Directory

Senior Lecturer

Functions :

• 2021- : Senior Lecturer (IMN, Nantes University)
• 2019-2021: R&D Engineer ARMOR/CNRS IMS Pessac
• 2017-2019: Postdoctoral researcher, SPECIFIC IKC, Swansea University, Wales, UK
• 2014-2017: Postdoctoral researcher, KAUST, Saudi Arabia

Qualifications :

• 2013 PhD of the Université de Toulouse. Title: “Fabrication and characterization of silicon nanocrystals encapsulated in amorphous silicon matrices: role of interfaces and matrix on structural, optical and electrical properties”.
• 2009 INSA Rennes Engineer – Materials and Nanotechnologies

Expertises :

• Thin films deposition using plasma techniques (Reactive sputtering, DC, RF)
• High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS)
• Functional oxide and nitride thin films

Main research themes:

• Plasma deposition for functional materials and energy applications (reactive sputtering)
• Nitride and oxide thin film electrodes for microsupercapacitors and high-power microbatteries
• Reactive magnetron sputtering, high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS)
• Thin films for solar cells (interfacial selective layers)
• Thin film and surface characterizations (electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy…)

Current research projects :

• Bourse doctorale Nantes Université: Perovskite oxide thin films as electrodes for high power microbatteries.
• ANR JCJC PERFORM: Plasma-Processed 3D Electrodes for Microsupercapacitors
• CHIPS: Combinatorial HiPIMS for Sovereignty (CEA – IMN project)
• ASTERIX: Advanced surface technologies for resilient and innovative materials in extreme environments (PEPR DIADEM project, CEA-LPGP-IMN-SIMaP collaboration)

Activities in the research community :

• Member of IRN (Franco-Quebec) NMC
• Cold Plasma Network

Biography

English:

Jérémy Barbé is a researcher at the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (IMN), in the Plasma and Thin Films group (PCM), and a teacher in the Materials department at Polytech Nantes (Nantes University). A specialist in functional materials for energy, his research focuses on thin films deposition by plasma methods such as sputtering and HiPIMS, with applications in electrochemical energy storage microdevices, and thin-film solar cells.

After graduating in materials and nanotechnology engineering from INSA Rennes (2009), he obtained a PhD from Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse III) in 2013, with a thesis on the fabrication by PECVD of silicon nanocrystals in thin-film silica matrices, carried out at CEA LITEN and CNRS LAPLACE. He then moved on to various post-doctorates focusing on sol-gel deposition techniques for thin-film solar cells (CIGS, perovskites and organics). These stopovers took him under the burning sun of Saudi Arabia in KAUST (2014-2016), then under the Welsh clouds in Swansea (2017-2019), before joining the ARMOR group and CNRS IMS in Pessac.

In 2021, he joined IMN as a lecturer where he works on the development of innovative thin-film materials used as electrodes for electrochemical energy storage devices. His research focuses in particular on oxides, nitrides and oxynitrides obtained by reactive sputtering (HiPIMS, DCMS…).

Active in the scientific community, he is a member of IRN NMC and the Cold Plasma Network. His work is regularly published and cited in the field of energy materials.

French :

Jérémy Barbé is a lecturer at the Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel (IMN) in Nantes, in the Plasma and Thin Films group (PCM), and a teacher in the Materials department at Polytech Nantes. A specialist in functional materials for energy, his research focuses on plasma deposits, electrodes for microsupercapacitors, and thin-film solar cells, particularly organic and perovskite.

A graduate in materials and nanotechnology engineering from INSA Rennes (2009), in 2013 he obtained a PhD from Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse III), with a thesis on the PECVD fabrication of silicon nanocrystals in thin-film silicate matrices, carried out at CEA LITEN and CNRS LAPLACE. He then moved on to various post-doctorates focusing on sol-gel deposition techniques for thin-film solar cells (CIGS, perovskites and organics). These stopovers took him under the burning sun of Saudi Arabia in KAUST (2014-2016), then under the Welsh clouds in Swansea (2017-2019), before joining the ARMOR group, linked to the CNRS IMS in Pessac.

