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An investigation into the responses of microbeams to electric actuations is presented. Attention is focused mainly on the use of microbeams in two important MEMS-based devices: capacitive microswitches and resonant microsensors. Nonlinear models are developed to simulate the behavior of the microbeams in each device. The models account for mid-plane stretching, an applied axial load, a DC electrostatic force, and, for the case of resonant sensors, an AC harmonic force. Further, a novel method that uses a reduced-order model is introduced for simulating the behavior of microbeams under a DC electrostatic force. The presented method shows attractive features, like for example, a high stability near the pull-in and a low computational cost. Thus, it can be of significant benefit to the development of MEMS design software. The static behavior of microbeams under electrostatic forces is studied using two methods. One method employs a shooting technique for solving the boundary-value problem that governs the static behavior. The second method is based on solving an algebraic system of equations obtained from the reduced-order model. Further, the eigenvalue problem describing the vibrations of a microbeam around its statically deflected position is solved using a shooting method to obtain the microbeam mode shapes and natural frequencies. The dynamic behavior of resonant microbeams is also investigated. A perturbation method, the method of multiple scales, is used to obtain two first-order nonlinear ordinary-differential equations that describe the amplitude and phase of the response and its stability. The results show that an inaccurate representation of the system nonlinearities may lead to an erroneous prediction of the nonlinear resonance frequency of a microbeam. The case of three-to-one internal resonance between the lowest two modes is treated. Finally, the reduced-order model is used to study the dynamic behavior of the electrostatically actuated microbeams. The proposed models are validated by comparing their results with experimental results available in the literature. / Master of Science

The aim of this thesis was to investigate how to construct a system to measure load in a mobile unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) bearing. In vivo loads have been measured in a total knee replacement (TKR), but with TKR the kinematics are different from those of the normal knee, whereas they are close to normal in a mobile UKR, so the loads measured by an instrumented UKR would be more representative of the normal knee. On the principle of measuring compression of an object under load, the load may be estimated. Compression measurement using a capacitive sensor was the optimal solution to measure load, based on life expectancy of the sensor and bearing integrity. A capacitive sensor within a polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing has not been used before. The visco-elastic and temperature dependent properties of UHMWPE were determined with experiments. UHMWPE had an approximately linear response after ten minutes of applying a constant load. A temperature sensor should be used in vivo to compensate for temperature effects acting on the elastic modulus of UHMWPE. Finite element modelling demonstrated that positioning the sensor under the centre of the bearing concavity resulted in the largest capacitive change. The influence of various dimensional parameters on sensor output was simulated, and the conclusion was that the sensor only needs to be calibrated once. An electronic module inserted into a bearing had less than 5 % influence on bearing compression. Capacitive sensors were made from polyimide, using standard production methods, and embedded within a UKR bearing using the standard compression moulding process. The embedded sensor had a second order low pass frequency response, with a corner frequency of 9 Hz, twice the frequency required for typical functional loading such as gait. Physiological load signals, gait and step up/down, were applied to the bearing. The capacitance to load response was approximately linear. Load was estimated using a linear method and a dynamic method. The linear method performed best, with an accuracy of force estimation better than 90 %. In vitro tests were performed using a commercially available transceiver, two stan- dard antennas and a custom antenna, designed to be incorporated in the bearing. Wireless communication between an implanted custom antenna and an external an- tenna was shown to be feasible. Experiments were also performed that demonstrate that inductive powering of the bearing was feasible. In addition to load measurement, a proposal for dynamic measurement of the orien- tation angles of both the tibia and the femur was made. Power and volume calculations showed that it is possible to place an electronic module within the bearing. This thesis has not only demonstrated that it is feasible to make an instrumented bearing for UKR but has also provided a basic design for manufacturing.

