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Laboratory LSPM

Laboratoire de Science des Procédés et Matériaux LSPM UPR3407 cnrs , Università Paris Nord , Head : Prof. Khaled Hassouni lspm associates 135 senior researchers, associate Professors, professors, engineers, technicians, PhDs and Post-Graduate students; The laboratory belongs to CNRS, INSIS Institute, and is hosted by Università Paris13. The Laboratory groups conduct research in the fields of process engineering and material processing (new processes for elaboration and transformation of functional materials, integration of functional materials in new processes, systems and devices with applications to energy, electronics, environmental, photonics, ...), and structural materials : The laboratory is composed of 7 teams ... development of plasma processes for very high purity / high crystalline structure diamond growth, surface treatment and material synthesis, elaboration of inorganic and / or hybrid functional nanoparticles by sol-gel processes, with applications in the field of photonic and catalysis

thermodynamic modeling of high pressure processes, Investigation of plasma-surface interaction for tokamak edge plasma conditions (team not involved in the SEAM Labex). relationships between microstructural characteristics of materials and their physical-mechanical properties or behaviour under loading conditions. Functional materials Very high purity diamond single crystal growth / plasma reactors conception. Some recent major results can be highlighted : Development for the first time of a growth model, validated experimentally, that allows to predict the crystal morphology, for a given thickness, as a function of the growth conditions; pre-treatment and growth strategies that enable avoiding fracture and dislocation emergence during diamond growth, key point for growing thick crystals, progress in the reduction of the defects such as dislocations. This is still a bottleneck to overcome for developing power electronic switches,

hole mobility as high as 1820 cm2/V s obtained on a low p doped (1.6 1015 at. cm-3) diamond crystal (top level international position). New plasma process conception and reactor scale-up in order to improve significantly the growth process (uniformity and enlargement of the deposition surface), confirming the group top level position at the international level for both diamond deposition and plasma processes. Metal-oxide nanoparticle elaboration and metal-oxide nanoparticle application. Development of a soft chemistry process that makes possible the in-situ homogeneous p-type and n-type doping of metal-oxide nanoparticles with a very narrow size distribution. deposition of doped metal-oxide nanoparticles with an improved absorption in the visible.

A major scientific achievement in bridging the gap between the mixing dynamic that characterize the elaboration process and the obtained nanoparticle size distribution. This required conducting a multidisciplinary research. laser processing nanostructuration of the elaborated materials Demonstration of the potentiality of the elaborated materials in fields such as photonics, plasma-catalysis and photo-catalysis. The study of electric-magnetic, magnetic-elastic, piezo-electric, optical properties extends over an open variety of compounds, in bulk and in (mono- or multi- ) layered aspect, which are being given a controlled nano-structure. Models for micro-magnetic excitations in nanoscaled structures are being developed with special attention to the dimension reduction effects. For optic and acoustic investigations, Brillouin spectroscopy is among the techniques of which the laboratory has expertise and mastership, with the development of numerical simulations for the Brillouin spectra.

Structural Materials Associating the activities of mechanists, metallurgists, chemists and physicists, are investigated all the steps along the elaboration/transformation - characterization/identification - modelling/simulation chain of materials. This diversity of disciplinary fields allows obtaining realistic descriptions of the overall material behaviour under applied or suffered loads, from the identified responsible elementary mechanisms and from the spatial organization of the constitutive elements. The activities concern both structure and functional materials with dominant mechanical investigations for the former ones (plasticity, damage and fracture) and dominant physical and chemical considerations for the latter ones (magnetism, optics, conductivity, thermodynamic stability, activity,...) but also crossed examinations of, possibly coupled, mechanical and physico-chemical properties. Studies of mechanical properties are mainly concerned with metallic materials (steel, aluminium alloys,...), metal-based composites (as metal-oxide compounds), compounds),

