Press Releases

• New hub will provide state-of-the-art metrology systems to accelerate semiconductor research and enhance development projects with chipmakers and ecosystem partners across Europe, particularly in ICAPS* market segments • Collaboration to accelerate learning, develop novel methods and prove new metrology equipment, methods, algorithms and software

The vehicles of the future will be automated and networked to drive autonomously in road traffic and to relieve the driver. This requires new vehicle architectures and high-performance components. The Fraunhofer IPMS is working on various research projects to create the necessary conditions.

Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS uses optical microsystems to enable fast and high-resolution light control. By using small, movable mirrors, the institute's photonic systems can modulate light to create unique images and structures. The institute's researchers are implementing 1-axis- and 2-axis tilting mirrors as well as piston mirrors. The mirrors are monolithically integrated on so-called CMOS backplanes.

The potential of micro scanners in medical technology is immense. Their small size, low weight and high energy efficiency make them ideal for mobile use. More than 200 different micro scanner designs have been developed at Fraunhofer IPMS to meet customer-specific requirements. The range of services covers the entire value chain, from design and prototype development to pilot production in its own clean room on 8” wafer. Fraunhofer IPMS is continuously expanding the application range of scanner mirror technology with novel and patented design solutions and technology modules as well as the integration of artificial intelligence.

In-ear headphones, which are inserted wirelessly into the ear canal, could replace smartphones in the future. A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS and Bosch Sensortec GmbH laid the foundation for this with a novel technology for the integrated micro loudspeakers — and received the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize for it.

Developing pioneering technology solutions and bringing them into application - that is the goal of Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS. At this year's SENSOR+TEST trade fair in Nuremberg, the institute will present its latest developments in optical, chemical and ultrasonic sensor technology.

The Technical University of Dresden and Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS have reached concrete agreements on scientific cooperation with several universities in Taipei and Hsinchu in Taiwan in the presence of Saxony's Science Minister Sebastian Gemkow.

Despite in scientific research in multiple technologies, European industry faces challenges in translating quantum technology innovation into robust and scalable hardware processes and products. Project Qu-Pilot will change this by leveraging the existing piloting infrastructure predominantly distributed across the European research and technology organizations (RTOs). The end goal is to accelerate the time-to-market of European industrial innovation in quantum technology and help establishing a trusted supply chain. Fraunhofer IPMS contributes its expertise in state-of-the-art, industry-compatible CMOS semiconductor fabrication in 300 mm wafer standard.

Data security is one of the most important issues in today's digital age. Increasing system attacks and cybercrime make it necessary to secure data in new ways. For this purpose, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS developed the MACsec Controller IP-Core, which implements the latest Ethernet security standards. It provides authentication, integrity and encryption of data between different nodes of a Local Area Network (LAN).

Modern quantum technology opens up many new areas of application. But it also harbors risks. Due to their enormous computing power, quantum computers, could undermine even the most modern data encryption methods. To forestall this scenario, several partners led by KEEQuant GmbH are developing a new approach to secure optical data transmission in wireless networks using light and quantum keys. The "QuINSiDa" project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF with a sum of 2 million euros.

The security of digital identities is threatened by future quantum technologies. In the hands of attackers, quantum computers will be able to break classical encryption methods. To fend off such attacks, four partners launched the Quant-ID project. In this project, they are researching the development of novel methods and systems that guarantee cryptographic security in the long term based on quantum random numbers and post-quantum cryptography. Highly critical areas, such as government institutions, banks or insurance companies, will thus receive the necessary protection. The BMBF-funded project started in September 2022 and will run for three years.

Digitalization, automation and efficiency are the buzzwords of the industry of the future. To this end, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS develops customer-specific sensors, actuators and optical components. These represent the key technologies for IoT and numerous future applications with artificial intelligence.

We want modern technology to become smaller and more energy-efficient without losing quality. Technical innovation is needed to achieve this. For several years, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS has been researching a novel energy-efficient actuator system for micro loudspeakers. The prototype now presented has surpassed expectations: High volume and excellent sound quality meet high energy efficiency in practical tests. The results were now presented in the Nature Journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

In order to consolidate and expand the existing microelectronic research and development in Germany regarding quantum and neuromorphic computing, the FMD launched on December 1, 2022, a joint project together with four other Fraunhofer institutes, the Jülich Forschungszentrum and AMO GmbH: The Research Fab Microelectronics Germany — Module Quantum and Neuromorphic Computing (FMD-QNC). The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the equipment and structural setup required for the project.

Photonics focuses on the use of light with all its possibilities. From light control to laser technologies and data transmission, photonics is used in many fields such as medicine, industry, astronomy, microscopy or traffic safety. One of the leading research institutes in this field is the Dresden Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS. After two years of corona-related absence, it is now presenting some of its latest developments in the field of area light modulators at the International Laser and Photonics Fair in Japan.

Innovative electronics require state-of-the-art technologies and manufacturing processes. For many medium-sized companies, this is an investment that is almost impossible to bear. But thanks to the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS and its two clean rooms, the latest research results and technologies on 200 and 300 mm wafers are also accessible to smaller companies. The offer ranges from consulting to process development and pilot series production.

