-7648
Articles and subcriptions available at
www.cea-technologies.com
mong the thousand applicants in the
10 th national competition for new
innovative technology enterprises, 170
received prizes in one of the two categories.
Nine CEA projects took awards, six in
the Emergence category and three in the
Creation-development category: Kalray,
currently in its creation phase, pioneering
a new generation of programmable
intergrated circuits, integrating a "sea"
of one hundred processors connected
by a communication network on a single
silicon chip (CEA LIST and LETI); Cytoo, a
spin-off from the Institut Curie and CEA,
manufactures and sells high-tech cellculture
substrates for pharmaceutical
screening applications and, finally, Fluoptics
that aims to produce an innovative
device for surgeons specialized in the ablation
of malignant tumors; a fluorescent
tracer targets the tumors and they are
then displayed using an optical instrument
(CEA LETI et UJF-Inserm).
find out more at www.cea.fr
www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/
concours/palmares2008/palmares_2008.
html

texto(s) 3
DR
microelectronics market, and,
more specifically, it produces
integrated analogical and
mixed circuits. Fasyle, its
first software package, is
used to reduce simulation
time for analogical circuits
from several hours to a few
seconds. It can then modulate
the parameters of a circuit
in a simple manner with a view
to assessing its effects and
simultaneously improving the
rapidity and robustness of the
design.
find out more at www.
asygn.com
start-up
Funds obtained for
Cytoo
This CEA spin-off startup
has just obtained funds of
1 million Euros to finance its
first steps. A fund pool that
brings together investments
from CEA Valorisation,
Rhône-Alpes-Creation and
Expansinvest with those from
private donors. In light of
additional competition from
Oseo, Cytoo will use some of
these investment funds to set
up premises on the Minatec
site in Grenoble. Cytoo is a
biotechnology company that
/////////////////////////////////////////////
BIOTECH Protéin’eXpert
goes international
rotein’eXpert, a CEA startup, specializes in developing
recombinant proteins for biomedical research. Further
to the creation in 2004 of its integrated subsidiary
PX’Pharma (bioproduction of therapeutic proteins for clinical
tests in phases I and II), the company continued to develop
in 2007 by creating PX’Monoclonals,
whose service offer covers the
production of murine antibodies for
research and diagnostic applications,
together with the development of
humanized antibodies designed for
therapeutic purposes. In July 2008,
Protein'eXpert also strengthened its
international position through an agreement with the American
biotech company Althea Technologies. This agreement,
which enhanced the international development programme
for biotech companies, conducted by the Lyon Biopôle
competiveness cluster, will make it possible for each partner
to boost their development and production capacities.
find out more at www.proteinexpert.com
produces high-tech culture
substrates for cellular
analysis and performs highcontent
cell screening as part
of research for new drugs; it
provides reliable and robust
cellular analysis.
SME
Objective:
subcontracting
Getting better acquainted to
work better together: this is
the objective of the SME Pact
day organised in Tours on 28
October by the CEA centre in
Ripault.
Using CEA's expression of
requirements as a base,
SMEs can present their
activities and identify any
subcontracting opportunities
or potential collaborations
and technology transfers.
find out more at
www.pactepme.org
c e a
batteries
E.on invests in
R&D with CEA
The German energy giant E.on is set to invest
500 000 Euros to help CEA fund a project conducted
by INES and the université d’Aix-la-Chapelle
in response to a key concern among players from
industry: selecting different storage technologies
for stationary or embedded applications. Objective:
compare 5 storage technologies (advanced lead-acid,
Li-on, supercapacities, high-temperature batteries
and redox systems) and bring quantified answers
to storage system users.
/////////////////////////////////////////////
Erratum
Errors in article entitled "Instituts Carnot" at bottom of page 3 in the
June 2008 issue.
It should have read: "The "Materials and Stuctures in Severe Environments"
institute was created in 2005 by CEA and is located in its
Saclay centre. It develops skills in the fields of mechanics and materials
science in their environment and offers R&D collaboration with
industrial partners".
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
///////////////
www.cea-technologies.com
C.Dupont/CEA
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

4 innotechno(s)
Anti-cancer vaccine The solution lies
in the immune
response
Ibitec * researchers have demonstrated in vitro the potential presented by a new type of vaccine
against several cancer types. They are looking for partners to conduct clinical tests. Their
technologies also make it possible to assess the immune response to therapeutic proteins.
c e a
What?
∫ Molecule and cell
tools to analyse the
immune response of T
lymphocytes.
For whom?
∫ Partners performing
clinical tests on anti-cancer
vaccines.
∫ Pharmaceutical companies
interested in changes
in therapeutic protein
immunogenicity.
How?
∫ Licensing activity.
∫ Company services via
Protéus
(www.proteus.fr).
Expert: Bernard Maillère
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9001
Cell culture tests.
One of the main challenges
in
the fight against cancer is to
destroy cancerous cells without
affecting healthy cells. For the last
fifteen years, further to the discovery of
molecules that are only present in tumerous
cells, academic laboratories have been
continuing a new strategy for oncology
research: using molecules like tumoral antigens
in therapeutic anti-cancer vaccines
to stimulate the immune response against
the disease. "Most tumoral antigens were
found using technologies that perform in
vitro analyse of the immune system response,
like the one we developed," specifies
Bernard Maillère, head of the Immunochimie
team at Ibitec studying the cellular
immune response. For fifteen years, the
team has been studying T lymphocytes,
a type of leukocyte that is crucial to the
immune system. The team has just found
a new candidate vaccine, using a tumoral
antigen named survivine ** , which it has
recently patented.