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse contribuent au développement du contrôle non destructif des conduits de précontrainte extérieure dans les ouvrages d'art. Une sonde capacitive a été développée pour ausculter ces conduits. L'objectif est d'en améliorer le diagnostic.Dans un premier temps, une cellule de mesure en transmission coaxiale a été développée pour caractériser les matériaux présents dans le conduit sur la bande de fréquence 50 MHz - 1 GHz. Le ciment, les produits de la ségrégation du ciment et la cire d'injection ont été étudiés.La deuxième partie du travail exploite ces résultats dans une modélisation directe du problème global. Une étude paramétrique nous a permis de proposer une méthode d'estimation de l'épaisseur de vide à l'intérieur du conduit à partir des signaux délivrés par la sonde, qui a pu être validée sur une maquette de conduit. A partir de ces résultats sont proposées plusieurs améliorations du dispositif visant à l'obtention de signaux plus riches issus des capteurs, afin de pouvoir estimer un plus grand nombre de paramètres. / The work presented in this report contributes to the development of Non Destructive Evaluation of the external post-tensioned ducts in bridges. A capacitive probe has been developed for bridge monitoring applications. The aim of this work is to improve its diagnostic.In a first step, a coaxial transmission line was developed to characterize the materials involved in the duct over the frequency range 50 MHz - 1 GHz. The cement grout, segregation products of the cement grout and the injection wax were studied.In the second part of this work the previous results are used in the modelling of the devices. A parametrical study has shown the ability to get from the signals an estimate of the thickness of the void in the duct. This estimation method has been validated using a laboratory duct. Further, several improvements of the probes are proposed to get signals containing more information in order to get a better estimation of the target parameters.

Les progrès de la microélectronique, axés en premier lieu sur l’amélioration des performances et la réduction des coûts des processeurs et des mémoires, ont aussi bénéficié depuis de nombreuses années aux capteurs, à l’éclairage, aux actionneurs et autres technologies dites More than Moore. La détection infrarouge à l’aide de détecteurs thermiques fait partie de ces bénéficiaires. Les détecteurs thermiques actuels utilisent principalement une fine couche résistive (typiquement du dioxyde de vanadium ou du silicium amorphe) déposée sur une membrane suspendue comme thermomètre : ce sont les microbolomètres. Cette technique a permis de produire des caméras thermiques dont le coût de fabrication a drastiquement chuté avec des performances qui se rapprochent des détecteurs photoniques onéreux, fonctionnant à des températures cryogéniques. Néanmoins, le coût de ces imageurs reste encore excessif pour des applications grand public (conduite nocturne, smartphones, domotique) tandis que les applications militaires (surveillance, lunettes portatives) demandent des performances accrues dans un budget maîtrisé. Un des objectifs des industriels du domaine est donc de réduire la surface des détecteurs, le pas pixel, afin d’augmenter le nombre de rétines fabriquées sur une plaque de silicium. Néanmoins, la réduction de cette surface diminue de facto le flux infrarouge incident sur le pixel, et donc le signal. Il faut donc améliorer la sensibilité des détecteurs à chaque nouveau pas pixel. La technologie résistive, largement employée par l’industrie jusqu’à maintenant, se prêtait volontiers à cet exercice jusqu’au pas de 17 µm, permettant de densifier d’un facteur 4 le nombre de détecteurs tous les 5 ans. L’auto-échauffement lié à la lecture résistive et le bruit en 1/f sont les principales causes du ralentissement observé dans cette réduction des échelles ces dernières années. Nos travaux se sont focalisés sur un nouveau principe de détection au pas de 12 µm, fonctionnant avec un auto-échauffement minime. Dans cette approche, une planche suspendue est mise en résonance mécanique autour de deux bras ancrés subissant une torsion. L’actionnement et la détection électrostatique du mouvement de la membrane sont réalisés avec deux électrodes situés 2 µm sous la planche. La modification du module d’Young avec la température et les contraintes thermiques vont modifier la fréquence de résonance. Les résonateurs mécaniques étant peu bruités, le suivi cette fréquence de résonance doit permettre de réaliser des détecteurs thermiques performants. Le travail de thèse a consisté à concevoir, fabriquer et caractériser de tels pixels et à comparer cette technique aux détecteurs résistifs. Différents modèles (linéaire et nonlinéaire) du mouvement de la structure sont présentés et comparés aux caractérisations expérimentales de