with extensions to materials with particular architectures (involving closed or open porous phase or resulting from controlled - compacted or layer deposited - multi-phase assemblages for example). Elasticity, plasticity (up to large deformations), damage and fracture, but also recrystallization and microstructural transformations are the mainly investigated properties . Metal forming of flat products, growth and study of metallic single and multi- crystals (Cu, Al, Fe, Zr), measures and estimates of internal stresses in heterogeneous structures are recognized skills of the laboratory, as more recently the study of new (as ultra hard BCNx) compounds obtained under high pressure conditions, or materials obtained from chemical synthesis in (metallic, oxide, salt of hybrid) powder state. The shear loading test is one of the specials of the laboratory. Ultra finely grained metals and metal matrix composites obtained either by powder compaction techniques or by severe plastic deformation also is an axis of recognized expertise of the laboratory. The increasing involvement of LSPM in the study and the modeling of finely structured materials, with complex architectures, towards the accounting of specific effects related to small dimensions, has led to develop

nano-characterization in microscopy (electronic and atomic) and in diffractometry. Particularly involved in the study of a load on the physical properties of materials, LSPM has varied its means for examining loaded materials in situ of microscopy, diffraction, spectroscopy etc, for which it conceives the testing micro-machines for tension, compression, bending and shear loading. Some of these machines can be operational on various devices, allowing multi-physic characterizations. Special machines for shear under high pressure between diamond anvil cells also are prototypically developed specialties. Processes and characterization tools LSPM possesses a large platform of elaboration processes allowing fabrication of a wide range of materials from single crystals to nanocrystals: sol gel, laser induced nucleation, CVD, plasma, .... In order to perform diagnostics of plasmas or of nucleation processes, LSPM have a Laser platform, being partly shared with LPL. An UV to visible Laser for plasma diagnostics together with a Labram spectrometer complete this Laser platform. LSPM has a structural characterization platform including X-Ray diffractometers, TEM, AFM, SEM. In addition, some specific

equipments such as electronic conductivity and diamond view set-up. Unique facilities also exist that make possible the elaboration of nanostructured bulk materials such as ductile (super-plastic) material by processing copper nanoparticles under under high pressure and low temperature, crystal growth Bridgman and strain annealed methods and two Hot Isostatic Pressing devices, together with mechanical testing (2 shear testing devices, standard tensile and compressive testing, microindentor, image acquisition and analysis device for measures of kinematic fields),one symmetric and one non symmetric rolling devices. Means and equipments dedicated to specific studies are the Brillouin diffusion, high pressure (belt and multi-anvil) presses, the interferometry lasers and power lasers, ATDATG and equipments for chemical synthesis. Means for calculations and image analyses are available as well. Modeling the processes.

Laboratory LPL

Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, LPL Université Paris13 - cnrs UMR7538 Head : Charles Desfrançois, senior scientist (DR1) at CNRS The lab consists of about seventy people and it is structured into eight experimental teams. The research activity is mainly experimental in Physics and Optics: physical interactions between matter and waves, either in fundamental Physics (atomic and molecular physics, high-resolution spectroscopy...) or in more applied domains (organic light-emitting diodes, biomedical optics...), and often at the border of other area of science such as solid-state Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Nanosciences or Engineering. These studies range from isolated atoms to living media, including simple or complex molecules, molecular clusters and materials. Waves are either a coherent light (laser) that is used as a tool for obtaining information about the medium studied, or a matter wave to be studied for itself or also to be used as a tool in interaction with (nano)materials. The number of persons from LPL involved in the SEAM LabEx represents about one half of the laboratory, with 15 permanent researchers (3 full-time CNRS researchers and 12 teacher-researchers), 2 engineers and 15 PhD students

at the present time. All of them benefit from the support of the lab common services (mechanical shop, electronics, optics, IT, administration; 10 persons). Four teams are involved in the SEAM LabEx: Organic Photonics and Nanostructures (A. Boudrioua) During the last years, this group realized a multilayer OLED, based on carbazolic materials, emitting pure blue light with excellent external quantum efficiency (3.3%). More recently, the group presented a new method to accurately control the color emission of the OLEDs, including white light. The present work is also orientated towards the conception of optically-pumped organic lasers and, ultimately, electrically-pumped organic laser that constitutes a major scientific challenge on which only very few French scientists are working. The team addresses this problem within complementary approaches (organic materials, electronics, lasers, nanotechnology and engineering). As a matter of fact, the use of micro-cavity is the main objective of the actual group work. It is suggested to utilize photonic crystal micro-cavities as well as vertical Bragg mirrors cavities in order to control photonic modes and therefore spontaneous and

