Fraunhofer ISIT establishes an external office at the University of Kiel

Dr. Steffen Chemnitz, Head of the new external office of Fraunhofer ISIT in Kiel, with a component for microsystems in the Kiel Nanolabor (Photo/Copyright: Steffen Chemnitz)

Tiltable silicon micro-mirrors for applications in image projection, distance measurement, and material processing are an important research area of the ISIT branch at the Faculty of Engineering at CAU. (Photo/Copyright: Fraunhofer ISIT)

Together strong in research and teaching: CAU Vice President Karin Schwarz and Bernhard Wagner, Deputy Head of the Fraunhofer ISIT, are pleased about the closer cooperation between the institutions. In the background, the cleanroom of the Kiel Nanolab is visible, which is used for the research of new materials. (Photo/Copyright: Denis Schimmelpfennig/CAU)

Thomas von Wantoch, research associate at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Kiel, projects an image onto the wall using a laser and micro-mirror. The system could be used in medical technology and the automotive industry in the future. (Photo/Copyright: Denis Schimmelpfennig/CAU)

Thomas von Wantoch (left), research associate at CAU, and Christian Mallas, research associate at Fraunhofer ISIT, develop microsystems for medicine, environment, and automobiles. (Photo/Copyright: Denis Schimmelpfennig/CAU)

The Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (CAU) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) in Itzehoe are expanding their collaboration in research and teaching: In a new external branch of ISIT at the Faculty of Engineering, scientists from both institutions will jointly research miniaturized silicon systems in the future. These are intended for use in automobiles, mechanical engineering, entertainment, and medical technology. The closer cooperation also benefits students: joint research results are to be directly incorporated into improved teaching offerings as well as into new practical and research-based events.

"Fundamental research and application-oriented research complement each other perfectly with this new level of collaboration between the University of Kiel and Fraunhofer ISIT," says CAU Vice President Professor Karin Schwarz. After the instruments of science funding from federal and state sources, such as the Excellence Initiative, expire in a few years, collaborations between different research institutions are a means to remain internationally competitive.

Since its founding in 1993, Fraunhofer ISIT has been cooperating with CAU. "For Fraunhofer ISIT, the Kiel Nanolab at CAU is an excellent addition to its production-oriented research laboratories in Itzehoe, as the institute can also address fundamental scientific questions there," explains Professor Bernhard Wagner, highlighting the advantages of shared infrastructure. The deputy head of Fraunhofer ISIT, like the director Professor Wolfgang Benecke, is also a chairholder at the University of Kiel.

Eight scientists, including four doctoral candidates, are primarily involved at the new Kiel location of the Fraunhofer Institute at the Faculty of Engineering in the Gaarden district, focusing on developing new transducer principles for sensors and actuators for microsystems based on piezoelectric materials. Piezo ceramics have the property of deforming quickly when an electric voltage is applied. This deformation can be used as an actuator, for example, for small, tiltable micro-mirrors. Such micro-mirrors are the core of miniaturized laser projectors and distance measurement systems in automobiles. The researchers are developing high-performance electrodes for controlling the piezo materials and working on concepts for regulating piezoelectrically driven microsystems.

In addition, the scientists are researching novel materials to generate electrical energy from sources such as ambient temperature or air currents. Components for environmental analysis and special coating techniques for micro-optics are also on the agenda of the external branch. To manage the research program, investments have also been made in several modern devices, which are simultaneously available to the CAU Nanosystem Technology Competence Center.

Students of electrical engineering and materials science at the University of Kiel can look forward to several new offerings accompanying the establishment of the Fraunhofer external branch. Seminars on process technology, lithography, microsystem technology, and semiconductor technology, as well as an application-oriented internship in electrical engineering and optics, are designed to prepare students for jobs in industry and science. "Not only is the research and business location Kiel strengthened through the closer cooperation between CAU and Fraunhofer ISIT, but the entire Schleswig-Holstein region," says CAU Vice President Schwarz with confidence.