Optomechanical sensors combine MEMS* technology with silicon photonics. This combination enables performance levels far beyond those of conventional sensors.
“It is similar to the way optical fiber revolutionized data transmission," explains Marc Sansa, Optomechanics Project Manager at CEA-Leti. “Here, the principle is to use light to create sensors that are significantly more sensitive and faster."
Optomechanical sensing is particularly well suited to applications such as portable biosensors, ultra-sensitive mass spectrometers, atomic force microscopes, and highly accurate silicon reference clocks.
Design and Test Your Own Optomechanical Sensor
This breakthrough technology, still emerging today, is now accessible through LUMIK, developed by CEA-Leti.
“We have been working on optomechanical sensors for the past eight years, resulting in more than twenty patents in this field," says Marc Sansa. “Our technology enables the integration of both the MEMS sensor and silicon photonics directly on the same chip. For the first time, we are making it available to our current and future partners, from both academia and industry."
Partners can now prototype their own optomechanical sensors through LUMIK by submitting a request via the CIME-P website, CEA-Leti's commercial partner.
“In this way, LUMIK allows academic and industrial users to practically evaluate both the technology and their specific solutions," adds Marc Sansa. “If the results are promising, partners can go further and benefit from CEA-Leti's support across the entire value chain, from design to the manufacturing of a complete, functional product."
A Multi-Project Wafer Offer to Reduce Costs
This new service provides cost-effective prototyping through a Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) approach. The manufactured wafer is divided into multiple sections, each dedicated to a partner's project, allowing production costs to be shared among participants.
Once fabrication is complete, the wafer is diced and each partner receives only its own chips, with no access to the designs of other participants.
Organizations interested in joining the first fabrication run have until November 20, 2026, to submit their sensor designs.
Applications will be reviewed by CEA-Leti, which continues to advance the technology through two major development areas: biosensors and atomic force microscopes, in collaboration with CEA and CNRS.
*MEMS : microelectromechanical systems