An Inside Look at the Moonshot Program

In this video clip, Jean-Baptiste David, who is a R&D Engineer at CEA-Leti, and Serge Gambarelli, who is a research director at CEA-IRIG and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy expert, talk about CEA’s Moonshot program and how deployable EPR spectrometers are being deployed in this program.^1,2

What is CEA-Leti’s Moonshot Program?

CEA’s Moonshot Program aims to develop a compact, deployable spectrometer platform capable of operating outside traditional laboratory environments.^2,3 The initiative focuses on enabling high-performance electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in portable formats, supporting applications across healthcare diagnostics, materials characterization, and environmental monitoring.³ By allowing on-site detection of reactive species, the technology could improve industrial process control, enable embedded monitoring in energy storage systems, and support distributed environmental sensing networks.^2,3

“Our goal is to create a compact, portable EPR spectrometer that operates on just a few watts of power, enabling on-site analysis in environments where conventional instruments simply cannot operate," said Serge Gambarelli, research director at CEA-IRIG and EPR spectroscopy expert, in a press release.²

What is the next step in advancing CEA-Leti’s Moonshot Program?

A key next step involves integrating planar magnet technology being explored by CEA-Liten, which is expected to further reduce system size while increasing flexibility for diverse applications.

“Typically applied in electric mobility and energy transition sectors, this expertise is now being leveraged to design the magnetic system for the µ-EPR spectrometer, demonstrating a valuable transfer of knowledge into the field of instrumentation," said Celine Delafosse, laboratory manager at CEA-Liten, which is leading this research area, in a press release.²

This effort reflects broader European investment in advanced microelectronics tailored for scientific instrumentation.³ Overall, the program demonstrates the feasibility of miniaturizing sophisticated spectrometry systems using state-of-the-art semiconductor technologies, positioning portable EPR as a practical tool for real-world analytical challenges.³

The above interview segment is the fourth part of a five-part interview with the CEA-Leti team. Part 1 explored how miniaturized EPR spectrometers are changing how laboratory analysis is conducted. Part 2 focused on the performance of the EPR-on-a-chip spectrometer that was developed. Part 3 covered signal detection in EPR spectroscopy.

References

1. IEEE International Solid-States Circuit Conference, 2026 IEEE International Solid-States Circuit Conference. ISSCC.org. Available at: https://www.isscc.org/ (accessed 2026-04-06).
2. CEA-Leti, CEA-Leti Validates First Ultra-Fast, Battery-Operated EPR Spectrometer at Chip Scale. CEA-Leti. Available at: https://www.leti-cea.com/cea-tech/leti/english/Pages/What's-On/Press%20release/CEA-Leti-Validates-First-Ultra-Fast-Battery-Operated-EPR-Spectrometer-at-Chip-Scale.aspx (accessed 2026-04-06).
3. Wetzel, W. CEA-Leti Demonstrates Battery-Operated EPR Spectrometer on 22-nm Chip, Enabling Portable Paramagnetic Sensing. Spectroscopy. Available at: https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/cea-leti-demonstrates-battery-operated-epr-spectrometer-on-22-nm-chip-enabling-portable-paramagnetic-sensing (accessed 2026-04-15).