stimulated emissions, as an alternative to standard Distributed Feedback (DFB) or to planar DBR resonators. These research themes are 100% included within the scientific scope of the present LabEx and interactions with other groups, either in physics, chemistry or engineering domains, are expected to strongly push forward these studies. For instance, these collaborations aim to efficiently use diamond and oxides materials elaborated at lspm for photonics crystals applications. Hybrid Photosensitive Materials (A. Kanaev, L. Museur): The aim of this joint LSPM-LPL team is to setup and characterize new hybrid materials based on titanium oxyde (TiO2) gels for photonic applications (3D information storage and electric switches form reversible laser micro-structuration). The LPL contribution is, firstly, to characterize the optical properties (linear and non-linear) and to realize the microstructuration patterns of these hybrid materials and, secondly, to analyze the dynamics and kinetics of the photo-induced charge carriers in correlation with key factors of elaboration processes.

Atomic spectroscopy at interfaces (D. Bloch): This team is internationally recognized for studying atom-surface interactions at distances smaller than 100 nm, a distance much shorter than the current range of exploration of fundamental Casimir-type effects. These experimental skills now allow to use an atom as a quantum detector of the near-field "of a black-body radiator". The study of this near-field is indeed an emerging topics in nanophotonics, as a true black body is defined only in the far-field, while the near-field is sensitive to resonance properties associated with the spectral properties of the emitting material Also, the group now has opened a new research theme "Mesoscopic gas" (ANR contract), with confined atomic vapours, first in micro- and nano-cells, now with the 3D confinement offered by the interstitial regions of opals of nanospheres, and possibly with nanometric porous materials or hollow fibers. In these studies, the atomic mean free path is governed by the size of the interstitial regions, thus modifying the transient regime of the atomic optical response. Through a Dicke narrowing mechanism, mesoscopic gas can allow to combine sub-Doppler resolution and purely linear

spectroscopy, a concept that may be extendable to molecular lines. Such a research should enable the development of compact photonic devices able to generate a precise reference frequency. Atom Optics and Inteferometry (M. Ducloy, F. Perales): This team is internationally well-known in the area of atomic waves and develops two lines of research that is of interest within the scope of this LabEx. First, a coherent beam of metastable rare gas atoms is used for probing, via Van der Waals - Zeeman interactions at distances of few nanometers, various nanostructures like transmission gratings and magnetic (or not) reflection gratings. Although this distance range is important and implies specific phenomena (sticking, viscosity...), it is scarcely studied because of the experimental difficulties encountered at such short distances. On this topic, a collaboration is already running with two research teams of LSPM. Second, the group also built a new and original experimental setup for the realization of a metastable atom nano-beam that will be the equivalent of a pencil tip of nanometric

size. This setup relies on a clever manipulation of magnetic potentials in order to transform the Gaussian spatial distribution of the atomic beam into a quasi-Lorentzian distribution (EU and USA patent). Theoretically, this should allow to focus the atomic beam down to few tens of nm. This original beam structure opens the way for atomic nano-lithography and could also constitute an atomic nano-probe. This new tool could be used, among others, for nano-components analysis. The newly built Regional Platform for Nanotechnologies of Paris Nord C(PN)2 (A. Fischer) aims to create a technological pole of regional interest for both research and teaching in nanoscience, around photonics and associated nanomaterials themes, and in nanotechnology, around nanostructuration and nanofabrication techniques. It provides a fleet of shared technological equipments that will be widely open both to other neighboring academic research groups, especially within the LabEx, and to local and regional companies for common research projects and technological transfers. It is focused on thin film nanostructuration of alternative materials - diamond, oxides, organics, hybrids - and their used for photonic applications.

