H/F Post-Doctoral Photonic sensors for the detection of air pollutants

1- The characterization of optical and topographic properties of thin films of sensitive materials (polymers, catalytic metals) by AFM, SEM, ellipsometry.
2- The cleanroom micro-nanostructuration of thin films of sensitive materials, by usual fabrication techniques such as nano-imprint, electron-beam lithography, material deposition (metals, polymers).
3- The optical characterization of the fabricated devices by micro-reflectivity and interferometry. This step will include the implementation of a gas circulation system for sensing experiments.

The post-doc will have to develop an ultra-sensitive photonic sensor for pollutants contained in the ambient air (FEDER project). The project is motivated, on the one hand by the company demand for the development of a sensitive, high-performance and compact sensor, and on the other hand by the activities of the i-Lum team @ INL on the development of extremely-sensitive environmental sensors based on innovative photonic concepts.
The original approach taken by the i-Lum team of the INL for the realization of such a sensor consists in the association:
- Nanophotonic structures extremely sensitive to the environment and manufactured in a sensitive material (polymers and/or catalytic metals)
- An optical phase detection system (interferometry), which makes it possible to improve of the current state-of-the-art detection limits.

For this work, the post-doctoral fellow will have access to the Nanolyon facilities for the fabrication and optical characterizations. She/he will work in close collaboration with other researchers of the team for the different experimental aspects of the project.