A leading field
of research
The advantage of attacking this protein
lies in the fact that it is essential to the
tumour since it contributes to cell proliferation.
Furthermore, it is widely present
in several cancers (tongue, colon, breast,
ovary, kidney, pancreas, prostate and
melanoma) and thus has a broad spectrum
of effectiveness, in contrast to most other
discovered antigens, which are specific
to a single cancer. “To check if protection is
truly established, we need partners to conduct
clinical tests," adds Bernard Maillère.
CEA has therefore started to canvass
potential industrial partners for this new
development phase.
The team has developed two technologies:
a molecule tool and a cell tool, based
on knowledge of the immune system. Each
T lymphocyte recognizes antigens in a
selective manner. This section of pathogen
protein must bond with an HLA molecule,
a protein that is found in each patient to
A robot tests the connections between
antigens and HLA molecules.
varying degrees. “Our molecule tool tests
the antigen-HLA molecule liaison on a
selection of between 50 and 100 molecules
per day," explains Bernard Maillère. "This
process is performed on the twelve most
common HLA molecules in Europe, which we
have been collating since 2001". The cell tool
is all the more innovative since it detects
in vitro which antigen stimulate the T
lymphocytes: “This makes it possible to
avoid false positives; antigens bonded with
HLA molecules that do not provide a immune
system response. This is an excellent
assessment of biological activity that could
occur in vivo."
Using the same tools, and through collaboration
with Protéus, a French biotech
company specializing in protein engineering,
the team is offering its services to
companies to assess the capacity of new
therapeutic proteins to trigger an immune
response in humans.
A leading field of research: more than 30%
of new medicine is based on therapeutic
proteins.
* Institut de Biologie et Technologies de la Direction
des sciences du vivant (institute of biology and technologies
from the life science division)
** X.-F. Mang et al., J Immunol, 2008, 181: 431-439.
c e a
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

innotechno(s) 5
Circuits The reality of flexible
printed electronics
By manufacturing the first transistor on an organic media using techniques derived from
the printing sector, CEA LITEN has taken a new and decisive step in the development of
mainstream printed electronics.
With electronic mobility higher
than 0.8 cm 2 /Vs, the first
transistor created using printing-based
techniques boasts
performances that are comparable with
those of a transistor produced in the
amorphous silicon sector. This success
obtained by a CEA LITEN team paves the
way for further development prospects:
the production of simple logic functions,
such as the inverter or the oscillator, and,
in the mid-term, digital logic circuits and
sensors based on organic CMOS technology.
The appearance
of printed electronics
has led to the emergence of a new market,
independent from the traditional electronics
market: flexible and mainstream
electronics that will make it possible to
integrate electronic components in everyday
products with a view to making them
interactive or "intelligent". Target applications
are sensors, flexible high-technology
substrates (textiles), flexible display
systems, Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID), batteries, fuel cells...
The production of printed electronic components
requires specially designed equipment,
media and inks. LITEN conducted
parallel research into all these aspects
and today has obtained global expertise in
the field of printed electronic components.
Although all traditional printing techniques
can be envisaged
(flexography, screenprinting,
heliography,
coating, etc), printing
using ink jet remains the
most promising in terms
of organic electronics since
it can be used to transform any
amount of designs to be printed simply by
modifying computer files.
LITEN also worked in partnership with
leading world chemists to develop inks
made from gold, silver or even polymer nanoparticles
or from crystalline molecules
with semiconductive properties. In terms
of the media used, the engineers opted for
a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) type
polymer material, more widely known as
the base material for water bottles. The
Printronics project, set up with Sofileta
and labelled within the framework of the
Minalogic competitiveness cluster, thus
aims to develop a process, equipment and
materials to produce electronic polymer
components printed on flexible substrates.
LITEN is responsible for proving the process'
feasibility, while Sofileta is developing
an industrial pilot and the associated prototypes.
Among the envisaged applications:
integrating sensors into textiles for
the industrial and professional sectors.
Flexible circuit with printed
organic electronics.
What?
∫ Equipment to print
electronic components
on flexible media.
∫ Inks and flexible media
adapted to organic
electronics.
For whom?
∫ Any industrial sectors wishing
to add intelligence to their
products (plastics, packaging,
medical, building, logistics,
textiles, energy, etc).
How?
∫ Development
partnerships.
c e a
c e a
Printing device using
ink jets.
Expert: Christophe
Serbutoviez
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9002
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

6 innotechno(s)
Optical disks Super resolution
multiplies storage
capacity by four
Not long after their first appearence on the market, high-resolution DVDs (Blu Ray) may soon
lose their crown. Scientists from CEA LETI are working on a generation of optical disks known
as 'super resolution'. They can store up to four times as much data, whilst continuing to use
the same reading laser.
The super
resolution
DVD stores
twenty
times more
data than
a standard
DVD.
of 405 nm. Researchers have therefore had
to go beyond the "defraction limit" of the
optical system. “The latter is the maximum
resolution beyond which the laser becomes
incapable of reading the indentations, in this
case 120 nanometers", explains Bernard
André, LETI researcher. The principle of super
resolution consists of artificially reducing
the size of the laser beam, by filtering it
so that only its central, most intense, part
reads the indentations on the disks."
What?
∫ High resolution optical
disk.
For whom?
∫ Multimedia, audio, video disk
manufacturers.
How?
∫ R&D partnerships.
∫ Licensing activity.
