L’électronique organique connaît depuis ces dernières années un fort développement. Le CEA LITEN dispose d’une technologie d’impression par sérigraphie de transistors de type N et de type P sur une même plaque, permettant de créer des circuits complémentaires. Les performances et les limitations de cette technologie ont été étudiées, l’un des objectifs principaux de cette thèse étant de réaliser une étude concernant la faisabilité d’une étiquette RFID entièrement réalisée en technologie organique imprimée. Une telle étiquette, en plus d’être flexible, possèderait un coût de fabrication extrêmement bas.Des blocs entiers couramment utilisés dans les circuits RFID et comportant jusqu’à 50 transistors sont conçus et testés, montrant des performances supérieures ou au niveau de l’état de l’art dans ce domaine. La technologie organique imprimée n’étant pas aussi mature que celle utilisée dans la filière semi-conductrice classique, une étude est également menée concernant les effets de la dispersion du procédé de fabrication et du vieillissement sur les performances des circuits. Des pistes seront ainsi définies sur les paramètres (fiabilité, mobilité dans les semi-conducteurs organiques, taille des dispositifs…) à améliorer pour permettre à l’électronique organique de venir concurrencer l’industrie du silicium. / During the past few years, the field of organic electronics has known an important development. The CEA LITEN is able to manufacture N-type and P-type screen-printed transistors on a same plastic sheet, enabling the design of complementary circuits. The performances and limitations of this technology are studied since one of this thesis’ main objectives is to determine the feasibility of a fully-printed organic RFID tag. Such a tag would be flexible and could be manufactured at an extremely low-cost. Some circuits commonly used in the RFID tags, and using up to 50 transistors, are designed and tested, showing some performances equivalent or above the reported latest developments. The organic electronics manufacturing process is not as mature as the one used in the classical silicon industry. Therefore, a study is performed concerning the effects of this process scattering, as well as the ageing, on the circuits’ performances. The main improvements (in terms of reliability, organic semi-conductor mobility, size) that can help the organic electronics in order to compete, one day, with the silicon industry, are discussed.

Organic electronic biosensors are developed as suitable devices that can transform electrochemical processes within the cell membrane into an electronic signal and enable to measure electrical activity of excitable cells and tissues both in vitro and in vivo and thus represent valuable alternative to current cell monitoring methods. In this work we focus on the fabrication of electrophysiological sensors based on organic semiconductors printed by the material printing method. Microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are active components of the device, which can monitore cellular activity and above that stimulating cells with electrical pulses. The proposed platform should be used for cytotoxicity of potential drugs especially on cardiac cells (cardiomyocytes). The experimental part focus on specific production processes of platforms, which were prepared in the laboraty with emphasis on biocompatibility and conductivity of device.

