Centre de recherche sur les Ions, les MAtériaux et la Photonique (UMR 6252)

Permanent staff  : Patrice Camy (PR), Jean-Louis Doualan (DR), Alain Braud (PR), Pavel Loiko (CR, recruited in 2019), Richard Moncorgé (PR emeritus), Gurvan Brasse (IR), Abdel Benayad (IE), Vivien Ménard (T).
PhD Students : Liza Basyrova (2020-2023), Cesare Meroni (2019-2022), Lauren Guillemot (2018-2021), Imen Hafienne (2017-2020), Simone Normani (2014-2017), Mohamed Salhi (2014-2017) and Anne-Laure Pelé (2012-2015),
Post-doc : Florent Starecki (2019-2021), Esrom Kifle (2019-2021), Aleksey Tyashev (2019-2020), Pavel Loiko(2018-2019) and Rémi Soulard (2016-2018).

The « Matériaux et Instrumentation Laser » (MIL) axis 1 is an internationnally well-recognized leader in the field of fabrication and characterization of rare earth doped materials for laser systems and sensors applications. The team aims, by the aid of theoretical and experimental studies, at understanding the spectroscopic properties of active ions in solids. More specifically the excitation dynamics, the width and intensity of optical transitions, or absorption processes in the excited and ground states, are investigated in great details depending on the applications. Analysis of the impact of the host matrix thermal properties and the dopant ion concentration is also an important part in our work in particular when the materials are to be used as gain media in high power laser systems. Thus, by a deep understanding of fundamental mechanisms together with well mastered crystal growth methods, the aim is to bring original approaches, and new ideas to develop efficient laser systems and photonic devices.

The current research activity of Axis 1 is divided in four main topics :

• New laser sources around 2 µm based on Tm-doped materials
• Nd doped laser crystals for high intensity laser chains
• Epitaxial fluoride layers for waveguide lasers and amplifiers
• Mid-IR source and energy conversion processes for all-optical IR sensors

The research activities around axis 1 are centered on various research projects. A list of the most significant programs since 2015 is as follows :

Projects :

• 3 ANR :
  • ANR SPLENDID2 (leader, 2020-2024)
  • ANR OPTIGAS (leader, 2016-2019)
  • ANR PAMPERO (2013-2016)

• ADEME : COPTIK (2014-2017)
• LABEX EMC3 : FAST-MIR (coordination 2015-2018)
• CEA : LASCAN, (2014-2018), LALABAND (2017-2019), CRISTALIN ( 2018-2021) + contract “cadre” for studying and suppling crystals for LMJ
• Maturation Normandie Valo : DEMETO (coordination, 2018-2020)
• Industriel : contrat Oxxius CHIMAERA (2018-2020)
• RIN REGION FEDER SPIDER (2017-2019)
• RIN REGION NovaMAT (coordination, 2019-2021)
• BPI France : TOUTOPTIK ( 2015-2017)