Expert: Bernard André
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9003
ceatechno(s) #90 September08
Expected between now and
2010-2012, the super resolution
DVD looks exactly the same
as a standard DVD. Its originality
lies in its data storage capacity: up to 100
Go of data, equivalent to 20 times more
than standard DVDs and 4 times more than
'High resolution" DVDs. These products
could thus meet very high resolution requirements
to screen films on large-sized
screens.
The secret of this performance lies in reducing
the size of the lines engraved in the
polycarbonate to code information: such
lines do not exceed 80 nm, compared with
160 nm in the last generation of disks distributed
on the market, thus making it
possible to store more data on the same
surface. Technical challenge: in terms of
readings, the device uses the same blue laser
as the Blu-Ray DVDs, with a wavelength
c e a
Excellent cyclability
To this end, an additional semiconductor
layer is laid upon the disk surface: indium
antimonide (InSb), which behaves locally
in the same manner as a metallic mirror
and causes the concentration of the laser
beam. "Everything occurs as if it were
smaller and it becomes capable of reading
indentations of 80 nanometers and less."
To improve the "magnifying effect", researchers
placed the semiconductor between
two layers of a different material
- for which a patent application is currently
being filed - where the most prominent impact
is to stop the spread of indium antimonide
caused by the effect of temperature
(capable of exceeding 40°C under
the effect of the laser). Tests conducted
on a 50 Go disk gave the best results ever
obtained to date anywhere in the world: a
lower error rate than current disks (10 -5
instead of 10 -3 ), a better signal/noise ratio
compared with the material used by competing
teams (40 dB instead of 30 dB) and
excellent cyclability, with stable results up
to at least 50,000 cycles.

innotechno(s) 7
Interface Contactless
cards go into overdrive
As part of the European project Onom@topic, CEA LETI
demonstrated the feasibility of a contactless, very high speed
interface (5.1 Mbits/s instead of the current 424 kbits/s).
In the same way as the future
European citizen
card, most
official identity documents will,
in years to come, be contactless
cards. To be able to exchange everincreasing
volumes of data, without increasing
the transfer time, LETI has been
working on a very high speed contactless
interface. Developed as part of the European
Onom@topic European project, it results
in a factor 10 gain compared with the
state-of-the-art (standard electronic
passport at 424 kb/s).
“So that the remote power feeding capacity
of the card is not reduced during the
transaction, we had to find a compromise
between the quality factor of the antenna
and the passband,” explains Elisabeth Cro-
chon.
The proposed solution is based on a multiphase
modulation used to increase the
number of bits per symbol, which in turn
increases the quantity of information
exchanges in a given time period without
having a detrimental effect on the channel
passband. The speed thus obtained
reaches 5.1 Mbits/s from the reader to
the card (phase modulation on the carrier
at 13.56 MHz) and 3.4 Mbits/s in the
other direction (phase modulation on a
sub-carrier at 1.7 MHz). Work remains to
change international standards governing
the contactless field, and LETI researchers
are currently working towards this
goal as they are involved in Aynor standard
commissions.
The
contactless
interface
prototype
allows a factor
ten gain in
terms of read
speed from the
reader towards
the card.
What?
∫ Very high speed contactless
interface.
∫ Prototype tested at 5.1
Mbits/s of reader towards
the card and 3.4 Mbits/s in
the other direction.
For whom?
∫ Contactless card
manufacturers.
How?
∫ R&D partnerships.
∫ Licensing activity.
Expert: Elisabeth Crochon
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9004
c e a
What?
∫ Optical detonator for
pyrotechnic devices.
∫ Demonstrator for complete
optical-pyrotechnic
chain.
Pyrotechnics Optical detonator
for enhanced safety
Thanks to its fibre optics, the CEA detonator design presents advantages
in terms of security and controlling operating time.
For whom?
∫ Manufacturers of pyrotechnic
devices.
∫ In the aeronautic, aerospace,
mining, quarrying, and defence
fields (etc.)
How?
∫ R&D partnerships.
∫ Licensing activity.
Expert: Franck Delmaire-
Sizes
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fro
article No.9005
Pyrotechnic devices
are used
in many civil and military fields.
During priming, the detonator receives
incident energy that is converted
into thermal or mechanic energy
(shock wave), which in turn causes the priming
explosives to react.
Thus, to guarantee maximum security, it
is essential to avoid any ill-timed priming in
the pyrotechnics chain. To this end, the use
of low-sensitivity priming explosives can
prove to be highly effective, on condition
that the detonator is powerful enough to
initiate them. Researchers from the Military
Applications Division (DAM) have developed
a design for a so-called "high-energy"
optical detonator that is extremely powerful.
“The incident energy is not transmitted
using an electrical distribution cable, but using
fibre optics,” explains Franck Delmaire-
Sizes, who designed a complete opticalpyrotechnic
chain demonstrator.
In addition to an increase in generated
pressure, this device controls the operation
time, meaning that any synchronisation
differences between the various detonators
are limited. This property is beneficial
for applications in the field of self-propelled
systems (missile, launchers, etc.) where
complex priming architectures mean that
multiple initiation points are required. Furthermore,
the energy loss in the fibre optic
is lower than in an electrical cable, making
it possible to overcome the distance limits
between the source and the detonator.
The very design of these detonators lends
them a greater resistance to electromagnetic
and electric damage. To conclude, this
device makes it possible to reduce the device's
weight.