résonateurs fabriqués en réseaux denses, selon différentes variantes. Nous avons mesuré le bruit fréquentiel de nos détecteurs puis leur sensibilité à un flux infrarouge. Les meilleurs dispositifs montrent une limite de sensibilité de 30 pW/√Hz. Une résolution sur la scène (NETD) de 2 K est obtenu pour un temps d’intégration adapté au temps image. Ces performances sont inégalées pour un résonateur non refroidi à ces dimensions. Nous montrons qu’un NETD de 20 mK est atteignable au pas de 12 µm (pour un temps de réponse de 10 ms) en se focalisant sur 3 axes de recherche : une cointégration des résonateurs avec leur électronique de lecture, une acquisition plus précise du signal par un temps d’intégration adapté au temps image et l’amélioration de la sensibilité thermique (TCF) du résonateur d’un facteur 10. Pour ce dernier point, nous présentons des méthodes afin d’améliorer le TCF. Finalement, nous étudions des architectures de pixels au pas de 5 µm présentant des performances théoriques proches de celles requises par l’imagerie infrarouge (NETD=70 mK et τth=8 ms). Des perspectives de transductions tout optiques sont finalement évoquées. / Progress in microelectronics has been mainly driven by informatics needs for addressing both increased performances and lower costs for processors and memories, according to the well-known Moore’s Law. For many years, these tremendous progresses in silicon fabrication and integration have also contributed to the emergence of new type of devices, such as sensors, actuators, filters, clocks or imagers, forming a new class of devices called More than Moore. Uncooled infrared imaging, which uses thermal sensors belongs to this new class of devices. Today thermal sensors principally use a thin resistive layer (mainly vanadium dioxide or amorphous silicon) on a suspended membrane as a thermometer and are called microbolometers. The fabrication cost of thermal cameras has dramatically dropped over the last 20 years, while attaining performances close to the expensive cooled cameras. Nevertheless, the cost of these imagers still remains too high for consumer market (night driving, smartphones, home automation) whereas military applications (surveillance, personal googles) need improved resolutions – in an affordable camera. Therefore, one objective of the microbolometers industry roadmap is to scale down the sensor surface – the pixel pitch – in order to increase the number of imagers fabricated on a silicon wafer. Yet, the pixel pitch reduction goes necessarily with a reduction of the captured infrared power leading to a reduction of the sensor signal. As a consequence, the sensor sensitivity needs to be improved as the pixel pitch scales down. The resistive technology has managed this scaling so far, down to 17µm pixel pitch, allowing a densification of the sensors by a factor 4 every 5 years. Despite this success, the scaling has been recently slowed down, mostly because of microbolometers self-heating issue and 1/f noise which are inherent to the resistive transduction. Our work has focused on a new type of sensor at 12µm pixel pitch, which theoretically gets rid of self-heating and 1/f noise. In our approach, an absorbing plate is excited at its mechanical resonance through two tiny torsion arms using an actuation electrode placed 2µm underneath. Pixel motion is also transduced electrostatically. Since micromechanical resonators feature very low frequency noise, we believe that an uncooled infrared sensor based on the monitoring of its resonance frequency (which changes with temperature through the TCF) should be extremely sensitive. In our work, we present different models (linear and nonlinear) for the pixel mechanical behavior and compare them to experimental characterization of resonators which were fabricated in dense arrays, according to several designs. We measure the frequency stability of our sensors along with their sensitivity to infrared flux. The best devices show a resolution of 30pW/sqrt(Hz), with a response time lower than one millisecond. The scene resolution (NETD) is 2K for an integration time compatible with imaging frame rate. These performances overtake results previously published on this topic with such reduced pixel pitch. We show that a NETD of 20mK (with a response time of 10ms) is reachable at 12µm pixel pitch if we can address the following 3 challenges: a cointegration of the resonators with their electronics, a shared readout of several pixels in the imaging frame rate and an improved TCF by a factor 10. Therefore, we provide different methods in order to improve the TCF. Finally, we present different pixel designs at 5µm pixel pitch which show theoretical performances close to uncooled infrared imaging requirements (NETD=70mK and tau_th=8ms). An optical transduction may also be a new route toward even better signal to noise ratio at low pitch.

