In Swissmodics, an EU-founded Clean Sky project coordinated by CSEM, engineers will develop a thin (<1mm thick) broad-wavelength-spectrum image sensor that can be incorporated directly into an aircraft's composite structure in order to detect damage. This new technology could drastically shorten inspection times and reduce the inconvenience caused to both airlines and passengers, especially when planes must be grounded at the last minute for unplanned maintenance inspections. The new device will be designed to detect a broad spectrum of wavelengths: visible, X-ray and infrared. The sensor will include an electronic chip on which different types of sensitive layers have been deposited, each one capable of detecting a different wavelength.