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

8 innotechno(s)
Nanoparticles Correct detection
for improved protection
In light of the precautionary principle, CEA LITEN is committed to the characterisation of personal
and collective protective equipment against artificial nanoparticles. It has developed test benches,
which could be used by industrial players manufacturing or using these types of products.
Impermeability test on
protective equipment (masks
and gloves) used against
nanoparticules.
f. v i go u r o u x /c e a
What?
∫ Characterizing the
efficiency of collective
and individual means
of protection against
nanaoparticles.
∫ Characterizing the non
release of nanocharges
by nanomaterials.
For whom?
∫ Users and manufacturers of
filters, gloves and overalls.
∫ Manufacturers and users of
nanomaterials.
How?
∫ R&D partnerships.
Expert: Luana Golanski
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9006
ceatechno(s) #90 September08
Tyres, paint, sun cream, cosmetics...
nanoparticles are omnipresent
in everyday life. Thus, in
the absence of reliable toxicological
data, it is important to anticipate any
potential risks by ensuring that exposure
to these materials is a low as possible.
As part of the Nanosafe2 project, which
it is coordinating at a European level, and
with a view to providing the best possible
working conditions to its employees,
CEA has developed test benches to assess
the efficiency of individual (masks,
gloves, overalls, etc.) and collective (filters)
equipment used to protect against
nanoparticles.
Facilities developed include production
methods for test nanoparticles (graphite,
titanium oxide, platinum, etc.) and SMPS
(Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer) type
measuring methods. “Nanoparticules are
sorted according to their electric mobility,
which is directly related to their size,
and then detected by light diffusion after
enlargement up to 1 micron by condensation
of a saturating vapour on their surface,”
explains Luana Golanski, LITEN researcher.
In practice, the test benches
developed are used to detect particles up
to 10 nm but researchers are striving to
qualify the method to reach the nanometer
scale, with a view to becoming the
national reference centre for nanotechnology
safety.
The results obtained show that, in accordance
with the filtering theory, the filters
present better performances for nanoparticles
than for the larger particles.
Generally speaking, gloves provide highly
effective protection against nanoaerosols.
With regards to protective clothing,
the best performances are obtained with
airtight disposable clothes. In contrast,
clothes made from synthetic fabrics and
cotton are not particularly effective.
In parallel, LITEN offers a bench used to
measure and qualify the release of nanoparticles
into the environment by nanomaterials.
Two pieces of nanomaterial
to be tested are rubbed against one another
in a confined space, the quantity of
any nanoparticles released is measured
by the method previously described. “Ultimately
this will make it possible to better
optimise the adhesion of nanocharges
during the design of these materials and,
by demonstrating the lack of release of
single nanoparticles, it will, in turn, facilitate
their marketing process,” explains
François Tardif, head of the LITEN Tracer
Technology Laboratory.

innotechno(s) 9
NMR High resolution
for very small samples
A micro-detector analyzes solid and/or very low quantity samples using Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance (NMR). This technology paves the way for several industrial applications and research
in biology, biochemistry, pharmacy, materials, etc.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(NMR) is a particularly advantageous
analysis technique since it
is entirely non-invasive: based on
the magnetic properties in atom nuclei, it
provides 3D images of the inside of a liquid
or solid structure. Localized spectroscopy
using NMR thus provides information
about the chemical composition at each
point. But it has its limits: “It has relatively
low sensitivity and requires several hours
to acquire enough data to obtain a quality
spectrum when the sample to be analysed
is not a consistent fluid but rather a small
quantity of solid or heterogeneous
material,”
explains Dimitrios Sakellariou, who, alongside
Jacques-François Jacquinot, a fellow
researcher at Iramis * , has filed two patents
for an extraordinarily innovative NMR
concept. It makes it possible to analyse this
type of sample, in a few seconds, on the
nanolitre scale. For these specific cases,
low-sensitivity static detectors were developed,
based on "Magic Angle Spinning" -
where the sample is spun around itself at a
rate of a few thousand spins per second at
an angle of 54.7° to the magnetic field axis.
“Our solution, named MACS (Magic Angle
Coil Spinning) is based on this concept," ** explains
Dimitrios Sakellariou. "It could be ten
times more sensitive, or even more, since
the detection process takes place closer to
the sample."
Increased performance,
reduced cost
The major advantage presented by the
solution: it can be adapted to commercial
NMR devices. “We had the idea of spinning
the micro-sample inside this fixed detector,"
he continues. "For each micro-sample,
we design a micro-coil specially adapted to
its size. This micro-detector spins with the
sample, and sends and receives information
by radiofrequency to the fixed detector."
The simplicity of this solution, which is both
high-performance and economical, paves
the way for several further potential applications.
Example: in the biomedical sector, for micro-biopsy
studies in hospitals, analyses of
small quantities of proteins, metabolomics
(analysis of metabolites - transformation
products - in a biological tissue), for the
study of a small number of cells or even
heat-sensitive or frozen biological samples,
etc.
In the chemical industry, such solutions
make it possible to study hazardous materials
that we need to handle in very small
quantities, such as radioactive material,
explosives or toxic biological material like
prions. “Furthermore, the sample-holder
can be considered as the containment barrier,”
adds Dimitrios Sakellariou. The pharmaceutical
industry can thus study, at high
speed, the activity of solid medicines according
to their crystalline form or analyse
"labs-on-chips" by NMR.
*
Institute for the irradiation of matter at
Saclay.
**
D. Sakellariou et al., Nature 447, 694-697,
2007.
Left: the sample (white powder) and its
copper micro-coil (red). Right: the sample
holder in which it is inserted.