A l’heure actuelle, les Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) sont devenusincontournables dans les produits technologiques quotidiens. De par leur taille,leurs performances et leur intégration, les microsystèmes résonants se sontinscrits dans la diversification de la fameuse Loi de Moore. Cependant les applications detype base de temps demeurent le segment de marché où les MEMS ne parviennent pas às’imposer durablement. En effet, grâce à une stabilité en fréquence de quelques parties parmillions, l’oscillateur à base de résonateur en Quartz reste le produit numéro 1 d’unmarché estimé à dix-sept milliards de dollars.Etant donné le lien entre la fréquence d’un résonateur silicium MEMS et ses dimensionsintrinsèques, les différentes étapes de fabrication induisent un décalage de cette fréquencepar rapport à la valeur visée. C’est donc cet écart que nous tenterons d’adresser. Dans cecontexte, nous avons proposé une nouvelle méthode de correction à l’échelle du substrat.Cette méthode consiste en une ultime étape technologique, après une première mesureélectrique des dispositifs qui permet de quantifier l’erreur, à ramener la fréquence à lavaleur souhaitée par un ajout localisé de matière. Nous montrerons qu’il est possible, enune seule étape, de réduire la Gaussienne représentative de la variation de la fréquence ausein du substrat à quelques parties par million. Pour cela, nous avons développé deuxmodèles physiques qui permettent de quantifier la correction pour atteindre les objectifs.En parallèle, nous avons mis en place un processus de fabrication compatible avec la filièreCMOS avec seulement dix-sept étapes et deux masques photolithographiques dont le pointde départ est un substrat de type SOI. Ce procédé a permis la fabrication de résonateur àmodes de flexion et ondes de volume, dont les performances intrinsèques (f et Q)permettent de concurrencer les résonateurs Quartz. Enfin, nous avons validé notre conceptet nos modèles physiques par des caractérisations électriques de nos dispositifs.L’analyse des résultats nous a permis de dresser une liste des pistes d’amélioration pourétablir une voie vers l’industrialisation durable des résonateurs MEMS. Dans un premiertemps, une attention toute particulière se portera sur le choix du substrat et la technologieutilisée pour garantir des performances optimales. La méthode de correction nécessite unemesure électrique intermédiaire, cette étape doit être précisée et il faudra s’assurer qu’ellen’augmente pas le coût global de la fonction. Bien que discutés, le packaging du MEMS etl’intégration seront des points à étudier, tout particulièrement pour conserver lesspécifications du résonateur lui-même. / Present, Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) have become essential ineveryday technology products. Thanks to their size, performances andintegration, resonant microsystems have been enrolled in the diversification ofthe famous Moore's Law. However, the time based applications remain the market segmentwhere MEMS are unable to settle permanently. Indeed, the oscillator-based Quartz is thenumber one product on the market, a market estimated at $ 17 billions, thanks to afrequency stability of a few parts per million over its lifetime.Given the link between the frequency of a MEMS resonator and its intrinsic dimensions,the various manufacturing steps induce a shift of this frequency from the target value. Wewill try to address this difference.In this context, we proposed a new method of correction across the wafer. This methodconsists of a final technological step after a first electrical measurement to quantify theshift. We will show that it is possible in one step, to reduce the Gaussian representing thefrequency variation within the wafer to a few parts per million. From this perspective, wehave developed two physical models that quantify the correction to achieve the objectives.Moreover, we set up a manufacturing process CMOS compatible with only 17 steps and2 photolithographic masks starting with a SOI wafer. This process has enabled theproduction of flexural mode resonators and bulk mode resonators, whose intrinsicperformances (f, Q) can compete with Quartz. Finally, we validated our concept and ourphysical models thanks to electrical characterization of our devices.Analysis of the results allowed us to develop a list of possible improvements to establish aroute to the industrialization of MEMS resonators. First, special attention will be focusedon the choice of substrate and the technology used to ensure perfect performances.Correction method requires a preliminary electrical measurement, this step must bedetailed and one have to ensure that it does not increase the overall cost. Although partiallystudied, the packaging of MEMS and integration are the points to consider in particularkeeping the specifications of the resonator itself.