The polygon scientific Grenoble is boiling

The polygon scientific Grenoble is boiling. These days, CEA is celebrating fifty years of his laboratory of microelectronics, Leti. The catalyst for the crystallization of French Mecca of Silicon will also host in a few days, a major international symposium on nanotechnology. And everything will culminate, on 2 June, by the opening of the Minatec Center, new flagship of the technological research of the country.

Overheating eventually touch the father of all of these initiatives. A nasty virus correctly energy legendary Jean Therme, hospitalized earlier this month. Today, the pattern of the CEA Grenoble avoids overwork but did not lose his smile on the eve of the realization of a sacred dream. Its visionary transparencies, which is smiling in 1998, leaving land today more than 10,000 m2 of cleanroom and 45,000 m2 of laboratories will be scientific 4,000. It took in the meantime convince local communities, State and industry partners to invest EUR 1 billion in this flagship.

Originally, Jean Therme and his teams saw the Leti to develop high speed. "We wondered if he needed to enlarge the Leti or switch to another model", remembers Jean-Charles Guibert. Six years later, Minatec out of the mould with a single in Europe but little original recipe with world-class technological poles. All are of the same logic: the continuum of research. A cocktail of laboratories of basic and applied sciences, centres of industrial research, innovative companies or industrial heavyweights. The all identified schools of engineers and universities to inject youth into the device and to prepare the reports. With binding a common will to work together, what the Leti and its local partners had already shown "Crolles 2" of EUR 3 billion project.

Behind the scientific project of Minatec, found all the challenges of microelectronics. Since the end of the 1990s, researchers know that should no longer work in one but two directions. Until then, microelectronics laboratory followed with a great rigour of Moore's law dictating an almost linear rate of miniaturisation of silicon chips. Upstream research has already reached 20 nanometers engraving sizes while the ultimate production does not exceed the 90 nm. Researchers know that by 2025, they will work atom by atom.

The era post-silicium

The distance between the two edges of a transistor is so low that it causes disruptive quantum effects on the passage of electrons. Clearly, a transistor channel experience leakage of current, even closed. The researchers therefore rely on another physics of materials with Nano-forming of silicon or most innovative substrates.

The challenge of miniaturization, adds to the complexity. As in most traditional logic circuits, known now burn in Silicon systems offering new features. The benches are already prototypes of transmitters frequency of mechanical actuators, chemical, optical sensors, etc. Microelectronics is now shocked by a huge opening of its spectrum of applications.

With these possibilities, Jean Therme and its teams have targeted at Minatec three areas "responding to the expectations of society": the information, but also health with Microsystems for biology and energy. Eight upstream research laboratories will feed these three applications.

Nanoelectronics is first the field of excellence of Grenoble. The pole will further strengthen program GIN of 220 million euros over four years which brings together three ecosystems research flagship Europeans with Belgian Imec and the German pole of Dresden. "It is one of the few high-tech areas where Europe will stand." "We have three of the top 10 global companies, welcomes Jean Therme.

Through its upstream laboratories, Minatec prepares already the coup after the era post-silicium. Nano-biology and the nanochemistry remain very futuristic, in the opinion of the Grenoble researchers, but promises are huge. A laboratory is working on the replacement of silicon transistors by organic molecules.

MINATEC table on miniaturization to revolutionize technology energy. At Grenoble, CEA however retains the same rationale as for nuclear power. Its researchers and its partners have to target the main sources of greenhouse gases, namely transport and building. "We chose to not to scatter us," said Didier Marsacq, Director of the laboratory Liten. The strategy in the energy of the centre is also based on smaller scales: "We believe that the use of nanomaterials will enjoy new technologies of power". We are converting our materials specialists in this field. We want to become a major player.

The researchers expect to fine engineering of matter to intensify its properties or to vary the effects. "It is to increase the number of atoms which react in a physical or chemical reaction, this allows to reduce the amount of reactive materials when they are expensive," says Mehdi Mousavi, head of the Department of the Leti nanomaterials.

In transport, Grenoble took a ticket for entry into the cell fuel through its collaboration with Peugeot ("Les Echos" of January 10, 2006). Its laboratories are now working to reduce by half the amount of platinum in the electrodes of the system. For the building, Minatec prepares the next generation of photovoltaic cells. Its researchers aim to develop batteries etched on Silicon from metallurgical origin and not Silicon electronic origin. Strong global demand for batteries causes an outbreak of the course of this material more pure than metallurgical Silicon.

Other researchers hope to revolutionize battery lithium with electrodes in nanoparticles. A project with SAFT set titanium to reduce the time to battery charge. The same lab attempts to replace the expensive cobalt by phosphate of iron to reduce the price of 30. Manganese promises, to improve the lifetime of the nickel batteries metal hydrides, Achilles heel of a car hybrid as the Toyota Prius.