In 2021, he joined IMN as a lecturer where he works on the manufacture of innovative thin-film materials used as electrodes for electrochemical energy storage devices. His research focuses in particular on oxides, nitrides and oxynitrides obtained by reactive sputtering (HiPIMS, DCMS…).

Active in the scientific community, he is a member of the IRN NMC and the Cold Plasma Network. His work is regularly published and cited in the field of materials for energy.

Teaching :

• Teaching in Polytech Nantes (semiconductors, thin films, sensors, material characterizations)

Publications :

• 35 articles in peer-reviewed journals

Major publications:

• A Lebreton, J Barbé, C Lethien, JN Coleman, T Brousse, Tuning Deposition Conditions for VN Thin Films Electrodes for Microsupercapacitors: Influence of the Substrate Bias Voltage, Journal of The Electrochemical Society 171 (9), 090513, (2024)
• J Barbé, M Newman, S Lilliu, V Kumar, H Ka Hin Lee, C Charbonneau, C Rodenburg, D Lidzey, WC Tsoi, Localized effect of PbI2 excess in perovskite solar cells probed by high-resolution chemical-optoelectronic mapping, Journal of Materials Chemistry A 6 (45), 23010-23018 (2018)
• A Lebreton, C Lethien, JN Coleman, T Brousse, J Barbé, Tuning Deposition Conditions for VN Thin Films Electrodes for Microsupercapacitors: Influence of the Substrate Bias Voltage, Journal of The Electrochemical Society 172 (4), 040523 (2025)
• J Barbé, ML Tietze, M Neophytou, B Murali, E Alarousu, AE Labban, et al, Amorphous tin oxide as a low-temperature-processed electron-transport layer for organic and hybrid perovskite solar cells, ACS applied materials & interfaces 9 (13), 11828-11836 (2017)

Link to orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3366-4567

Link to scholar.google.fr: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=oBvrlzgAAAAJ&hl=fr

University Professor

Functions :

Lecturer (P.U. section 63, Nantes University, Physics Department)

Qualifications:

Doctor-HDR

Expertises:

Synthesis and characterization of thin films for optoelectronic applications

Main research themes:

Photovoltaic conversion using chalcopyrite-structured chalcogenide thin films

Current research projects :

• ANR: GASPER, SIPHON
• Europe: SITA (RIA), PARACELSIS (M-Era Net)
• ADEME: PRINCIPLE
• PEPR: H2-GreeNH3, TASE-IOTA, SPLEEN-POWERCO2

Activities in the research community

• Steering committee: GDR Chalco, PEPR-TASE project targeting IOTA
• Board member of the FedPV research federation

Biography

Nicolas Barreau holds a PhD in materials science from the University of Nantes (2001), and was awarded a “habilitation à diriger des recherches” in 2010. Following his PhD, he completed a post-doctoral contract (2002-2003) at the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Berlin. In 2005, he was appointed Maître de Conférences, section CNU63, at Nantes University, where he carried out his research in the Photovoltaic Materials Laboratory (LAMP, Dir. John Kessler). In 2008, he joined the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (IMN, UMR6502). His research activities focus on photovoltaic conversion based on thin films of chalcogenide materials (eg. Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2) for applications ranging from tandem cells to photoelectro-catalytic conversion. He has (co-)authored over 200 papers (including proceedings) and seven patents.