The two clean room facilities included in the LabEx (ParisCentre and Paris Nord) will share their complementary equipments. The various laser equipments at LPL will also benefit to all members of the LabEx since some experiments need optical methods involving coherent light sources. LPL can offer a broad variety of lasers with wavelength from UV to IR range and from CW down to ns, ps and fs

Laboratory MPQ

Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques Laboratory MPQ Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7, cnrs UMR 7162 Head: Prof. Carlo SIRTORI The laboratory MPQ "Materials and Quantum Phenomena", UMR 7162, is a young physics research laboratory of CNRS and University of Paris Diderot created in 2005. It comprises about 100 members divided in 38 permanent researchers (12 scientists from CNRS and 26 professors or assistant professors from universities), 12 administrative and technical staff, 32 PhD students, 12 post-docs and visitors. At CNRS, MPQ belongs to the CNRS physics institute INP but with a second link with the engineering institute INSIS. Research activities at MPQ concern the study of quantum phenomena in nanomaterials down to the atomic scale and the elaboration of quantum devices based on this fundamental research. The originality of MPQ is to mix researchers with a different culture (surface science, condensed matter, both electronic and structural properties, non linear optics, optoelectronics and quantum optics). Research activity at MPQ is already performed at the highest international level.

8 research teams are all involved in the SEAM project. They are structured into 4 main research themes : Nanomaterials and self-organization Self-Organisation of Nanostructures and STM (STM) Advanced electronic microscopy and nanostructures (Me-ANS) Electronic properties at reduced dimensionality Spectroscopy of QUAsi - particules (SQUAP) Electronic transport at molecular level (TELEM) Quantum photonics Trapped ions and Quantum Information (IPIQ) Non linear Optical Devices (DON) Quantum physics and Devices (QUAD) The Theory team created in 2010 MPQ research teams are very well-known for non linear optics and use of intersubband optical transitions in the engineering of semiconductors: quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) as THz sources, IR detectors, integrated semiconductors twin laser sources.Recent results concern the invention of a new quantum cascade detector,

an integrated twin photon sources, light matter strong coupling in the THz frequency range, the coherent control of THz QCLs. QCLs. Activities in nanosciences are also very well known at the international level. We have been pioneers in the development of Scanning Tunneling Microscopy. Self-organisation at surfaces has been used in order to identify new mechanisms for the magnetization reversal of small dots, which is of high interest for magnetic information storage. New promising CoPt dots with higher Magnetic anisotropy have been proposed due to their shape and sizes. Raman spectroscopy has been used for advances in the understanding of multiferroïcs and supraconductors. Now research turns also to molecular electronics and spintronics which are projects developed within this SEAM project. The theory group developed in the recent years has explained for example the polaritons superfluidity, which is a new exciting phenomenon. Research in the theory group at MPQ is devoted to the theoretical study of new quantum systems and to the exploration of unconventional regimes in

condensed matter systems including semiconductors, superconductors, hybrid systems, ultracold atoms, molecules and ions. New theoretical methods are developed in order to investigate fundamental properties and also to study new quantum device functionalities, particularly in out-of-equilibrium conditions and in presence of a noisy environment. This research has been first performed with fruitful interactions with the several experimental teams at MPQ (namely semiconductors and quantum cascade lasers), in France and abroad. Inside the SEAM Labex, it will be also useful for the partners working on the design and the elaboration of inorganic and hybrid materials for photonics applications (nanomaterials axis), magnetic anisotropic nanomaterials or large band gap semiconductors (carbon materials axis). Applications of research at MPQ concern non linear optics with Infra-Red (IR) Detectors (THALES and ONERA collaborations), new laser sources in the far IR and THz wave length. THz spectroscopy is useful for detecting specific molecules which are polluants or explosives. Therefore, these applications concern sustainability and the security. In nanomagnetism and spintronics, applications are devoted to molecular

electronics and magnetic information storage (volatile and non volatile). It can also lead to a reduction of energy consumption. Technological facilities are located at MPQ such as a Clean Room and a High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM). The clean room is part of a Paris Center consortium including the Ecole Normale Superieure, the ESPCI graduate school and the University of Pierre et Marie Curie. The clean room inside our building will be inaugurated in 2011. The HRTEM is part of RIME consortium composed of all HRTEM instruments in Ile-de-France and the national METSA network (French national network for Transmission Electron Microscope and Atomic Probe). The new HRTEM was installed in 2011. It will offer unique facilities of imaging and analysis with exceptionally high spatial and energy resolutions, 0.07 nm and 0.25 eV respectively. This platform is very important for developing our research projects, both at MPQ and within the SEAM consortium. For example, MSC is already using equipments from the clean room. Therefore, this large facilities benefit to all the scientific community, and more specifically to the region of Ile-de-France and also within the SEAM Labex.

