Press Releases

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.