Les nanoparticules métalliques ont la particularité de fritter à des températures bien inférieures que les microparticules. Les pâtes de frittage à base de nanoparticules d'argent (Ag) sont commercialisées pour assembler des puces d'électronique de puissance à leur substrat. L’assemblage se fait classiquement entre 200 et 300°C, sous contrainte. Le joint métallique final obtenu possède d’excellentes propriétés de conductivités électrique et thermique. La température de fusion théorique du joint, une fois densifié, est égale à la température de fusion de l’Ag massif (962°C). Cette propriété fait de ce nanomatériau une excellente alternative dans l’électronique de puissance « haute température ». Le coût de l’argent, qui est un métal précieux, reste un frein à l’utilisation de ces pâtes de frittage. Une alternative pour baisser les coûts est de remplacer les nanoparticules d’argent par des nanoparticules de cuivre. Le cuivre possède des propriétés de conductivités très proches de celles de l’argent. Un obstacle majeur à l’intégration de nanoparticules de cuivre dans des pâtes de frittage est la propension du cuivre à s’oxyder. L’oxydation des nanoparticules empêche le frittage et diminue fortement les propriétés mécaniques ainsi que la conductivité du joint métallique final. En plus de cela, le cuivre, même non oxydé, est moins réactif lors du frittage et nécessite des températures plus élevées pour une bonne densification que l’argent. La stratégie choisie pour protéger les nanoparticules de cuivre de l’oxydation a été de les encapsuler dans un polymère ou avec une fine couche d’argent. L’obtention de systèmes cœur-coquille Cu@Ag, en plus d’augmenter la résistance face à l’oxydation, permet d’améliorer le frittage des joints. Une fois densifiés, les joints à base de nanoparticules Cu@Ag sont capables de résister à des contraintes mécaniques élevées. / Metallic nanoparticles have the particularity to sinter at lower temperatures compared to microparticles. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles based sintering pastes are commercially available for assembling power electronics chips to their substrates. The assembly is performed between 200 and 300°C, generally under pressure (Hot Pressing) and the resulting metallic joint has excellent thermal and electrical conductivity properties. The theoretical melting temperature of the resulting densified joint corresponds to the melting temperature of bulk silver (962°C), making the silver nanoparticles an alternative for "high temperature" power electronics compared to traditional solder. Nevertheless, the cost of Ag, which is a precious metal, remains a barrier to the use of these sintering pastes. The cost can be reduced by replacing the silver nanoparticles with copper (Cu) nanoparticles. Copper has conductive properties very close to silver. The major hurdle to the integration of copper nanoparticles in sintering pastes is the proneness of copper to oxidation. The oxidation of Cu nanoparticles prevents sintering and greatly reduces the mechanical properties and conductivity of the final metallic joint. Moreover, copper is less reactive during sintering and requires higher temperatures to densify. We chose to protect copper nanoparticles by encapsulation. In a first step copper nanoparticles were synthetized at laboratory scale and semi-industrial scale. In a second step the copper nanoparticles were encapsulated either with a polymer or very thin layer of Ag. The oxidation properties of the core-shell nanoparticles were studied. In a third step the Cu@Ag nanoparticles were formulated in a paste in order to obtain metallic joints. The sintering and density properties of the metallic joints were evaluated and positively compared to the joints obtained with a commercial Ag based paste. The Cu@Ag core-shell system prevents oxidation but also improves the sintering process.

Technologies that facilitate reusing and recycling printed textile products will contribute to achieving a circular textile industry. This project was done in collaboration with Vividye, a company developing a technology to create removable textile prints to be able to extend the lifespan of screen-printed textile products without affecting their quality. The technology involves several steps, including re-formulating printing paste and using a treatment to remove the print. This particular treatment consists of the use of different organic solvents. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effect of four organic solvent treatments, which are of interest to the company, on the physical and sensorial properties of conventional cotton (CO) and polyester (PET) knitted fabrics. Three cycles of the treatment were evaluated. Significant changes in yarn and fabric properties, such as tension and thickness, were found after the treatment, also for fabric sensorial properties, such as stiffness, softness, and smoothness. The behavior was different for each type of material which can be attributed to the affinity between the polymer and the solvent and the polymer, yarn, and fabric structure that facilitates the swelling. The properties assessed within this project can be related to the fabric's quality and feel. Therefore, it can be an essential factor in the user's preferences or influence the material's printability.

No description available.

<p>The introduction of metal supported cells may be a key innovation in the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. The objective of this study was to develop a process of co-firing the ceramic layers of a solid oxide fuel cell attached to their porous metal support. This is a major departure from the traditional fuel cell architecture where the support layer is a ceramic composite made of YSZ and NiO.</p> <p>The problems to be eliminated during the fabrication process include the warping, cracking and delamination of the cell during the co-sintering process.</p> <p>In this study, the porous metal layer was produced by the freeze tape casting process. During co-sintering, it is necessary to match the relative shrinkage between the metal and ceramic layers. Different parameters which can influence the relative shrinkage were explored, including the heating rate, sintering temperature, sintering time, cell thickness, solid loading of the green tapes, applications of wet and dry hydrogen in the sintering atmosphere, as well as a change of the electrolyte material. Specifically, GDC was tested as an alternative electrolyte to YSZ.</p> <p>Since the porous metal substrate is exposed to air during fuel cell operation, it must be protected from oxidation. Therefore, the pack cementation method was used to apply a layer of aluminum onto the metal substrate. Variables such as temperature and exposure time of the coating materials were investigated in this thesis.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The objective of the research in this thesis is to develop manufacturable high-efficiency silicon solar cells at low-cost through advanced cell design and technological innovations using industrially feasible processes and equipment on commercial grade Czochralski (Cz) large-area (239 cm2) silicon wafers. This is accomplished by reducing both the electrical and optical losses in solar cells through fundamental understanding, applied research and demonstrating the success by fabricating large-area commercial ready cells with much higher efficiency than the traditional Si cells. By developing and integrating multiple efficiency enhancement features, namely low-cost high sheet resistance homogeneous emitter, optimized surface passivation, optimized rear reflector, back line contacts, and improved screen-printing with narrow grid lines, 20.8% efficient screen-printed PERC (passivated emitter and rear cell) solar cells were achieved on commercial grade 239 cm2 p-type Cz silicon wafers.