What?
∫ NMR high resolution
micro-detector
specially designed for
commercial analysis
devices.
For whom?
∫ Biomedical and
biotechnological industries
and hospitals.
∫ Chemistry and pharmaceutical
industries.
∫ NMR system and sample
holder manufacturers.
How?
∫ Licensing activity.
∫ R&D partnerships.
Expert: Dimitrios
Sakellariou
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9007
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

“Ultimately, the objective is
to equip each vehicle with
embedded diagnosis systems,
so that diagnosis is either
continuous or performed each
time the engine ignition system
is started”.
Xavier Apolinarski
Transport Project Manager at CEA LIST
s t o c k

Special report 11
Embedded systems
Full steam ahead
for R&D
Given the ever-increasing integration of electronics, the entire automotive industry is
changing, in terms of its work culture and its professions. A complex part of R&D is conducted
in laboratories. CEA provides its global vision of systems and its software and hardware
expertise.
irbags, automated parking, ESP stability control...
all are standard in many series of vehicles. GPS,
display screens and video equipment are becoming
increasingly common. But this is only the visible
part of onboard electronics in cars, which already represents
20 to 25% of their value, a figure that is likely to reach
30% by 2015. Under the bonnet, several functions are controlled
electronically, such as the air loop, injection systems,
polluting emission control. Electronics are also establishing
themselves as a key element of energy management for hybrid
and electric vehicles. In total, in a modern car, there are
around 4 kilometres of cables, a mass of connections and
twenty or so computers, interconnected using networks.
“From 2000 onwards, we were fully aware of the application
potential of our technology in the automotive field, both in
terms of software and hardware," explains Xavier Apolinarski,
Transports Project Manager at CEA LIST * . "Many
technologies developed for defence, nuclear or aeronautic
applications already present the required performance
and reliability levels”. In 2005, LIST contributed to pooling
research focussing on embedded software systems for
the automotive and railway industries in the Num@tec Automotive
consortium, which currently brings together 36
partners (constructors, equipment manufacturers, tools
and service providers, research laboratories). This con-
Energy is (also) found in the vibration
CEA LETI is studying an original idea: recovering mechanic energy from
vibrations to transform it into electric energy. “We have designed specific
sensors, capacitive structures based on interdigital arms, which are the
size of a playing card or a sugar cube," explains Pierre-Damien Berger,
head of Communicating Objects programme at LETI. "They are effective in
frequencies of between 10 and 100 Hz".
Researchers envisage manufacturing sensors that are cm 2 in size, which
could be fitted to sliding doors to power an obstacle detection sensor
and thus prevent them from opening if impossible due to hazards. In the
railway industry, this concept could also be used to control cargo carriages.
sortium has become the Transport group of the System@
TIC competitiveness cluster. Since March 2008, LIST is also
the leading partner research laboratory associated to the
Autosar consortium, created in 2003 to standardize embedded
software.
As for CEA LETI ** , for some time it has been developing
technology dedicated to the automotive market through
its partners such as STMicroelectronics or Freescale,
both semiconductor manufacturers: image, speed, force,
radar and accelerometer sensors which could be set up on
a network. “We assist industrial players up to the pre-series
phase, particularly through use of the MEMS200 platform,
the only one of its kind in Europe, located in the Minatec cluster
in Grenoble,” adds Hughes Metras, programme manager
at LETI. A few examples: the ESP accelerometer, designed
with Freescale and available on the market for two years,
or the speed sensor, developed with Michelin in Formula 1
to assess the speed and movement of a vehicle towards
the outside edge in bends, including in rainy conditions. An
innovation that could be applied to mass markets.
Safety related sensors
More recent are the increasing number of peripherals dedicated
to active safety: to monitor the driver, control lane
changes, detect pedestrians, etc. CEA has acquired strong
expertise in the field of uncooled infrared imagers (bolometers),
produced by Ulis, a spin-off start-up. It is currently
working on new patented concepts, coupling infrared and
visible detection on a single sensor, thus achieving improved
detection performance at a lower cost. Researchers are
also making progress with regards to the integration of
image processing algorithms in sensor reading electronics,
to perform object monitoring in an image or to take decisions,
with a low-consumption architecture.
“With the American University in Caltechn we are developing
chemical sensors to measure the quality of air inside
vehicles," adds Hughes Metras. "Over the next 5 years, we
hope to use this sensor to monitor CO 2
levels or control airconditioning.”
Another example: high temperature pressure
sensors, developed at LETI, will be used to control the >
Expert: Pierre-Damien Berger - Contact +33(0) 4 38 78 50 50 article No.9008
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

12 Special report
>
air-fuel mix in combustion chambers in thermal engines, to
control CO 2
emissions within the framework of future Euro
6 standards.
With regards to software, LIST has designed several design
and verification tools for critical embedded software:
tools used to model requirements and to design
component-based systems, for validations and tests, and
automatic software analysis, etc. Since these tools were
created to meet avionic or energy requirements, they are
well suited to the automotive industry that must develop
embedded software systems with operating safety and
reduced-cost performance guarantees, within very short
deadlines. “To measure and improve its suitability in terms of
requirements," explains Xavier Apolinarski. "Alongside Renault
and other leading partners from the automotive industry,
we have set up, within the framework of the System@tic
cluster, the Edona platform designed to transfer and integrate
tools for the automotive industry, in accordance with
the ISO26262 safety standards and the Autosar embedded
architecture”. An opportunity to transfer technology from
cross-disciplinary research projects, from the automotive,
avionics or nuclear sectors. "For example, for engine control
applications, such as ABS, where safety and reliability are of
paramount importance, we are taking advantage, in collaboration
with the equipment manufacturer Delphi, of our software
development package Oasis, which was developed for
the nuclear industry: it is used to design an operating system
with high level operating security (SIL4) with a real-time
service guarantee to the scale of a millisecond."