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T15:00:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2331376 bytes, checksum: b24878b19226d38bdcde15cfe285f7cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Adsorption refrigeration systems are supposed to complement or even substitute the ordinary systems based on vapour compression. This work aims to study the application of a new technique of Electrical Capacitive Tomography - a parallel approach on the visualization of the adsorption process which occurs in the sorption bed of an adsorption refrigerator. To archive this goal, a sorption bed glass prototype was developed and it allows the utilization of the Parallel ECT to map the spatial distribution of methanol into the activated charcoal inside the sorption bed and makes it feasible to optimise the process. The principles of the adsorption phenomenon are explained regarding the adsorption refrigeration cycle. The Parallel ECT system is based on a wideband electronic differentiator which is supposed to be immune to stray capacitances often encountered in ordinary ECT systems, to have a high sensitivity, good signal-to-noise ratio, accuracy, and to be faster then the serial tomography. The various components of a tomographic system are analyzed as well as the results obtained from PSPICE electronic simulations and the making process of the printed circuit boards for the modules of an ECT system is also shown. / Sistemas de refrigeração por adsorção se constituem numa das alternativas para a complementação, ou mesmo, substituição de sistemas convencionais por compressão de vapor. Este trabalho visa estudar a aplicação de uma nova técnica de Tomografia Capacitiva Elétrica (TCE) na visualização do processo adsortivo que ocorre no leito adsorvedor durante um ciclo de operação de um de refrigerador por adsorção. Para esta finalidade, foi desenvolvido um protótipo do leito adsorvedor em vidro que permite a utilização da TCE Paralela para mapear a distribuição espacial do metanol no carvão ativado no adsorvedor e possibilita sua otimização. Os princípios do fenômeno de adsorção são também abordados, no que se refere ao ciclo de refrigeração por adsorção. É descrito um novo tipo de TCE através do processamento paralelo de sinal e utilizando um circuito transdutor constituído de um diferenciador de alta taxa de subida e grande largura de banda. A este sistema é creditada a imunidade a capacitâncias parasitas, comum aos sistemas usuais de TCE, além de alta sensibilidade, boa relação sinal-ruído, exatidão e por ser mais rápido que a tomografia serial. Os diversos componentes deste sistema tomográfico são analisados, bem como os resultados obtidos através de simulação eletrônica do tipo PSPICE e também o processo de confecção das placas de circuito impresso para os módulos de um sistema TCE

This thesis presents the design and analysis for development of a Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT), a novel sensor and actuator, aimed at replacing the conventional piezoelectric transducers for air-coupled ultrasonic imaging applications. These CMUTs are fabricated using the silicon micromachining technology wherein all fabrication is done on the surface of a silicon wafer by means of thin-film depositions, patterning with photolithography and etching. The main emphasis of this study is on developing analytical models that serve as effective design tools for the development of these devices. A desirable goal of such study is to create reasonable mathematical models, obtain analytical solutions, wherever possible, for various measures of transducer performance and provide design aids. A logical start is the lumped parameter modeling wherein the explicit dependence of the physical parameters on the spatial extent of the device is ignored. The system lumped parameters, such as the equivalent stiffness, the equivalent mass, and the equivalent damping are extracted from reasonable analytical or numerical models and subsequently used in the static and dynamic analysis of the device. Useful predictions are made with regard to the key transducer parameters, such as, the pull-in voltage, the static deflection, the dynamic response and the acoustic field produced. The modeling work presented embodies two main objectives: (i) it serves to provide direction in the design phase, and, (ii) it serves to aid in the extraction of critical parameters which affect the device behavior. Comparison of the results with the more rigorous FEM simulations as well as with those present in the existing literature assure that the developed models are accurate enough to serve as useful design tools. The distributed parameter modeling is presented next. Analysis of MEMS devices which rely on electrostatic actuation is complicated due to the fact that the structural deformations alter the electrostatic forces, which redistribute and modify the applied loads. Hence, it becomes imperative to consider the electro-elastic coupling aspect in the design of these devices. An approximate analytical solution for the static deflection of a thin, clamped circular plate caused by electrostatic forces which are inherently nonlinear, is presented. The model is based on the Kirchhoff-Love assumptions that the plate is thin and the