Clean room

View of the clean room

The clean room is divided in three spaces : the integration room, the LISA room, the Virgo room. In all these rooms, dust rate, temperature and hygrometry are controlled following the ISO 14644 norm. The air cleanness is of ISO8 level. A badge system manages the access clearance and users must first put adapted protection clothes (gloves, bouffant hats, lab coats, over shoes) before entering the room.

Integration and test cleanroom

The integration and test cleanroom is a working space of 50m2.

Main equipment

  • A thermal vacuum vessel  for qualifications of devices or instruments at  temperatures between -60oC and + 120OC and at pressure down to 10-7mbar.
  • A central acquisition system for temperature, voltage and mechanical stress measurement.
  • A Millipore Ultra-Pure Water distribution system
  • A fume hood for components cleaning
  • A 3D mechanical measuring machine
  • A probe station for electronic components and detectors tests

This cleanroom hosted the assembly and integration of the XGRE detector for TARANIS, tests of silicium detectors and preparation of SQUIDs for QUBIC.

 

LISA cleanroom

The LISA cleanroom hosts experimental test-benches dedicated for Time delay interferometry measurements on optical signals, studies on active compensation of optical path-length in the framework of the LISAPathfinder and LISA projects. Another test-bench is mounted for R&D on a seismometer, based on gravitational wave detection technique. The 1GHz REFIMEVE+ signal for high precision time measurement is also available in this room.

Main equipment

  • A MENLOSYSTEMS comb frequency generator: a laser emits at frequency values separated by a 250MHz interval on a large spectral band (from 1 to 2µm). Each mode or frequency is phase-locked, producing a pulsed emission with a repetition of 250MHz and duration of a few femtoseconds. When stabilized with an external reference, such a device is a high-performance frequency reference for wavelengths between 1 and 2µm. The frequency comb links radiofrequencies with optical frequencies: for instance, when stabilized at 1.5µm, the output signal is converted at 1GHz or 10MHz to be used as reference for other electronic devices.
  • A NKT Photonics fiber laser, model Koheras Basik E15 ( = 1.5µm), with active wavelength control and wide-range thermal wavelength tuning.
  • A INNOLIGHT Mephisto 500 Nd-YAG laser ( = 1064nm, P=500mW)
  • A INNOLIGHT Mephisto 1000 Nd-YAG laser ( = 1064nm, P= 1000mW)
  • 3 optical tables: 2 of size 1.5x1.8m2, 1 of size 1.5x1.5m2
  • A parallepipedic 120x120x40cm3 vacuum vessel including an optical plate for tests down to a pressure of 0.1mbar. Vacuum is produced by a primary pum and a root pump.
  • Optical components: a frequency doubling crystal, lenses, mirrors, Acousto-Optic Modulators (AOM), Electro-Optic Modulators (EOM), motors for optical tuning…
  • A AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES 34980A multi-function switch/measure unit
  • A AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES 34970A data acquisition switch unit
  • Two STANFORD RESEARCH SYSTEMS SR830 DSP lock-in amplifiers
  • A TEKTRONIX AFG3102 oscilloscope
  • A AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES DSO1024A oscilloscope

Virgo cleanroom

The Virgo cleanroom is dedicated to optical measurements and tests for gravitational wave detectors (Advanced Virgo experiment), R&D activities for new generation instruments (Laguerre-Gauss modes) and possible applications for geosciences (early earthquakes detection). The technique rely on laser interferometry and metrology.

 

Main equipment

  • Two INNOLAG YAG lasers, model Mephisto 500mW
  • A He-Ne laser
  • Two optical tables
  • A Fullvac 300x500mm2 cylindrical vacuum vessel
  • A ISOWAVE accordable Faraday insulator
  • A DSO1024A oscilloscope
  • Two new Focus 4004 Electro Optic Modulator
  • A PHASICS front-wave analyzer
  • A GENTEC XLP12-1S-H2 power detector
  • A Beamage Focus II beam profiler
  • Six DMK41AUC02 cameras
  • Opto-mechanics and optical components
  • Software: Zemax
Contact persons:
L. Grandsire
D. Pailot