Cost effective high volume manufacture of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is a major challenge for commercial success of these devices. More than fifteen processing methods have been reported in the literature, many of which could be used in various combinations to create the desired product characteristics. For some of these processes, high volume manufacturing experience is very limited or non-existent making traditional costing approaches inappropriate. Additionally, currently available cost models are limited by a lack of incorporation of device performance requirements. Therefore, additional modeling tools are needed to aid in the selection of the appropriate processing techniques prior to making expensive investment decisions. This project describes the development of a SOFC device performance model and a manufacturing process tolerance model. These models are then linked to a preliminary cost model; creating a true multi-process, performance based cost model that permits the comparison of manufacturing cost for different combinations of three processing methods. The three processing methods that are investigated are tape casting, screen printing, and sputtering. . This model is capable of considering production volume, process tolerance and process yield, in addition to the materials and process details. Initial comparisons were performed against processes used extensively within the solid oxide fuel cell industry and the cost results show good agreement with this experience base. Sensitivity of manufacturing costs to SOFC performance requirements such as maximum power density and operation temperature are also investigated.

Ce travail a permis dans un premier temps, l’élaboration de composites semi-conducteurs à base de nanoobjetspossédant des caractéristiques électrochimiques spécifiques en fonction du type d’inclusion (siliciumdopé N ou dopé P et oxydes métalliques, ZnO, SnO2, NiO). Ces composites ont permis d’obtenir avec succèsdes encres de sérigraphie présentant un comportement électrique semi-conducteur qui ont servi à laréalisation d’électrodes par dépôt sur divers supports et notamment des films plastiques souples. Lamodification chimique des supports réalisés a été étudiée en vue de pouvoir utiliser ce type de matériaucomme transducteurs électrochimiques en les intégrant dans des dispositifs de types capteurs et biocapteurs.Dans un second temps, un composite photostructurable conducteur a également été développé en se basantsur la technologie SU-8, et en y incluant des particules de graphite ou des nanoparticules de carbone noir.Ce photocomposite a été par la suite fonctionnalisé avec succès par des dérivés diazonium, tel que lebromobenzène diazonium ou le nitrobenzène diazonium dont les greffages ont été suivis par spectroscopied’impédance. Enfin, le greffage d’oligonucléotides via la chimie des sels d’aryldiazonium a également étéeffectué avec succès et utilisé pour la détection de séquences cibles à des concentrations de 100 pM à 200nM. / The first part of this study report the development of semiconducting composites consisting ofsemiconducting nano-objects (N doped, P doped silicon or metals oxides, ZnO, SnO2, NiO) held together inan insulating polymeric matrix and exhibiting typical semiconductor impedance signals according to thecharge used and with clear differentiation between the two fundamental type of semiconductor, n-type and ptype.This new composites have been used as screen-printing ink. Electrodes on various substrates (PVC,glass) have been successfully prepared following this cost-effective method. Surface functionalization ofthese electrodes by chemicals compounds and biomolecules was studied using impedance spectroscopy andchemiluminescent detection in order to assess their integration as electrochemical transducers in sensorsand biosensors microdevices.The second part of this work consisted in photopatternable conductive composite elaboration using a simpleand straightforward route based on SU-8 epoxy-based negative photoresist matrix mixed with carbon filler.The electrodes, obtained by the classical photolithography method, and after an electrochemical pretreatment,exhibited very good electrochemical behaviors, opening the path to various electrochemicaldetections and grafting possibilities. Finally, the direct electrografting of biomolecules was demonstratedusing aniline modified oligonucleotide probes. The grafted probes were shown to be available for targethybridization and the material compatible with a chemiluminescent detection of the interactions between theimmobilized single stranded DNA and its complementary sequence in a 100 pM to 200 nM range.

