Design, fabrication and optimisation of immersive automotive Head Up Displays based on metasurface holographic projection.

In the framework of the recently obtained EU project “VIVE” the optics department of the IMT Atlantique in
Brest, France currently has a vacancy open for a fully funded PhD in the field of photonics/optics. The aim
of this PhD will be to design, fabricate and optimise diffractive micro- and nano-structures to overcome the
system size / field of view limitations of current automotive Head Up Displays (HUDs). The VIVE project will
investigate a disruptive approach based on Computer Generated Holograms (CGH) and MEMs scanned
lasers to project patterns across the entire dashboard and windscreen. To do this the PhD student will learn
to use, contribute to and leverage both commercial and in-house diffractive structure and metasurface
modelling and design software (Zemax, Lumerical, LightTrans, PlanOpSim, C and python code) and apply
them to design and optimise the CGHs and other photonic structures. To fabricate the CGHs and photonic
structures, the student will also learn to use the IMT Atlantique micro- and nano-fabrication facilities in the
ARAGO platform cleanrooms: parallel-direct write photolithography and innovative multi-photon 3D nano-
fabrication photoplotters developed in the recent Phenomenon and ongoing FABulous EU projects.

The selected candidate’s roles will include:

• develop digital models to design/optimise novel metasurfaces for the image projecting structures.
• fabricate by multi-photon polymerisation, the resulting nanostructures to validate/iterate the models
• design and fabricate (direct-write photolithography) the CGHs
• design, build and test the holographic projection modules in collaboration with the other VIVE partners (design and end users)
• contribute to improving the IMT Atlantique photoplotters by providing user feedback
• participate in regular VIVE project meetings and contribute to report writing
• disseminate the scientific results (patents, conferences, publications, …).

The candidate should have a strong theoretical and practical background in photonics and will be expected
to contribute his/her own innovative ideas to develop new metasurfaces and optimise fabrication processes.
The work will be performed in the IMT Atlantique laboratory in a team with optics department researchers
(Profs, PhD students …) but also in close relationship with the industrial and academic partners of Optics
Laboratory, particularly those of the VIVE project and ongoing EU FABulous (https://fabulous3d.eu) and
ANR Nanoshape projects (Heidelberg Instruments, Fraunhofer, PlanOptSim, Thales, Ficosa, AIMEN …)

The IMT Atlantique is a French Grande Ecole or Graduate Engineering School.

The PhD is proposed by the Optics Department which teaches and performs research in the fields of Optical Communications, “Soft matter” engineering ... Liquid Crystals++, Visual perception and Ophthalmological applications, Flexible electronics and environmental sensors and Diffractive Optics and their applications.

More details at: https://www.imt-atlantique.fr/en/about/departments/optics

• Masters or engineering student and with a solid grounding in and practical experience of photonics
• Experience of digital modelling (Matlab, Python, C …) of photonic/physical processes
• Practical experience of characterisation techniques: optical/electronic microscopy, spectroscopy...
• Cleanroom and photolithography experience would be an advantage
• Taste and aptitude for laboratory experimentation (fabrication) and practical applications.
• Ability to work and write scientific reports and articles in English. French is not required initially.