Laboratory ITODYS

Interfaces, Traitements, Organisation et Dynamique des Systèmes Laboratory ITODYS Université Paris Diderot - cnrs UMR7086 Head : Prof. François MAUREL ITODYS is a joint Paris Diderot University-CNRS joint research laboratory. A multidisciplinary physical chemistry laboratory, ITODYS has been enriched in the last 10 years with the integration of new teams bringing new themes and new competencies. Instrumentation has also been considerably extended and renewed. ITODYS is enowned in the fields of surfaces and functionalisation, nanostructuration, characterisation as well as in the areas of inorganic, organic and hybrid architectured materials and nanomaterials. Applications are ranging from nanochemistry, nanoelectrochemistry, optics, photonics, magnetism, biosensors,.. Molecular modelling is also one of the strengths of ITODYS. Our successful recruitement policy aimed at supporting existing themes and developing new ones. While our teams have a strong expertise in their own fields, most research programs rely on close cooperation of several teams. We are now 50 researchers

in the laboratory, 25 engineers, technicians, administrative staff and 46 PhD students. The main research themes are as it follows : surfaces and interfaces: new chemical strategies for the covalent functionalisation of surfaces, structuration, modification of surfaces at molecular and nanometre scale, original assemblies and structures : atomic contacts, nanogaps, nanoplots, molecular actuators, plasmonic nanodevices, nanostructured assemblies of colloïds, nanoparticle/liquid crystal hybrid systems, biosensors with electrochemical detection, intertwined SAMs on nanostructured gold surfaces, polymer brushes growth on surfaces from grafted initiators,... nanomaterials, nanoobjects, nanochemistry. We develop new ways of synthesis of metallic, bimetallic, oxide nanoparticles (reduction in polyol medium, biological way using micro algae) and perfectly control their size, shape and composition. We also produce hybrid and polymer nanoparticles and develop innovative applications : nanowires, insulators/metallic nanoparticles architectures, 2D assemblies of anisotropic

particles, nanomaterials for biomedical imaging, high density magnetic recording, plastic magnets, photonic crystals, ... modelling is tightly linked to experimentation and is aiming at interpreting and predicting phenomena : spectroscopic properties of conjugated systems, photochromic molecules, interaction of surface plasmons with photochromic molecules for the development of plasmonic nanosystems. organic synthesis and physical chemistry of metal capture and transport. These teams are interacting with the biosensors team (new molecules for molecular recognition) and the nanomaterials team (vectorisation of nanoparticles into living cells). Either fundamental or applied, our advances rely on a large panel of competencies and on the synergies between the teams. Some of the last results with strong impact are : label free and reagentless original electrochemical biosensors (DNA, proteins) electrochemically generated atomic contacts, molecular junctions at the metal-oligomer Interface nanostructured surfaces and interfaces for applications in plasmonics, electronics, very high sensitivity Raman spectroscopy, plasmons-photochromic molecules interactions

new functionalisation techniques of various surfaces (metals, polymers, carbon, carbon nanotubes) ; surface initiated ATRP polymerisation or photopolymerisation perfect control of nanomaterials composition, shape, size, crystallinity, and innovative applications of magnetic materials (high density recording, magnets, biomedical imaging). Over the last 5 years, we renewed and extended our facilities for surface and materials analysis and characterisation. We are now equipped with XPS, high resolution SEM, XRD, ATD, ATG, IR (and PM-IRRAS), Raman, AFM, STM, SECM, NMR (400 MHz), GC-MS. We also have recent UV, visible, near IR, chromatography, electrochemistry instrumentation. Modelling uses work stations and a cluster of 80 processors. The main equipments are: XPS (Thermo Escalab 250) spectrometer : chemical analysis and chemical state imaging with a spatial resolution of 3 µm (imaging) mode and 30 µm (spectroscopy). IR spectrometer devoted to surface spectroscopy fitted with Attenuated Total Reflexion (ATR) and Polarization Modulation InfraRed Reflexion Absorption Spectroscopy

(PMIRRAS). LABRAM HR Raman spectrometer equipped with an achromatic monochromator and 2 gratings. Raman mapping of the surface may be carried out with a step of 0.1 µm. Scanning Electro-Chemical Microscope (SCEM) allowing the characterization of surfaces at the micro or nanoscale but also localized modification / patterning of surfaces. Scanning Electron Microscope with a field emission gun and e-beam lithography.