Teaching :

General physics, photovoltaics

Publications :

Number of publications: 173

• Léo Choubrac, Fabien Pineau, Eugène Bertin, Ludovic Arzel and Nicolas Barreau. Rethinking CIGS solar cells for rear illumination applications. (2025) J. Phys. Energy 7 02LT01. DOI 10.1088/2515-7655/ad9acf
• Nicolas Barreau, Eugène Bertin, Alexandre Crossay, Olivier Durand, Ludovic Arzel, Sylvie Harel, Thomas Lepetit, Lionel Assmann, Eric Gautron, Daniel Lincot. Investigation of co-evaporated polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)S2 thin film yielding 16.0% efficiency solar cell. (2022) EPJ Photovoltaics, Volume 13, 27. DOI: 10.1051/epjpv/2022014
• N. Barreau, O. Durand, E. Bertin, A. Létoublon, C. Cornet, P. Tsoulka, E. Gautron, D. Lincot. Epitaxial growth of CIGSe layers on GaP/Si (001) pseudo-substrate for tandem CIGSe/Si solar cells. (2021) Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 2021, 233, 111385. DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111385.
• Pati, P.B., Wang, R., Boutin, E., Diring, S., Jobic, S., Barreau, N., Odobel, F., Robert, M.. Photocathode functionalized with a molecular cobalt catalyst for selective carbon dioxide reduction in water (2020) Nature Communications, 11 (1), art. no. 3499. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17125-4

Number of patents : 7

Link to orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8423-153X

Link to scholar.google.fr: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vr2jHQoAAAAJ&hl=fr

Senior Lecturer

Function:

Senior Lecturer

Expertise:

Optical and vibrational spectroscopy

Teaching:

Head of CUPGE Physics PSR – Enhanced Scientific Course

Link to orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8976-8371

Functions :

Junior researcher (post-doc), Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (since January 2025)

Qualifications :

• PhD in Dense Media and Materials, Université Clermont Auvergne (2020-2024)
• Master in Fundamental Physics and Applications, specializing in Matter and Radiation, Université d’Orléans (2018-2020)

Expertises :

• Thin-film PVD processing
• Semiconductor surface treatment: N2 plasma nitriding
• Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) of materials
• Advanced characterization techniques (ARXPS, RBS, FTIR, UV-Vis, AFM ellipsometry, SEM, XRD)

Current research projects :

Development of an ALE process for the selective etching of β-Ga₂O₃

Biography:

Junior researcher in materials physics and chemistry, at the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes Jean Rouxel (IMN). Her current research focuses on the development of atomic etching processes (ALE) for materials such as β-Ga₂O. His work focuses in particular on the study of plasma-surface interactions and advanced post-etching characterization (XPS, AFM, SEM, DRX…).

Teaching :

Université Clermont Auvergne – 135h vacation assignment (2021-2023)

Publications :

1 scientific publication

ARXPS intensity modeling of SiNx ultrathin layer grown on Si (100) and Si (111) substrates by N₂ plasma treatment, Thin Solid Films, 798 (2024) 140388
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2024.140388

Link to publi HAL: https://hal.science/search/index?q=Hiba+Beji

LinkedIn link:www.linkedin.com/in/hiba-beji-095971194

CNRS Research Fellow

Senior Lecturer

Functions :

Senior Lecturer, Vice-Dean for Bachelor’s Degrees, UFR Sciences et Techniques

Qualifications :

Doctor, HDR

Expertise:

Life physics, biophysics

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8508-2962

Senior Lecturer

CNRS Research Director

Functions :

• CNRS Research Director in section 08 (former section)
• Oct. 2019 – Assistant to the Scientific Director (ADSR), Limousin-Poitou and La Rochelle sites
• Oct. 1988 Recruited as CR2 CNRS Ecole Centrale de Lyon

Qualifications :

• 2008 Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches – University of Nantes (January 20, 2008): “Thin Film Materials by Plasma Processes”.
• 1989 Doctorate Montpellier University – Materials Science (April 13, 1989)
• 1985 ENSCM Engineer (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier) (June 1985) – Materials Chemistry option and DEA in Materials Science
• 1983 Master’s degree in Chemistry – Nantes University

Expertises :

• Plasma-assisted thin-film materials (PEPVD, PECVD),
• Process-material correlations,
• Dielectric materials, binary, ternary and quaternary oxides, chalcogenides, nitrides, oxynitrides,
• Interfaces, Devices for Microelectronics, Energy, Photocatalysis,
• Structural and physico-chemical characterization (XPS, AFM)

Main research themes:

When I joined the CNRS (1988), my project was to optimize the SiO2/InP interface, so I developed (1988-1996) the Passivation of III-V materials: surface treatments, oxidation and nitridation by plasma, then deposition of dielectrics (SiO2 and SiNx) by cold plasma PECVD-ECR processes (1988-2000). In parallel (2000-2003), I set up an ICP etching reactor to etch element III nitrides (III-N) using chlorine chemistry.