deflections and slopes are small. The classical thin-plate theory is adequate when the ratio of the diameter to thickness of the plate is very large, a situation commonly prevalent in many MEMS devices, especially the CMUTs. This theory is used to determine the static deflection of the CMUT membrane due to a DC bias voltage. The thin-plate electro-elastic equation is solved using the Galerkin weighted residual technique under the assumption that the deflections are small in comparison to the thickness of the plate. The results obtained are compared to those obtained from ANSYS simulations and an excellent agreement is observed between the two. The pull-in voltage predicted by our model is close to the value predicted by ANSYS simulations. A simple analytical formula, which gives fairly accurate results (to within 3% of the value predicted by ANSYS simulations) for determination of the pull-in voltage, is also presented. As stated, this formula accounts for the elastic deflection of the membrane due to the coupled interaction with the electrostatic field. The effect of vacuum sealing the backside cavity of a CMUT is investigated in some detail. The presence or absence of air inside the cavity has a marked effect upon the system parameters, such as the natural frequency and the pull-in voltage. The possibility of using sealed CMUT cavities with air inside at ambient pressure is explored. In order to estimate the transducer loss due to the presence of air in the sealed cavity, the squeeze film forces resulting from the compression of the trapped air film are evaluated. Towards this end, the linearized Reynolds equation is solved in conjunction with the appropriate boundary conditions, taking the flexure of the membrane into account. From this analysis, it is concluded that, for a sealed CMUT cavity, the presence of air does not cause any squeeze film damping even when the flexure of the membrane is taken into account (the case of a rigid plate is already known). Although the emphasis of the study undertaken here is not on the physical realization of a working CMUT, a single cell as well as a linear array based on the design presented here, were fabricated (in a foundry elsewhere) in order to verify some of the most fundamental device parameters from experimental measurements. The fabricated devices have been characterized for their resonant frequency, quality factor, and structural integrity. These tests were conducted using the laser Doppler vibrometer and the Focused Ion Beam milling. Having investigated thoroughly the behavior of a single cell, we proceed to demonstrate how these cells can be arranged optimally in the form of an array to provide a comprehensive ultrasonic imaging system. A thorough analysis of the requirements for the array architecture is undertaken to determine the optimal configuration. The design constraints that need to be taken into account for CMUT arrays, especially for NDE applications, are presented. The main issue of designing an array consisting of a large number of CMUT cells required for producing a pressure wave of sufficient strength which is detectable upon reflection from the desired location even after suffering severe attenuation resulting from propagation in various media is addressed. A scalable annular array architecture of CMUT cells is recommended based on the analysis carried out.

L’imagerie photoacoustique est une nouvelle modalité couplant imagerie optique et échographie. Non invasive, elle permet d’imager des absorbeurs optiques à quelques centimètres de profondeur et avec la résolution de l’échographie. La réception des signaux photoacoustiques se faisant à l’aide d’un échographe clinique, cette modalité hybride vient compléter idéalement l’imagerie ultrasonore en apportant des informations fonctionnelles aux informations structurelles de l’échographie. Ces atouts en font une technique d’imagerie très prometteuse pour la clinique, notamment comme outil de diagnostic précoce. Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif principal la mise en place des outils nécessaires au développement de cette thématique de recherche d’un point de vue expérimental, à des fins cliniques. En particulier, l’apport de l’imagerie photoacoustique pour le diagnostic de plaques d’athérome vulnérables est investigué sur fantômes, grâce à un protocole original. Pour cela un système d’imagerie photoacoustique a été développé et caractérisé à l’aide de fantômes bimodalités élaborés spécifiquement pour les différentes études présentées. Gardant à l’esprit le transfert de cette technique en clinique, un échographe clinique de recherche est utilisé et différentes spécificités du banc nécessaires à l’imagerie in vivo et au diagnostic médical ont été investiguées. Cela implique une amélioration des performances de détection du signal photoacoustique, notamment en termes de sensibilité et de contraste. Pour cela, une nouvelle technologie de sondes ultrasonores est évaluée en la comparant aux sondes actuellement utilisées. De plus, une excitation multispectrale permet l’identification de