In everyday life, digital helpers - such as smart apps or cars that think for themselves - are already firmly integrated. Currently, however, the processing of data is mostly done on large, external servers. Embedded artificial intelligence (edge AI) is set to change this and enable the processing of data and algorithms directly on the end device. However, the performance of edge AI, especially in very small devices, is currently still very limited. The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is therefore researching innovative solutions to integrate machine learning algorithms into everyday devices. The institute will be demonstrating its latest research results at the electronica trade fair in Munich from November 15 to 18.München

Humans cause too much waste not only on Earth. Space debris is also becoming an ever greater problem. To make satellite systems more sustainable, they should be created in a modular system in the future so that individual components can be replaced, thus extending the service life of the satellites. To ensure a problem-free interface between the components, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS has developed a transceiver that guarantees data transfer between the components. This was integrated into the iBOSS GmbH interface and has been on board the ISS (International Space Station) for testing purposes since February 2022.

Fraunhofer will develop an innovative microchip platform for efficient cell-free and digitally controllable biosynthesis within the project “BIOSYNTH- Modular High-throughput Micro-Platform for Future Mass Data Storage from Synthetic Biology”. The project is funded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in an internal program. The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS together with three further Fraunhofer Institutes will work on the fundamentals for the mass data storage devices of the future with extremely high storage density.

At the leading trade fair for industrial automation "all about automation", Fraunhofer IPMS will present the latest developments in industrial and production control on September 28 and 29 in Chemnitz. For example, the micromechanical systems developed by the research institute support the ongoing miniaturization of components and devices, which is essential for any fast-growing technical industry.

Aiming to contribute to the reduction of the digital technologies' footprint via research and development, the Fraunhofer and Leibniz institutes cooperating within the framework of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD for its acronym in German) are jointly establishing a cross-location competence center for resource-conscious information and communication technology (Green ICT @ FMD). The project, launched on August 1, 2022, is receiving 34 million euros in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the Green ICT initiative. The latter is in turn part of the German government's Climate Action Programme 2030.

A consortium of Fraunhofer institutes and well-known German industrial companies is developing a split-manufacturing approach for semiconductor production in the project "Distributed Manufacturing for Novel and Trustworthy Electronics T4T". This will enable the secure assembly of subsystems in Germany and safeguard supply chains.

Highly sensitive electronic components are the drivers of our digitalized world. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) open up new possibilities for miniaturization in wide-ranging application areas. With its state-of-the-art 200 mm clean room, Fraunhofer IPMS offers the complete value chain for MEMS as well as optical components MOEMS (Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems). The range of services extends from consulting on feasibility through initial demonstration at wafer level to pilot fabrication with manufacturing capacities of more than 1100 waferstarts per month.

The many innovations resulting from the applied research of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft have so far mainly benefited industrial companies. In the future, Fraunhofer IPMS intends to make its research increasingly available to cultural institutions and thus to the public community. Accordingly, a pilot project was launched with the German Oceanographic Museum. In the future, visitors to the OZEANEUM Stralsund will be able to feed virtual penguins contactless thanks to a Fraunhofer IPMS development.

Modern vehicles have a large number of electronic systems that are networked with each other. Since these systems are at risk from cyber attacks, Fraunhofer IPMS developed a CANsec IP core that makes vehicle systems more secure. The IP core is already being evaluated in a demonstration by partner Renesas Electronics Corporation, a leading semiconductor company that delivers embedded processors together with analog and power products. At the Embedded World trade show from June 21-23, both Fraunhofer IPMS and Renesas will present the CAN-SEC IP-Core for the first time.

Anyone who has ever ruined a cake knows that the correct identification of visually similar substances such as sugar and salt has great significance in food preparation. However, complex compositional analyses can also provide information about the quality, ripeness or freshness of products. Therefore, Fraunhofer IPMS is researching and developing the smallest energy-efficient scanner systems, which enable non-contact and mobile freshness testing on site.

The Fraunhofer IPMS-developed EMSA5-FS processor core for functional safety based on the open-source RISC-V instruction set architecture is supported by another important debug tool. With the integration into the toolsets of the leading manufacturer of microprocessor development tools Lauterbach, numerous debug functions are now available for the 32-bit RISC-V core.

A flagship of semiconductor research with international reach is emerging in Dresden. Fraunhofer IPMS and Fraunhofer IZM-ASSID are bundling their competences and establishing the Center for Advanced CMOS & Heterointegration Saxony. The center will offer the complete value chain in 300 mm microelectronics, a prerequisite for high-tech research for future technologies.

At the Fraunhofer Center for Microelectronic and Optical Systems for Biomedicine (MEOS) in Erfurt, the MEOS Innovation Center for Precision Analysis of Cell Therapy Products, or MIC-PreCell for short, is being established until summer 2023. Funded with 750,000 euros from the Free State of Thuringia, this center will then support the development of new analysis methods for quality assurance and process control for the manufacturing of cell-based therapeutic products.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS is one of the leading research institutions for the development and testing of electronic, mechanical and optical components and devices and their integration into intelligent systems. The Fraunhofer IPMS will again be present at the SENSOR+TEST 2022 trade fair in Nuremberg. The institute will showcase some of its latest research and developments, such as a new technology for measuring gas mixtures based on micromechanical ultrasonic elements (MUT) or an innovative electrochemical analytical chip for the smallest analytical quantities.