Laboratory for Applications of the Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors – LAMAPS

The LabCom LAMAPS project is the outcome of more than 5 years' collaboration between the C4PI (Centre de Compétences des Capteur CMOS à Pixels Intégrés) of the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC) and the company Weeroc. The LabCOM aims to develop innovative solutions in the field of monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS) for applications in the scientific instrumentation, environmental safety and medical diagnostics sectors.
Weeroc has developed a family of programmable photodetector readout circuits capable of adapting to the application and the type of the detector, as well as their evaluation systems. I provides also integration of its circuits into the customer's application and offers complete system development. The company is active in a number of cutting-edge fields such as the space industry, with its needs in the development of radiation-resistant mixed microelectronic circuits, medical imaging, nuclear decommissioning, homeland security and scientific instrumentation, with their requirements for reading photodetectors.
The IPHC's C4PI platform has been accredited by IN2P3 in 2019 and by the University of Strasbourg in 2022. For 20 years, it has specialised in the R&D of MAPS sensors for the detection of charged particles in international subatomic physics experiments. C4PI has 22 engineers with expertise that cover all aspects of sensor design, simulation, verification, production and characterisation of MAPS sensors. C4PI also integrates the sensors into detection modules for installation in the final instrumental devices. Close collaboration between the physicists responsible for the scientific applications and the C4Pi engineers guarantees the success of the projects, which was recognised in 2024 by the granting of the “Cristal collectif” by the CNRS and the technological expertise award by the University of Strasbourg.
In the context of LAMAPS, the strategy is to take the technologies developed by C4PI out of the strict domain of subatomic physics research. Projects launched in this direction will benefit from Weeroc's know-how in building measurement chains around its readout circuits and its ability to supply specific turnkey solutions, in order to raise their level of technological maturity or TRL. For its part, the IPHC will contribute its knowledge of MAPS sensors, which are characterised by their sensitivity to a wide variety of charged or neutral radiation (X-rays), their ability to detect over a wide range of intensities and, lastly, their ability to detect single events (event-based sensors).
Three areas of development have been defined, the first two of which are short- and medium-term, with concrete, clearly identified objectives.
- To develop innovative solutions based on existing C4PI MAPS aimed at proton spectroscopy for existing or developing acceleration techniques and the space domain.
- Develop and validate the ability of MAPS to replace existing systems because they are more efficient, more robust or cheaper to produce. Applications include environmental safety and medical diagnostics.
- The third area is more open-ended, with the aim of evaluating and developing MAPS using the technologies emerging at C4PI. These will find their place in the instruments to be developed by the LabCom.
LAMAPS is also intended as a response to a need identified by Weeroc's private and public sector partners for products that are mastered by a national industry.