However, systems to support driving or comfort, which
involve image sensors, radars, etc, require a strong computation
power to manage data streams, but with a lower
Toward standardising
software
o install ABS breaks, motor control systems or a
air-conditioning adjustment modules in their vehicles, motor
companies could soon integrate electronic components with
standardized software technology, regardless of which equipment
manufacturer is selected. “The idea of defining global standards
for embedded software emerged of its own accord with a view to
cutting costs and manufacturing lead-times, improving product
quality and harmonizing verification tools, etc... by increasing
industrial competitiveness”, explains François Terrier, head of the
Model-Driven Engineering Laboratory at CEA LIST. The Autosar
(Automotive Open System Architecture) consortium was created
in light of the following fact: “software is thus becoming an intrinsic
part of automotive design, developed, procured and integrated as
an autonomous brick, independent of the equipment from which
it operates ” . The first vehicles equipped in accordance with this
standard should appear on the market in 2010, whereas deployment of
almost all functions shall be staggered over a decade. The laboratory
has obtained Associate Member Autosar status and LIST will be able
to develop software tools that are compatible with the automotive
standard. This event constitutes a massive opportunity to forge new
partners, particularly with SMEs from the field of software tools. ///
Expert: François Terrier
Contact +33 (0) 4 38 78 50 50 - relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9009
This computer integrates a diagnosis tool that pinpoints
defects on cables to the nearest 10 cm.
security level. LIST is developing these computation architectures
with STMicroelectronics to produce a high-performance,
low-cost image processor.
Since 2003, CEA researchers are also involved in a project
aiming to design a single component for these two requirements,
with multicore architecture, to centralize computations
in a single unit. “We think that in 2 to 3 years we will
be able to sell it on another market,'' specifies Xavier Apolinarski.
"But we have planned experiments in the automotive
sector”.
Driving safety also involves pedestrian detection, a musthave
function between now and 2012. With regards to sensors,
CEA is working on the fusion of data between visible
and infrared sensors, to reduce errors. “We have had excellent
results," confirms Xavier Apolinarski. "With our eVision
platform, we have optimised algorithms to improve coupling
of software with the computer". In terms of alarm signals
(audible alarm, automatic breaking, etc.), LIST suggests using
haptic interfaces, such as vibrating signals in the steering
wheel, seat, seatbelt, pedals, etc. These solutions are
integrated into a driver support demonstrator developed
as part of the European project Isi-Padas.
Driving support systems will also benefit from future navigation
systems by GOS-Vision, upon which CEA is working
with Renault. By coupling video images and GPS location
data, they will be used to assist the driver, for example by
automatically triggering the pedestrian detection system
in a risk area. Vision sensors could also be installed on infrastructures,
namely dangerous crossroads, or even perform
traffic management in real-time.
Diagnostic for the automotive industry...
and soon planes and trains
In this increasingly complex context, how can reliability - an
element that has now become priority - be guaranteed?
The alarm message warning that an airbag or an ABS is de-
c e a
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

Special report 13
fective is no longer enough. It is vital to successfully trace
back to the source, interrogate the entire system, from
the sensor to the central unit to the computer, cables,
connectors, etc. In other words to be capable of diagnosing
operations in their entirety.
New computers are currently being developed that are
capable of self-diagnosis, of tolerating errors and storing
information on how they operate, so that the mechanic can
then use this recorded data. “We are designing distributed
diagnosis architecture in collaboration with Renault Trucks,
for an automatic safety distance control device for trucks,
which is used to fit their speed in relation to that of the vehicle
in front: each computer performs self-diagnosis and
a supervisor monitors the entire system,” explains Xavier
Apolinarski. Furthermore, to cope with a difficult environment
in terms of temperature, electromagnetism, etc.,
researchers are inventing diagnosis strategies and failure
tolerance strategies.
What about the cables? As with the aeronautic industry,
they are now taken very seriously in the automotive industry.
As part of the project, LIST has developed a diagnosis
tool to connect to the wired network, which localizes the
defective zone to the nearest 10 cm, on cables or connectors
(read CEA Techno(s)#87). From 2009 onwards, Delphi
should implement the first diagnosis tool, aimed at mechanics,
which integrates this function. Further applications in
the aeronautic sector will follow.
“Ultimately, the objective is to equip each vehicle with embedded
diagnosis systems," continues Xavier Apolinarski. "So
that diagnosis is either continuous or performed each time
the engine ignition system is started”. With the launch of a
new industrial project in 2009, CEA will check the technological-economic
feasibility of this solution. Here again, this
innovation could infiltrate into other industrial sectors.
*
Laboratory for Integration of Systems and Technologies.
**
Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technology.
Expert: Xavier Apolinarski
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50 - relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9010
(Wireless) networked sensors!
Multiplying these sensors that communicate between them via radiofrequency
and provide information about how the tyres grip the road,
the car's environment, the health status of hundreds of mini hydrogen
batteries, etc. Still just a pipedream? “It should be operational between
5 and 10 years in the aeronautic field, for example for wing monitoring
systems", states Pierre-Damien Berger, head of the Communicating
Objects programme at LETI. Why not follow step in the automotive sector.