AlN for thermal management: initiated in 2005 with M.A. Djouadi (IMN) as part of a CIFRE thesis with Thales III-V Lab (S. Delage, C. Brylinski), the aim was to produce thin layers of AlN, a good thermal conductor for microwave power transistors, GaN-based piezoelectric HEMTs (GaN HEMTs), to ensure thermal management and primary passivation (diffusion barrier and evacuation of heat generated during operation). In the course of two theses (C. Duquenne-2008 (CIFRE Thales); B. Abdallah-2009 (Syrian government)), AlN deposition and thermal properties were optimized. In collaboration with CRHEA (Sophia Antipolis), AlN epitaxy on AlGaN and AlN has been demonstrated (MBE-CRHEA substrates). (2005-2012)

Complex oxides by Magnetron spraying. This theme was initiated before my arrival by P.Y. Tessier and L. Brohan during M-W CHU’s PhD thesis (2002). As soon as I moved to Nantes (2003-2008), I set up a dedicated reactor (2003) and pursued the project until 2008. The results obtained confirmed the relevance of magnetron sputtering for the deposition of ternary and quaternary materials, particularly compared with laser ablation (PLD), which limits deposition surfaces to cm2. This formed the basis for subsequent studies on other materials, within the framework of two application- and industry-oriented theses (Emeline Souchier (BDI CNRS-ST Microelectronics, 2006-2010): study of the deposition of GaV4S8 material in collaboration with PCM/PMN and Fatiha Challali, (2007-2010) (CIFRE MHS Thesis): study of the deposition of high dielectric constant (BST, TiTaO) and high resistance (TiON) oxides. These studies were the first to focus on Mott insulators. (2003-2011)

Mott insulators are materials with exceptional properties, and their thin-film production has opened the way to numerous applications. A new type of electronics, called “Mottronics”, enables the production of integrated Mott memories in the form of thin films for information storage (IPCEI project), or the manufacture of energy-saving neural networks and synapses for artificial intelligence (Mott-IA regional project). (2005-2025)

Materials for energy is a new focus for the PCM (Plasma Couches Minces) team in collaboration with ST2E (Stockage et Transformation Electrochimique de l’Energie) in the field of energy micro-storage. In particular, the aim is to bring the versatility of plasma-assisted processes to the development of materials for micro-supercapacitors and micro-batteries. (2021 -2027)

Current research projects

• 2023-2027 ANR NACELL: IMN Scientific Resp., Post-doc 12 months, € 118 K
• 2023-2027 European IPCEI contract with ST-Microelectronics (PMN sponsor)
• 2022-2027 Mott-IA regional project (€2.5 M) Porteut L. Cario (PMN)
• 2024-2028 ANR ADN, Porteur C. Villeneuve (LAPLACE)

Activities in the research community :

• 2024-2025 Co-leader of “Materials” WG, 2nd Microelectronics Survey for DRE CNRS
• 2018-2019 Co-leader of the “Materials” WG, Microelectronics Initiative for INSIS-CNRS
• 2016-2023 Member appointed to the CNRS National Committee, section 08: 2016-2021 and 2021-June 2023
• 2016-2022 Director of GDR 3660 OXYFUN, Board member (January 2014-July 2016)
• 2015-2019 CNRS representative on the INSA Centre Val de Loire Board of Directors
• 2005- 2013 Board member of C’Nano Nord-Ouest, correspondent for the Pays de la Loire region
• 2005- 2013 IMN Valorisation Correspondent at DR17-CNRS
• 2016-2025 Member of 23 Selection Committees (COS)
• 2008-2025 Participation in 100 thesis (86) and HDR (14) juries, including 60 reports