Laboratoy MSC

Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes MSC University Paris-Diderot UMR 7057 cnrs Head: Loïc Auvray, CNRS Senior Researcher The Matter and Complex Systems laboratory is a research structure of the CNRS and University Paris-Diderot gathering 65 permanent researchers (theorists and experimentalists), 20 engineers and technicians and more than 50 PhD students and post-docs. The laboratory is organized in five large research groups: Physics of life (from molecules to cells and organisms : transport, membrane biophysics, mechano-transduction, animal locomotion, biomimetic systems, morphogenesis, biomaterials) Dynamics of out of equilibrium systems (hydrodynamics, wettings, granular media, morphogenesis, phyllotaxy)

Structure and Dynamics of Complex fluids (nanoparticles, emulsions, foams, polymers and smart materials) Bio-fluidics (biological flows, branched networks, vascularisation, angio & embryo-genesis) Theory (dynamical systems, out of equilibrium statistical physics, hydrodynamics) Its originality and creativity are unique in the landscape of French research owing to : its constitutive interdisciplinarity, associating soft matter physics and chemistry, hydrodynamics and process engineering, non-linear physics, biology and bio-medical applications, the originality of the studies, for instance on Morphogenesis (from sand dunes to leafs, trees and vascular systems of embryos, mycelia or medusa ), on Mechanobiology (from the dynamics of the cytoskeleton to tissues growth and animal motion by passing through stem cells differenciation and characterization of genes expressionin response to stresses) and on smart and complex materials (magnetic nanoparticles, self-healing polymer systems). The 24 permanent members participating to the SEAM Labex have a deep experience of interdisciplinary work at the border between Mechanics, Biology and Soft Matter Physics from the microscopic to the

macroscopic scale, including the use of nanotechnology and single molecule techniques. They are leader in their field concerning the physical-chemistry and bio-applications of magnetic nanoparticles, the development of stimulable functional materials (with applications to energy saving), the experimental and theoretical studies (including simulations) of the mechanical and rheological behaviour of complex disordered materials such as foams, colloids and complex fluids and gels, the hydrodynamics of wetting and drying processes with applications to coating on simple or complex nanostructured surfaces, the study of complex biomimetic or natural (diatomea) biomaterials. The teams of MSC develop models of statistical mechanics covering a large range of scales, from molecules or elementary mesoscales to macroscopic scale in order to describe materials often characterized by their randomness, disorder and complex mechanical properties.

The final goal is to described the rheological and dynamical behaviours of foams, tissues, glass, sands, colloidal suspensions, polymer solutions or their mixtures starting from the interactions between their elementary components. These works are strongly coupled to experimental studies. The equipment is the following: two light scattering set up, 2 AFM, several rheometers, 3 ultra-fast video camera, 1 confocal microscope, several optical microscopes (equipped for fluorescence studies), two optical tweezers set-up. We benefit from of a complete mechanical workshop.

SORBONNE PARIS CITE PRES

SORBONNE PARIS CITE PRES (Pole de Recherche et d 'Enseignement Supérieur) The SEAM LABEX is part of the Sorbonne Paris Cité "Pole de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur" that was created by decree on February 10, 2010 and brings together four universities and four research institutes. It is composed of 120,000 students of which 6,700 are PhD students, plus 5,650 faculty; 2.100 researchers; 5,800 administrative and technical employees. This "Pole" aims at reinforcing the research and training capacity of its member institutions. The ambitions of Sorbonne Paris Cité include promoting the role universities as a leaders in social and economic development (social equality; professionalization and job placement for students; socio-economic impact).