Bridging Light and Matter
The ICB, a Joint Research Unit CNRS / UBE / UTBM, comprises 300 physicists, chemists, engineers, and technicians based in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, on the sites of Dijon, Le Creusot, Chalon-sur-Saône, and Belfort (Sévenans).
They develop new functionalities in optics and materials for the technologies of the future, aimed at applications in industry (photonics, metallurgy, Industry 4.0, etc.), medicine, high-speed optical communications, information processing at the nanometric scale, energy, and quantum technologies.
Supported by five technological platforms, the unit is structured around six research departments:
– CO2M (Design, Optimization, and Mechanical Engineering),
– ICQ (Quantum Interactions and Control),
– Interfaces,
– Nanosciences,
– Photonics,
– PMDM (Metallurgical Processes, Sustainability, Materials).
Partnerships with Industry and Society
The ICB teams collaborate with companies on applied research projects, contributing to local economic development. The laboratory is a co-founder of the EIPHI Graduate School and a key player in the EquipEx+ SMARTLIGHT (intelligent photonics) and CALHIPSO (metallic alloys) initiatives, as well as in European projects in quantum technologies. It leads projects supported by the European Union and the ANR (French National Research Agency) and co-directs the exploratory PEPR DIADEME on next-generation materials. The laboratory is also involved in health engineering through the EquipEx IMAPPI (medical imaging) program.
Excellence in Scientific Research
The laboratory’s interdisciplinary research forms a continuum from fundamental science to applications. Its specialized activities include optical and electron microscopy, optical fibers, lasers, nanofabrication, quantum nanophotonics, nanomedicine, surface and interface analysis, reactivity studies, and the characterization and development of materials (processes, fuel cells, powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing, sintering, cements, sensors, and non-destructive testing). These activities are supported by five high-performance technological platforms that underpin the laboratory’s reputation for excellence. This multidisciplinary expertise is made available to research projects and serves regional, national, and international industry and research clusters.
History
The laboratory was initially established in 2007 through the merger of two laboratories and a host team (Laboratory of Physics of the University of Bourgogne Europe, Laboratory for Research on the Reactivity of Solids, Laser and Materials Processing team). In 2017, two groups from two UTBM laboratories (Laboratory for the Study and Research on Materials, Processes and Surfaces, and Mechatronics, Methods, Models and Professions) joined the ICB.
