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ÉCOLE NATIONALE SUPÉRIEURE DES SCIENCES APPLIQUÉES ET DE TECHNOLOGIE

Foton Institute

The institute Foton ("Fonctions Optiques pour les Technologies de l'informatiON" or Optical functions for Information Technologies) is the laboratory where ENSSAT's teacher/researchers specialised in the field of photonics do their research. It is a Research Unit managed by the CNRS (National Scientific Research Centre) and the Rennes University (Univ. Rennes), where teams of researchers from ENSSAT work alongside researchers from the IUT (University Institute of Technology) in Lannion, University of Rennes 1 and Rennes INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences) in Rennes. Closely associated with lasers and fibre optics applications, the studies undertaken are linked to the advances for Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies. The studies are conducted through partnerships with companies. Among them, some are based at the Anticipa Technology hub and at the cluster 'Photonics Bretagne' (Brittany Photonics).

Foton's topics of interest range from new materials used in the field of integrated fibre optics and/or photonic components to laser physics, complex optical functions and optoelectronic sensors, covering a wide field of telecommunications optical layer "from the atom to telecommunications systems," as well as skills in related areas of the Photonics Key-Enabling-Technology as defense, life sciences, industry, energy.

Foton is made up of three platforms and three teams:

  • in Lannion
    -> 'SP' (Photonics Systems; 60 people)
  • and in Rennes
    -> 'OHM' (Optoelectronics, Heteroepitaxy and Materials; 45 people)
    -> 'DOP' (laser Dynamics, micrOwave photonics, Polarimetry, terahertz, imaging; 25 people).
With 130 people, it is a major French academic laboratory in the field of photonics applied to Information Sciences.