Expertise :

• 2017 – 2024 : Member of HCERES Evaluation Committees : LPICM (Palaiseau) ; XLIM (Limoges) ;
• GREMAN (Tours); CRHEA, Nice; UDSMM (UCLO), GEMaC (UVSQ), GeePs (Paris Saclay)
• 2018 – 2025: ANR projects for CES 08, CES 09, CE24, ANR ASTRID, CE05 (13 Projects)
• 2015 – 2017: Pre-project evaluation (78 projects) and ANR CEP member (CES 09) Challenge 3 (30 projects)
• 2009 -2014: Member of the ANR P3N then P2N Evaluation Committee: 2009, 2010, 2011,
• ANR Blanc SIMI 4 Evaluation Committee (2013), 2 AERES committees (section 08 CNRS, 2014)
• 2010 – 2014, 2018: Mid-term reviews of ANR projects (30 projects) and Expertise on 18 ANR projects
• Other expertise: DFG Elan (Germany); Fonds Collège-Industrie Québec (Canada); 2015: Nano IDF and IDEX project for Université Strasbourg; 2016: INSA Lyon BQR project; 2019 : Univ. Lyon and Marseille; 2018-2019 : CEFIPRA projects (France-India collaboration);

Biography:

In all my activities, I’m concerned with teamwork, interdisciplinarity and a certain taste for risk. Materials physical chemist and CNRS Research Director at the Jean Rouxel Nantes Institute of Materials (IMN): after a master’s degree in chemistry in Nantes, an engineering diploma from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (ENSCM) and a doctorate in Materials Science in Montpellier, I joined the CNRS in 1988 at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in the LPCI then LEAME (now LEOM, then INL) laboratory. In charge of a PECVD-ECR deposition reactor, I developed passivation processes for III-V semiconductors and thin-film deposition of dielectric materials for microelectronics. I moved to Nantes in 2003, and in 2008 obtained a “Habilitation à diriger des recherches” (“From functional material to device”), and developed reactive magnetron sputtering deposition processes for numerous new materials to produce devices for several fields (Microelectronics, Energy, Photocatalysis). For over 20 years, within the Mott insulator development group, and more broadly within the PCM team, I have been contributing my experience in the field of thin-film materials. The work of the Mottronics group (PMN/PCM) on Mott insulators with exceptional properties was rewarded by the Félix Robin 2023 prize, awarded by the French Physical Society to the group of five permanent staff involved during the JMC 2024 in Marseille.

Teaching :

• 2008-2018: Co-leader of the “Thin Films: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications” module (20h), Master NanoSciences Nord-Ouest, with M. Guilloux-Viry (ISCR Rennes).
• 2018-2023: Lecture (2h30/year) in Master 1, ITI MPP, IUT de Nantes
• 2023, 2024: Intervention ”New materials and applications” Summer School, Beijing Institut of Technology (BIT) Physics Department, Beijing, China (~30h of classes).
• 2025: lectures in Beijing and Zuhai (new university in southern China) (2 x 25 h of lectures)

• Distinction

2023: Félix Robin prize from the French Physical Society

Publications :

May 2025: 94 publications, 5 patents (including 2012, 2014), over 140 oral presentations (52 as speaker); 15 invited lectures (speaker) at international conferences, over 250 conference presentations.

Major illustrative publications:

Michael Rodriguez-Fano, Mohamad Haydoura, Julien Tranchant*, Etienne Janod, Benoît Corraze, Pierre-Yves Jouan, Laurent Cario and Marie-Paule Besland*, Enhancing the resistive memory window through band gap tuning in the solid solution (Cr1-xVx)2O3, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15, 54611-54621 (2023).

M. Mitronika, C. Villeneuve-Faure*, F. Massol, L. Boudou, W. Ravisy, M.P. Besland, A. Goullet, M. Richard-Plouet, TiO2-SiO2 mixed oxide deposited by low pressure PECVD: insights on optical and nanoscale electrical properties, Applied Surface Sciences, 541 (2021) 148510.

