FOCUS 3 : Vers une notion « système » du détecteur

With expertise across the entire detection chain, the FOCUS labEx is making a major contribution in the optical to millimetre wavelength domain, from the design to the characterization of detectors with a view to achieving the best performance for astrophysics.

The results of the LabEx, since its foundation in 2012, clearly show its capacity for innovation : theNIKA2 camera using highly multiplexed KIDs installed at IRAM provides scientific data ; CONCERTO, also based on KIDs, is in operation on APEX in Chile ; the MIS bolometers measuring polarization in the pixel were developed via FOCUS and were at the heart of the camera for the SPICA proposal for the M5 mission candidate ; the principle of the embarked ImSPOC integrated spectrograph for the detection of greenhouse gases is now considered for future missions (NanoCarb) ; finally, we have co-developed with ESA a large format NIR detector (ALFA), which will equip the ground follow-up telescope of the SVOM mission.

The demonstrated multiplier effect of FOCUS is perhaps even more important : 3 projects based on FOCUS technologies are at the basis of H2020 contracts (Scarbo, Holdon, SuperTED) ; the development of ALFA detectors has allowed to obtain ESA and EU funding ; and 3 ERCs are based on FOCUS developments (curved detectors, KIDs for spectroscopy, high contrast for exoplanets).

For this new phase, FOCUS brings together around fifty experts from seven of the most important French laboratories in the sector, taking advantage of their geographical proximity in Grenoble, but above all of the coherence and complementarity of their expertise within the framework of the project. Indeed, realizing that building innovative detection systems requires that they be considered in all their dimensions, it appeared necessary to bring together a group of experts ranging from the design of sensors (new materials, added functionalities) to the control of their environment (cryogenics, incident radiation filtering systems) and their operating conditions (read-out and control electronics).

Because they offer us unique expertise in the space sector, open up the field of application of FOCUS to the Earth observation domain, and have characterization resources that are essential for our projects, we are also proposing to add to the LabEx, within a close perimeter, about twenty additional experts from the highly qualified laboratories of the CEA/Irfu/DAp-AIM and ONERA in Saclay and the LAM in Marseille, which previously contributed to the FOCUS work.

A dynamic community is thus present, in and around FOCUS, ready to take up new challenges for which the LabEx remains the best tool. Taking into account the evolution of astrophysics’ landscape and our own achievements, the proposal for renewal of the LabEx has identified two main lines of research that will motivate future developments, in coherence with the European perspective : the characterization of foregrounds of the cosmological background and the study of the atmosphere of exoplanets. These lines then connect to those of star and planet formation, and planetology and environmental studies.

To support this work, considering the progress made and the evolution of needs, FOCUS has redefined the research axes that serve as its structure. They are now 4 :

1. Visible and infrared detectors, with the ambition to open new avenues in the field of materials, the realization of high contrast, low noise sensors, or the transposition of heterodyne detection systems to short wavelengths.

2. Sub-millimeter and millimeter detectors and terahertz detectors, targeting very large focal planes, the implementation of functions in the pixel, the realization of optical components, or the exploitation of these detection capabilities beyond astrophysics

3. Signal shaping and sensor environment for aspects involving the conditioning of the input electromagnetic signal prior to detection, with emphasis on integrated and on-chip instrumentation, as well as electronic and cryogenic environments.

4. Fundamental breakthroughs and novel concepts, as game-changing innovations may arise as forks in the road from a program that would fit perfectly into the previous axes and must also be accommodated in our LabEx.

Finally, FOCUS and its activities have highlighted a very strong demand for training in the field of detection and instrumental development. FOCUS has an ambitious plan to respond to this need by complementing the current offer and intends to make proposals in this sense by relying on the existing synergies between FOCUS and its partners.

Updated on 1er mars 2023