Ce travail de thèse porte sur l’étude et la réalisation d'une nouvelle génération de capteurs ultrasonore dédiés à la caractérisation des gaz de fission. Plus généralement, ces études concernent le développement de l’instrumentation du réacteur d’essai des matériaux Jules Horowitz (RJH), visant entre autre à effectuer le contrôle in situ de la composition du gaz libéré afin d’optimiser la durée de vie du combustible et le taux de combustion. La température de fonctionnement de ce nouveau réacteur devant se situer dans la plage entre 200 °C à 400 °C, la principale problématique concerne donc le développement d’un matériau piézoélectrique, capable de fonctionner dans la plage de température requise, et son intégration à un dispositif de détection.Nous proposons l’utilisation du sodium titanate de bismuth (NBT) développé par la méthode de la sérigraphie. Dans le but d'optimiser les conditions de fabrication des matériaux, plusieurs versions de matériaux piézoélectriques ont été produites au cours de cette thèse. Chacun des matériaux a été caractérisé (paramètres morphologiques, chimiques, électriques, diélectriques, piézoélectriques et électromécaniques) et des tests en fonction de la température ont été conduits. Après avoir démontré une bonne répétabilité dans la production du matériau, le protocole de fabrication des capteurs a été déterminé et un prototype de capteur ultrasonore a été réalisé.Ces capteurs ont été fabriqués par dépôt du matériau actif sur un substrat d'alumine. Après caractérisation des propriétés des capteurs, des essais ont montré une sensibilité acoustique importante à température ambiante. De plus, la possibilité d'une détection de gaz sur une gamme de pression de 50 à 70 bars a été démontrée par l'intégration d’un capteur dans une enceinte. Pour vérifier la possibilité d'application du capteur à la détection de gaz dans des environnements hostiles (haute température), un modèle théorique basé sur les propriétés électromécaniques et les équations d’adaptation d’impédance a été introduit. Il a été démontré théoriquement que le capteur est capable d'effectuer des mesures de gaz de la température ambiante jusqu’à 350 °C. / This Ph.D. thesis is dedicated to the development of a new generation of ultrasonic sensors devoted to fission gas characterization. More generally, these studies concern the development of instrumentation for the Jules Horowitz material testing reactor (JHR) aiming to perform in-situ control of the released gas composition for optimization of burn-up rate and fuel rod lifetime. The operation temperature of this new reactor will be in the range of 200 °C - 400 °C. Hence, the main problem concerns the development of piezoelectric material, able to operate in the required temperature range, and its integration with a sensor device.To resolve this problem, we propose to use the sodium bismuth titanate (NBT) ceramic material developed by the screen-printing technique. Several versions of piezoelectric materials were produced during this research, with the purpose of optimizing material manufacturing conditions Each material was characterized (morphological, chemical, electric, dielectric, piezoelectric and electromechanical parameters) and “tests as a function of temperature” were carried out. After demonstrating repeatability in material fabrication, the protocol for NBT sensor production was determined and a prototype of the ultrasonic sensor was fabricated.The sensor was fabricated by deposition of an active material onto an alumina substrate. After characterization of sensor properties, acoustic tests showed a high sensitivity of measurements at ambient temperature (25 °C). Furthermore, by integration of sensors into a pressurized enclosure the possibility of gas detection in the range from 50 to 70 bars was demonstrated. To verify the sensor’s applicability to gas detection under harsh temperature environment, a theoretical model based on electromechanical properties and impedance matching equations was introduced. It was theoretically demonstrated that the sensor is able to perform gas measurements from ambient temperature up to 350 °C.