The NIRVANA project aims to develop advanced 9-axis inertial micro-sensors (3D gyroscopes, 3D accelerometers and 3D magnetometers) based on silicon nano-wires for consumer and medical applications. The project implies innovative sensor design, disruptive technology (mixing MEMS and NEMS) and new electronics architectures.
The main objective of the NIRVANA project is to propose an innovative sensor concept and related technology, based on the use of nano-scale detection means embedded in micro-scale devices. This concept will allow a high degree of miniaturization and the full integration of a low cost 9-axis motion sensor. The main outcomes of the projects will be a '9-axis' sensor targeted for consumer and automotive applications and a '3-axis' gyroscope for medical applications, which will satisfy the requirements for vestibular implantation to cure chronic imbalance. The use of silicon nano-wires as sensing elements for MEMS requires an innovative technology, combining NEMS and MEMS. The M&NEMS process developed at Cea-LETI labs will enable the integration on the same chip of a thick MEMS layer used for the inertial mass, and thin and narrow NEMS elements as suspended strain gauges. Based on this process, it will be possible to fabricate highly-integrated, low-power and low-cost sensors. This fabrication technology also includes packaging with TSV (Through-Silicon Vias), which will allow the production of 3D packages and 3D integrated circuits. European industry will benefit of this project, becoming even more competitive in the international market, thanks to the development of new competences and new technologies and the introduction of new applications in different fields, from automotive to biomedical. Thanks to an appropriate design of these devices, it will also be possible to cure balance pathologies, which affect about 4.5 million people worldwide.