News : MINATEC

To optimize the magnetic coupling in memory-type spintronic systems, the ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) parts must be very close to each other. Surprisingly, researchers at Spintec achieved a jump in performance by doing the opposite when they separated the FM and AFM parts with a diffusion barrier. Their unexpected results can be explained by […] >>

Researchers at Leti have developed a simulator to validate the position and size of the holes used to remove, via etching, the sacrificial material used to temporarily support structures during the fabrication of MEMS and NEMS—and release the systems’ moving parts. The holes substantially shorten a critical phase in the process of releasing moving parts, […] >>

Researchers from Leti, Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne, and Gemalto recently produced a smartcard pushbutton on a flexible material (PET) using inkjet printing. The technique differs from screen printing in that it does not require the use of masks. The researchers presented their results at the 2013 IEEE Holm Conference, where Daniele Sette, Ph.D. […] >>

Toxicology studies often look at the effects of exposure to high doses of pollutants. However, are the effects underestimated for smaller doses? INAC recently examined how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—present in emissions from motor vehicles and heating systems—damage DNA. The researchers observed the formation of covalent adducts, which modify gene sequences and participate in the […] >>

Researchers from INAC and the Warsaw University of Technology have synthesized a polymer that spins when immersed in a solution. The material, made from a polyaniline-derived polymer, is stable at ambient temperature. The spin remains moderate (S=2), but marks a first for a linear polymer. And, given the polymer’s current tangled-chain structure, there’s ample room […] >>