Sensors and Signal Processing

Signal detection and processing (S&SP) is an essential aspect of digital systems as it takes place at the interface with the physical world. Miniaturization and ambient intelligence require innovative technologies for the sensors and the associated signal processing. Using its experience, LIST has concentrated its efforts on diamond based sensor technology, optical fibers, ultrasound and eddy currents. It has pursued a research program to identify new methods of measurement and simulation to develop applications in fields as varied as transport, nuclear engineering and health.


The issues in this field are:
- Transportability and reduction of the cost of instrumentation.
- Increased performance of instrumentation by modeling and digital processing.
- Sophisticated processing of data for health and safety using digital technology.
- Non-destructive testing of industrial products where a high degree of confidence is called for.


LIST research and development work in this field is focusing on three areas:
- Ionizing radiation metrology and instrumentation
- Optical fibers
- Non-destructive testing

Ionizing radiation metrology and instrumentation

Goals and issues: Current societal studies confirm that there is a high demand in the field of health care for increased quality and safety of medical treatment by ionizing radiation. Meanwhile, protection of the citizen requires more intensive and more sophisticated monitoring. Here, nuclear instrumentation plays an important role in extension of the life span of power plants and application of regulations relating to radiation protection. In these three fields, the issues are: - new technologies for robust, reliable sensors, - ionizing radiation metrology for supplying stable and precise reference values. Main stakes relies in the integration of new sensor technologies and the associated digital signal processing, in order to be able to create transportable, reliable, low cost measurement systems dedicated to activities related to health care and industrial safety. Research team:    Measurement technologies and systems   Henri Becquerel National Laboratory ( http://www.nucleide.org ) Research topics:   Design of monocrystalline diamond-based sensors. Bio-functionalization. Non-parametric estimation for the analysis of low data content model signals. High-precision dynamic tomography of flow. Micro-instrumentation of flow. Metrological benchmarks for dosimetry in radiotherapy and curietherapy. Diamond and cryogenic detectors for the measurement of ionizing radiation activity. Methods of remote calibration. Main projects:   MAESTRO: Improvement of cancer treatment by irradiation (french version)   EURITRACK: The surveillance of illicit trafficking (french version)   IRINA: Neutronic measurement (french version)   Diamond-based alpha activity monitors (french version)   CARTOGAM: Portable camera for gamma mapping in nuclear facilities (french version)       IGP: Automatic spectrum analysis (french version)   ADONIS: Algorithms for high-performance signal processing (french version)   Curietherapy: National dosimetry benchmark (french version)   SAPHIR: Irradiation and photonic activation system (french version) Publications : Ionizing radiation metrology and instrumentation publications

Optical fibers

Goals and issues:   From civil engineering to aerospace, from the active control of vibrations in guide bridges to the creation of the wings of an aircraft that self-adapt to improve their aerodynamics, in an increasing number of fields there is a need for instrumentation or smart structures able to perform the third component of a system which includes, in addition to sensors, an acquisition and processing unit , and actuators. The research conducted in this area covers two aspects of optical fiber technology: - optical fiber sensors comprising photo-etched Bragg gratings; - fiber-based sensors using photonic crystals and chemico-selective polymers. Research team: Optical measurement systems Research topics: Optical fiber sensors with photo-etched Bragg gratings   Fiber-based sensors using photonic crystals and chemico-selective polymers   Remote gamma measurement by luminescent sensor Main projects: Measurement of gamma doses by optically-stimulated luminescence remotely by optical fiber   Radiation protection by optically-stimulated luminescence sensor   Temperature sensors for composites   Embedded strip strain gage (french version)   Short baseline strain gage (french version)   Long baseline strain gage (french version)   Bragg grating inclinometer (french version)   Angular Bragg grating refractometer (french version)   Patch strain gages (french version)   Multi-channel industrial measurement systems (french version)
Presentation of activity:   Sensors and applications (french version)   Publications :   Optical fibers publications