NEw Mems Electric field Sensor for lIghtning Surveillance – NEMESIS

In order to improve short-term lightning forecasting systems and storm early warning systems, the project work is on the one hand the development of a new concept of miniature electrostatic field sensor, for which a patent was recently filed, and on the other hand the development of data fusion algorithms to detect, locate and predict storm cells. The development of a network of these sensors and the experimental validation during an observation campaign and the development of an early warning system are also part of the project.

The development of the new miniature electrostatic field sensor exploiting the piezoelectric properties of a quartz micro resonator, breaking with the existing sensors, requires work allowing a better analysis of the physical phenomena at the reduced scale of the sensor with a view to its optimization. , and innovations in terms of collective manufacturing processes in a clean room to improve its precision and miniaturization, in particular the etching of fine quartz wafers by DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching), and 3D assembly at the micro scale resonator.

Many studies have already demonstrated the interest of using electrostatic field measurements provided by a field mill to detect and prevent the arrival of a storm cell in a given perimeter around the sensor. The deployment of these new sensors, which can be used in large numbers and in the form of a dense network, and their experimental validation during an observation campaign planned during the project, will make it possible to define new warning systems and therefore to storm risk forecasts.

The applications concerned are dual and relate to forecasting the risk of storms in civil and military installations to secure sensitive areas in the context of strategic mission planning. In addition, the development of a miniature electrostatic field sensor will pave the way for numerous applications in the aeronautical and space fields, such as airborne measurement for estimating storm risk, assessing the risk of lightning strikes from drones, analysis of electrostatic charge and discharge phenomena on the surface of satellites, in the case of missiles: the detection of formation of electric discharges in flight and on impact, for helicopters: the risk of electrocution during helicopter operations , or for aircraft: detection of icing conditions/volcanic dust/sand.

The project partners have complementary skills in the fields of micro-sensors (ONERA's sensors and microtechnologies team), atmospheric physics modeling and storm forecasting (lightning, plasma and air applications team). 'ONERA), and the management and operation of networks of sensors intended for the observation of storms (METEORAGE).