News
A glimpse of our Open Days
The 2024 ALPhANOV Open Days, held in conjunction with la fête de la science from October 10 to 12, were once again part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT initiative. These days offered a unique opportunity for 346 attendees, encompassing teachers, parents, and students to explore the fascinating world of photonics.
THE CIRCUIT
Visitors had the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops that showcased the roles carried out within ALPhANOV by our teams and actively engage in the experience. The circuit comprised 8 workshops, as detailed below :
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Workshop #1: Laser Alignment through Virtual Reality At the PYLA training center, visitors were immersed in a virtual reality photonics laboratory where they learned how to align a laser on an optical table in complete safety. They stepped into the shoes of a laser engineer, preparing their laser or machining station. |
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Workshop #2: Exploring Optical Fiber Properties Using the engaging example of laser transport through a stream of water, the presenter elucidated the properties of optical fiber for light transmission. The latest-generation complex fibers exhibit even more remarkable attributes, essential for laser design. |
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Workshop #3: Open an Integrated Circuit without damaging it ALPhANOV offers a range of high-performance laser stations for assessing the security level of integrated circuits. The aim is to prevent physical hacking and reverse engineering. In this workshop, visitors were able to discover decapsulation, the first step in the evaluation process, which consists of opening the package to access the heart of the circuit (the sicilium chip), which contains sensitive informations (e.g. a password). |
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Workshop #4: Unveiling the Effects of a Fiber Laser Visitors delved into the intricacies of fiber laser manufacturing at ALPhANOV, highlighting various components associated with Bragg Gratings. The workshop leader demonstrated the effects generated by a fiber laser. |
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Workshop #5: Micromachining for Hydrophobic Surfaces Laser surface texturing empowers the creation of effects and the bestowal of new properties on diverse materials, depending of the desired function. Following the presentation of a laser machining station, participants witnessed the texturing of a hydrophobic surface. |
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Workshop #6: Laser Machining with Robotic Precision Leveraging a 6-axis robot, a fiber laser enables the 3D cutting of metal components with remarkable reproducibility. After an introduction of the machining station and its capabilities, visitors observed laser cutting. |
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Workshop #7: Optical Systems to improve Component Safety Integrated circuits are everywhere in our daily lives. To make them safer and more reliable, laser technology can be used as a control tool. This workshop provided an opportunity to observe an electronic component in infrared light, and to discover the effects of lasers during operation. |
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Workshop #8: Laser Beam Alignment The BTS Photonic System program offers the opportunity to become a photonics technician within two years of completing the baccalaureate. This training spans several technical domains related to photonics. During this workshop led by BTS students, visitors safely aligned a laser beam and deepened their understanding of light. |
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THE TRAINING VILLAGE
This event benefitted from the participation of local traning programs :
- Bac Pro Optics Photonics, Lycée Kastler
- BTS Photonic Systems, Lycée Kastler
- BUT Physical Measurements, IUT of Bordeaux
- LCM Professional License, University of Bordeaux
- License and Master's degree in Physics-Chemistry, University of Bordeaux
- Engineering cycle, IOGS
There were all grouped around a training village, so that visitors could benefit from the widest possible range of photonics training course.
We are already gearing up for our forthcoming Open Days edition, while continuing to advance with great enthusiasm in our Photonics TALENT project, dedicated to promoting the photonics field in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. A number of initiatives have already been launched in support of this project, including the first Photonics TALENT Summer School.