Given the progress in the microelectronic industry, we can feasibly envisage
networks containing hundreds of sensors."
The teams are now designing a chip that that should be completed this
year, which could be the central point of this network. The chip has been
named Managy and is compatible with the ZigBee standard (reserved for
communication of several tens of metres) and consumes 5 to 10 times
less than its counterparts. It will be applicable in the telephony, aeronautic
or automotive industries.
Using the sense
of touch facilitate
the management
of multiple
functions.
30%
The share of
embedded
electronics in
the price of a
car
in 2015.
c e a
Betting on touch
for improved
security
ow can we manage our car radios,
CD players, mobile telephones, GPS
and soon the Internet... without
taking our eyes off the road? Several
constructors, including BMW, Renault and
Audi, have taken account of this complexity
and are looking for ways to centralize
the controls. “Haptic solutions, based on
the sense of touch, currently underused,
make it possible to actuate a function
more quickly, with a minimum of visual
and cognitive constraints for the driver”,
confirms Moustapha Hafez, head of the CEA
LIST Sensorial Interface Laboratory. His
team has developed a ergonomic rotating
button, known as MR-Drive, patented in
2008. Its principle is based on the use of
a magneto-rheological fluid coordinated
by software used to control the viscosity
according to the magnetic field in question:
in just a few milliseconds, the fluid can pass
from a liquid state to viscous or solid, which
creates a large variety of touch sensations.
“We can multiply the sensations, the
"textures", as well as feeling the clicks,"
adds Moustapha Hafez. "With Volvo and
the Swedish university of Lulea, we are
associating this solution with a simplified
graphic screen. By the end of the year,
we will have completed an ergonomic
assessment of this device." ///
Expert: Pierre-Damien Berger - Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
article No.9011
Expert: Moustapha Hafez
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9012
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

14 Platform(s)
LLB All there is to know about
metallic structures
c e a /w w w.p h o t o-c o r p o r at e.c o m
The neutron diffusion platform, at the Laboratory Léon Brillion (CEA-CNRS), uses neutrons
from the Orphée nuclear reactor to determine stress, textures, precipitates and the
magnetic properties in materials.
How can we collect ultra-precise
information concerning (liquids, plastic material, rubber, etc.) inside
raphy aims
to scrutinize light
atoms
the structure and magnetism of metallic structures. But "the neutrons"
materials? This question is at the also feel the pressures in the materials;
heart of the neutron diffusion work conducted
at the Laboratories Léon Brillion up the map of internal pressures in a met-
their diffusion makes it possible to draw
(LLB) using its twenty-five spectrometers al part without destroying it. The method
installed around the Orphée nuclear reactor.
The interactions between the Oprhée neities of nanometric and sub-nanometric
also highlights precipitates and heteroge-
neutrons and the samples to be studied size. Commonly used in the metallurgical
generate changes in direction, in energy field, they determine the source textures
levels and sometimes in neutron spin, the behind the anisotropy of material properties,
subjected or voluntary, and are used
analysis of which literally makes it possible
to "see" inside the material. to develop the most efficient production
An additional method to radiography process. Its extreme sensitivity to magnetism
also makes it possible to
and gammagraphy, neutron radiog-
produce
maps of the magnetic areas in molecular
compounds or fine layers.
These analysis devices, which constitute
both fundamental research tools and R&D
tools in the field of materials, can be accessed
through a "beam time" request.
Expert : Alain Menelle
Contact +33 (0)1 69 08 96 99
alain.menelle@cea.fr
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9013
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
What: fine analyses of the structure and magnetism of materials. For whom: engineers and researchers from the public
and private sector who file requests for, or buy, "beam time". Resources: 1 neutron source, the Orphée reactor. Twenty-five
dedicated spectrometers. Where: Saclay (south of Paris).
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

Platform(s) 15
c e a
ALHYANCE Producing hydrogen
the leading energy of the future
BIOPHARMA-
CEUTICS
Screening
proteins
AIHyance Innovation applies it skills in the field of storing hydrogen gas.
The Biopharmaceutics
To encourage the
emergence of than 1000
hours and delivers continuous
platform is part of the
hydrogen as a new energy driver, power at 300 Watts. Additional progress:
Institute of Environmental Biology
researchers from CEA Le Ripault, development with Air Liquide and the SMEs
and Biotechnology (IBEB) at CEA
academic laboratories from the Raigi and Ullit of a 22-litre reservoir at 700
Marcoule and develops physicochemical
technologies and tools
universities of Orléans and Tours and innovative
SMEs are collaborating as part of the correct behaviour in terms of permeation
bars in a thermoplastic polymer liner with
used to characterize proteins.
AIHyance Innovation initiative. Created with in a range of temperatures reaching up to
Objectives: identify contaminants
the support of the regional council in the Indre,
Loire and Région Centre communes, this bars). Boosted by these two success sto-
120°C and excellent tensile strength (1534
in a batch of therapeutic proteins,
measure the dispersion of
platform falls within the scope of the Sciences
and Electronic Energy Systems (S2E2) nerships between players in the hydrogen
ries, AIHyance would like to develop part-
molecular weights of a protein in
solution, analyse the secondary
competitiveness cluster. Objective: create sector, namely in terms of the materials
structure of the recombinant
technological breakthroughs in the field of for energy sector. A Polymers, Plastics engineering
and Composites cluster will be
protein and measure the impact
storing hydrogen gas and components of
fuel cells. Research also concerns PEMFC opened in 2010, followed in 2011 with a preindustrialisation
building for productions.
of a change of galenic form or
of protein formulation. Studies
(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) low
conducted at the request of startups
or industrial pharmaceutical
temperature fuel cells, with regards to mobility,
and SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) high
groups often leads to a specific
temperature fuel cells, dedicated to stationary
applications, in homes and hydrogen
Expert: Philippe Foucher
Contact +33 (0)47 34 45 92
methodological development that
philippe.foucher@cea.fr
may contribute towards the
production sites. AlHyance Innovation has relation.entreprises@cea.fr
definition of production processes.