F. Challali*, D. Mendil, T. Touam, T. Chauveau, … M.-P. Besland; Effect of RF sputtering power and vacuum annealing on the properties of AZO thin films prepared from ceramic target in confocal configuration, Mat. Sci. Semicond. Proc. 118, 105217, 2020.

E. Janod*, J. Tranchant, B. Corraze, M. Querré, P. Stoliar, M. Rozenberg, T. Cren, D. Roditchev, V. Ta Phuoc, M. P. Besland and L. Cario; Resistive switching in Mott insulators and correlated systems (Invited Review) Advanced Functional Materials, 25 (40) SI, 6287-6305 (2015)
(DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201500823)

Han Jun-Feng*, Liao Cheng, Cha Limei, Jiang Tao, Xie Hua-Mu, Zhao Kui, M.-P. Besland*, TEM and XPS studies of CdS/CIGS interfaces, Journal of Physics & Chemistry of Solids 75 (2014) 1279-1283.

J. Tranchant*, A. Pellaroque, E. Janod, B. Angleraud, B. Corraze, L. Cario, M.-P. Besland*, Deposition of GaV4S8 thin films by H2S/Ar reactive sputtering for RRAM applications, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics 47 (6), 065309 (2014).

A. Rouahi*, A. Kahouli, F. Challali, M.-P. Besland, C. Vallée, B. Yangui, S. Salimy, A. Goullet, A Sylvestre*, Impedance and electrical modulus study of amorphous TiTaO thin films: Highlight of the interphase effect, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46 065308 (2013) (doi:10.1088/0022-3727/46/6/065308)

C. Duquenne, M. P. Besland*, P.Y. Tessier, E. Gautron, D. Averty, Y. Scudeller, Thermal Conductivity of Aluminum Nitride Thin Films prepared by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 45, 015301 (2012).

E. Al Alam, I. Cortes, M.-P. Besland*, A. Goullet, L. Lajaunie, P. Regreny (INL), Y. Cordier, J. Brault (CRHEA), A. Cazarre, K. Isoird, G. Sarrabayrousse, F. Morancho (LAAS), Effect of surface preparation and interfacial layer on the quality of SiO2/GaN interfaces; J. Appl. Phys., 109, 084511 (2011).

M. Lapeyrade, M.P. Besland*, C. Meva’a, A. Sibai (LPM-INSA-Lyon), G. Hollinger (LEOM-ECL), Silicon nitride thin films deposited by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma, J. Vac. Sci. Technol A 17(2), 433-444 (1999).

M.P. Besland*, S. Jourba, M. Lambrinos, P. Louis, P. Viktorovitch, G. Hollinger (LEAME-ECL), Optimized SiO2/InP structures prepared by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma, J. Appl. Phys. 80, 3100, (1996).

G. Hollinger*, D. Gallet, M. Gendry (LEAME-ECL), M.P. Besland, J. Joseph (LPCI), Evidence for a new passivating indium rich phosphate prepared by ultraviolet/ozone oxidation of InP, Appl. Phys. Lett. 59, 1617, (1991).

M.P. Besland*, C. Guizard, N. Hovnanian, A. Larbot, L. Cot (LPCM-ENSCM-Montpellier), J. Sanz, I. Sobrados, M. Gregorkiewitz, (CSIC-Institute of Materials-Madrid), Silicon and carbon liquid and solid MAS NMR spectroscopies study of the polycondensation of Heteropolysiloxanes, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 113, 1982-1987, (1991)

Brevets

5 unexploited (1990, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014); Two unsuccessful invention declarations (2008, 2010)

Link to publi HAL: https://cnrs.hal.science/search/index/?q=authFullName_t%3Abesland&rows=30&sort=publicationDate_tdate+desc

Link to orcid :ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2680-2402

Link to scholar.google.fr: https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=Ne_tI1wAAAAJ&hl=fr

LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-paule-besland-20b880108/