The BTR program with 15,000 m2 of clean room facilities distributed in seven national facilities and a task force of about 400 researchers brings a strong support to the R&D activities in micro & nanotechnologies, from basic research to industrial applications. BTR program is a key pillar of the National Strategy in Research and Innovation (SNRI) as a national research infrastructure. The BTR program turns out to be one key enabler allowing France to maintain its position in the field of nanotechnologies. It plays a major role: • In advanced technological positioning in the fields of the future such as nanoelectronics, photonics, spintronics, and micro- and nanosystems, by making possible the development of new concepts, materials, devices and systems, • In the economy of research in micro- and nanotechnology in France, by focussing the purchase of key equipments on selected research infrastructures working in network mode to the benefit of the academic and industrial communities. • As a lever effect in Europe, by bringing about a significant increase in the success rate within the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development (PCRD), the technological credibility of the teams being strengthened by access to cutting-edge nanomanufacturing platforms and technologically advanced demonstrators.

The first few decades of the previous century have seen a revolution in the physical sciences due to the advent of quantum mechanics. Now, a hundred years later, quantum mechanics may drive a new revolution in technology. In fact, it is luckily as well as widely believed that next-generation electronic devices will exploit the quantum mechanical nature of electrons, as opposed to the classical operating principles of current CMOS electronics. Quantum spintronics aims at utilizing the quantum nature of individual spins to bring new functionalities into logic circuits. Up to now, experimental efforts have mainly focused on III-V semiconductors. In this system, however, strong electron spin decoherence was found due to the hyperfine coupling with the nuclear spins. In this project, we have focused on silicon-based nanodevices, which, besides an inherent compatibility with microelectronics technology, can be made immune to the hyperfine coupling problem. In addition, for the case of p-type devices, strong spin-orbit coupling can be expected opening an opportunity for the coherent electrical control of spin states.

Le but de ce projet est de développer un nouvel outil en champ proche le « nanostencil couplé AFM » qui permettra à la fois la nano-structuration et l’adressage électrique d’objets mésoscopiques sous ultra-vide en combinant des masques d’évaporation comprenant des ouvertures mésoscopiques et/ou nanométriques (« nanostencils ») avec des techniques de microscopie à force atomique (AFM) dynamique sous ultra-vide basées sur l’utilisation de diapasons piézoélectriques (« tuning forks »). Le caractère innovant de ce projet résidera dans l’utilisation des «tuning forks» pour piloter les nanostencils en s’affranchissant ainsi des contraintes et limitations liées à une régulation en mode «déflection de faisceau optique ». A court terme cette technique de « masques dynamiques couplés AFM » sera utilisée pour étudier les propriétés électroniques de matériaux organiques et moléculaires en réalisant « in situ » des contacts électriques sur des mono-domaines organiques évaporés sur des surfaces d’oxydes sous ultra-vide. Son champ d’application est cependant beaucoup plus large et concerne de manière générale la nano-structuration et l’adressage de tout type de nano-objets organiques et inorganiques en environnement ultra-propre.