These methods can also be
developed a SOFC that operates for more article No.9014
transferred to pharmaceutical
laboratories to implement a batch
/////////////////////////////
qualification procedure.
The partnership with Spi Bio,
metis Intelligent textiles
a service company devoted to
pharmaceutical research and
using nanotechnologies
developing medicine,
offers more expansive services to
How can the capabilities of micro and nanotechnologies be integrated
industry.
into traditional industries? Métis responds by merging the skills pool
in industrial groups, mainly SMEs in the textile, paper, printing or plastic
film sector, with that of CEA researchers. Backed by local authorities, the
platform aims to launch new products and processes by using supple substrate
instrumentation, surface-treatment processes, nanomaterial and energy for
mobile applications. After its creation in 2004, Metes created several research
projects recognized at a European level: NanOptex, labelled as part of the Techtera
competitiveness cluster, which develops nanoparticles to assign innovative optic
effects to textile or paper substrates, without altering their intrinsic properties;
or Hémimarche, whose objective is based on positioning movement sensors in a
orthosis to measure walking patterns in a quantitative manner. Key facture in Métis
success: the diversity of partners and projects (in four years, 14 patents have been
filed). All this is achieved whilst continuing to retain the same positioning criteria
on technical markets with high added-value. Any new
requests are studied by the Métis steering committee,
composed of CEA, the Isère General Council, AEPI and
the platform's founding consortium (Sofileta, Thuasne,
Siegl HTH, Arjowiggins SAS
et Rexor).
Printing conductive
polymers on flexible
susbrates.
Expert: Isabelle Chartier
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 39 81
isabelle.chartier@cea.fr
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9015
Expert: Laurent Bellanger
Contact +33 (0)4 66 79 67 63
laurent.bellanger@cea.fr
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
article No.9016
////////////
CEA, a partner for
industrial players…
Each year, CEA collaborates with
around a hundred SMEs and large
groups: expertise and advice,
provision of test and simulation
resources, technology transfers,
collaborative research, etc. - all
as part of partnerships and
laboratories.
Why not you ?
Contact +33 (0)4 38 78 50 50
relation.entreprises@cea.fr
ceatechno(s) #90 September08

16 headlines
Gilles Riboulet “CEA has opened
its doors to industrial culture in a
truly remarkable manner”
Femtosecond lasers cover
a large range of industrial
applications.
At a glance
Amplitude Technologies and
Amplitude Systèmes grouped
together in the holding
structure phase.
Activity
Creation and manufacture
of very powerful ultrashort
lasers.
Consolidated revenue
8 M.
Total workforce
50 employees.
Locations
Paris and Bordeaux.
Website
www.amplitude-technologies.
///////
com
Amplitude Technologies and CEA launch a joint research laboratory.
The reward being the development of attosecond lasers, unique
on the market.
Today we have femtosecond lasers (1 fs = 10 -15 s) and their extraordinary instantaneous power
is used to obtain an intensity equivalent to the sun's light capacity concentrated over 10 m 2 . The
list of their applications is almost endless: ophtalmologic surgery, biological imaging, micro-machining,
detecting forgery or particle acceleration with advanced applications in terms of cancer
treatment. We will soon witness the advent of attosecond lasers (1 as = 10 -18 s), more specifically
devoted to spectroscopy, useful in fields as diverse as biophysics, chemistry, atomic and nuclear
physics... The result of a long and fruitful collaboration between Amplitude Technologies and CEA,
the new joint research laboratory "Impulse" intends to focus on development lasers with even
shorter impulsions and diagnostic devices adapted to these developments.
Amplitude Technologies was launched in 2001 by Gilles Riboulet and has the
following objectives: establish itself as one of the world leaders in the field
of manufacturing very powerful ultrashort lasers and intensify its market
share in the industrial sector. Challenge for CEA: increase its skills through
two-way expertise exchanges and be the first to obtain the most advanced
laser solutions for its research, at a competitive price. Impulse will benefit
material resources provided by two partners and will involve the work
of ten researchers. “Our relationship with CEA's Iramis institute * started
at the beginning of 2000," explains Gilles Riboulet. "At the time we wanted
to industrialize the first commercial device used to measure the temporal
contrast of femtosecond pulses”. This instrument, named Sequoia, is today a reference and is
set up in fifty cutting-edge laboratories across the globe. “What has struck me most about this
adventure is the massive capacity of both parties to communicate in fields which were not initially
their own", says Gilles Riboulet with pride. "CEA researchers have taken on the role of engineers
and vice versa... we have found the Iramis team to be open and in touch with our industrial requirements,
and with a culture that resembles that found in industry. Without this iterative movement in
step with CEA, we would not have succeeded so quickly!" Furthermore, Gilles Riboulet has added to
Amplitude Technologies by creating its sister company, Amplitude Systèmes, devoted to powerful
lasers purely designed for industry.
*Institute for the irradiation of matter at Saclay.
j.j. r ay n a l