Advanced Technologies for High value imagiNg Applications

Project Information

ATHENA

Grant agreement ID: 101139941

DOI

10.3030/101139941

EC signature date 17 May 2024

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 31 August 2027

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 38 917 104,63

EU contribution

€ 12 008 241,73

Coordinated by

COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ATHENA (Advanced Technologies for High value imagiNg Applications)

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2025-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

New strategic and growing markets related to connectivity, mobility, automotive, health and earth monitoring call for improved imaging solutions in visible, LWIR and VLWIR offering advanced functionalities and cost effectiveness. Visible imagers market is currently largely dominated by non-European countries. LWIR µbolometers imagers, fabricated above-IC, have not yet been democratized for high volume markets due to the difficulty to solve performance versus cost equation. However, Asian providers are making important progress to tackle this challenge.
ATHENA aims at strengthening European economy in high-tech imaging technologies:
- by taking advantage of 3D stacking technologies, improved sensor-processing integration, multimodal 2D/3D functionalities,
- by preparing more advanced µbolometer manufacturing for productivity gain and improved functionalities, developing cost effective LWIR wafer level optic solutions,
- by using new process methods for future VLWIR imager manufacturability.
This will foster new applications related to wildfire detection and monitoring, innovative biomedical analysis, drone detection for secured civil airspace, enhanced border management, enhanced vision for emergency & safety services, consumer market application, automotive in-cabin monitoring, non-destructive inspection on aerospace structure, earth & climate monitoring.
ATHENA gathers a strong European consortium composed of highly renowned Research Technological Organizations, big industrial players in imaging technologies and end-users to specify, design, develop, test these technologies in use cases and set common specifications for the imagers to support their industrialization and widespread adoption.
In line with both the European Union's Chips Act and the Electronics, Components and Systems Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda, ATHENA will not only address the development of new sensors and chips, but also their integration in larger systems to pave the way to promising applications. ATHENA will strongly contribute to Europe leadership, industrial competitiveness and sovereignty.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

On the core technologies side (Visible, LWIR and VLWIR imaging), first demonstrations of different technological bricks and prototypes have been achieved.
Definitions and specifications of all use cases have been carried out.
For each use case, the activities performed are as followed (and only the lead beneficiary is mentioned):
- For the wildfire monitoring, definition is finished, and SENSIA has started the prototype realization.
- For the health applications, architecture of the second generation of ADMIR scanner is currently under development.
- For security and border management, a lidar drone detection design has been achieved by UPC. Design and first HW have been carried out by ISD, while a solution has been tested in laboratory with regard to the border control use case by IPS. YOUBIQUO showed the feasibility of integrating a LWIR sensor into AR-glasses and drone-based payload, with promising AI-based vision performance.
- For the consumer market, ZEISS is well in progress for a first HW prototype, and enhanced resolution algorithm has been implemented.
- For in-cabin monitoring, Magna realized a live PC demo, and vehicle is ready for in-cabin data collection.
- For Non-Destructive Inspection, TUSAS made samples to be analyzed, and initial analysis confirmed the limited detectability of defects.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Results are still limited being at Reporting Period 1. Nevertheless, new knowledge is being generated which will allow for improved competitiveness, innovation capacity and their integration.

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