différents éléments présents dans les tissus. L’aspect temps-réel de l’échographie fait de cette modalité une des plus utilisées pour le diagnostic clinique. Par conséquent, une imagerie photoacoustique voire bimodale en temps réel présente un réel atout pour son transfert clinique. Cette possibilité est investiguée sur le système mis en place au cours de la thèse grâce à un échographe de recherche et une étude sur fantômes. Enfin, une autre contribution de ce travail concerne l’apport de l’imagerie photoacoustique à la caractérisation de la vulnérabilité de la plaque d’athérome. Cette indication de vulnérabilité est obtenue en déterminant la composition de la plaque, en particulier en termes de lipides. L’imagerie photoacoustique, couplée à l’échographie, peut permettre cette identification. Pour étudier cette possibilité, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’artère carotide pour son accessibilité et la place qu’elle occupe dans le diagnostic de la plaque d’athérome en échographie et échographie Doppler. Un protocole original a été élaboré afin d’apporter l’excitation optique au plus près de la carotide. La faisabilité de cette approche est investiguée sur un fantôme conçu spécifiquement pour cette étude et les résultats préliminaires sont présentés. / Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a new imaging modality coupling ultrasound and optical imaging. This non-invasive technique achieves a penetration depth up to several centimeters with optical contrast and ultrasound resolution. Moreover, since PA signals are detected with a US scanner, PA imaging ideally complete US imaging, adding functional information to the structural ones brought by echography. Therefore PA imaging looks very promising, specifically as a clinical early diagnosis tool. The main objective of this thesis is to set up the required tools to develop the experimental investigation for this research topic and, in particular, to apply it to the diagnosis of vulnerable atheroma plaques. A PA imaging system has been set up and characterized using specifically designed bimodal phantoms. Additional studies have been made to evaluate the suitability of this imaging platform for clinical imaging. For example, in vivo imaging requires better signal detection in terms of contrast and sensitivity, achieved thanks to a new probe technology, and the identification of tissue composition using a multispectral optical excitation. Finally, PA and even PAUS real time imaging is a real asset for medical diagnosis that has been investigated. Another contribution of this work is the use of PA imaging to characterized atheroma plaques vulnerability with the detection of lipids inside these plaques. PA imaging, coupled to echography, can address this need. To study this possibility, the carotid artery has been considered and a new protocol has been elaborated to bring the optical excitation very close to this artery. A feasibility study has been realized on a specific phantom and the preliminary results are presented.

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse contribuent au développement du contrôle non destructif des conduits de précontrainte extérieure dans les ouvrages d'art. Une sonde capacitive a été développée pour ausculter ces conduits. L'objectif est d'en améliorer le diagnostic.Dans un premier temps, une cellule de mesure en transmission coaxiale a été développée pour caractériser les matériaux présents dans le conduit sur la bande de fréquence 50 MHz - 1 GHz. Le ciment, les produits de la ségrégation du ciment et la cire d'injection ont été étudiés.La deuxième partie du travail exploite ces résultats dans une modélisation directe du problème global. Une étude paramétrique nous a permis de proposer une méthode d'estimation de l'épaisseur de vide à l'intérieur du conduit à partir des signaux délivrés par la sonde, qui a pu être validée sur une maquette de conduit. A partir de ces résultats sont proposées plusieurs améliorations du dispositif visant à l'obtention de signaux plus riches issus des capteurs, afin de pouvoir estimer un plus grand nombre de paramètres. / The work presented in this report contributes to the development of Non Destructive Evaluation of the external post-tensioned ducts in bridges. A capacitive probe has been developed for bridge monitoring applications. The aim of this work is to improve its diagnostic.In a first step, a coaxial transmission line was developed to characterize the materials involved in the duct over the frequency range 50 MHz - 1 GHz. The cement grout, segregation products of the cement grout and the injection wax were studied.In the second part of this work the previous results are used in the modelling of the devices. A parametrical study has shown the ability to get from the signals an estimate of the thickness of the void in the duct. This estimation method has been validated using a laboratory duct. Further, several improvements of the probes are proposed to get signals containing more information in order to get a better estimation of the target parameters.