TechBlog of Fraunhofer ISIT

Producing functional samples or prototypes of miniaturized electro-optical systems can be a major challenge, especially for small companies. The implementation of innovative ideas is often accompanied by the need for suitable machines with which the new manufacturing steps can be realized. The acquisition of such special equipment for experimental purposes represents a financial risk. An addition to the process capacities of Fraunhofer ISIT's Assembly and Joining Technology (AVT) helps to mitigate this risk.

Ionic impurities can lead to electrochemical migration (ECM) in the presence of potential differences under the influence of moisture and thus ultimately to failure of the electronics. In particular, the application of higher voltages in the field of power electronics and increasingly also in the automotive sector places high demands on system quality and reliability. In order to provide another building block for reliability assessment, surface resistance measurements are performed at ISIT using a SIR PCB with 10 standard combs. Up to 80 channels can be measured in parallel as standard.

The proportion of women in research and development has increased sharply in recent years, especially at universities. In 2021, according to Statista, a share of over 50% of female research staff has been recorded in these institutions. What has already started at universities and colleges will hopefully soon reach other areas of the economy. Science still has a stronger attraction for men than for women. On the occasion of the »International Day of Women & Girls in Science«, Maria Claus, Deputy Head of Fab and team leader of sections lithography, bonding and metrology at Fraunhofer ISIT, answered our questions and encourages young girls and women who are interested in a career in science and research.

Batteries have an immense importance for our daily life and the number of possible and more and more specific applications is constantly growing. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are the most advanced battery systems today. They are used for a very wide range of applications, from cell phones to electric cars.

Sounds a little like something from days gone by, but in the age of artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and quantum computers, it is still the first step when it comes to realizing an initial idea, writing a piece of paper and something when building or implementing an application-oriented demonstrator. This sketch is the basis for the further design process. Based on this idea, a 3D model is used to give the whole thing precise contours, fix the dimensions, introduce further innovative aspects and, last but not least, to make the basic structure visualizable and imaginable for the development team. Already at this stage, errors can be detected early on and naturally avoided.

While chlorine and ultraviolet light are the standard means of disinfecting water, ozone is equally effective in killing germs. To date, ozone has only been used as an oxidation agent for treating water in large plants. Now, however, a project consortium from Schleswig-Holstein is developing a miniaturized ozone generator for use in smaller applications such as water dispensers or small domestic appliances. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT has provided the sensor chip and electrode substrates for the electrolysis cell.

Since 1994 Fraunhofer ISIT is one of the leading institutes in Europe for applied research in MEMS development and processing. Products like MEMS mirrors, loudspeakers, bio sensors and microfluidics have been manufactured in the ISIT cleanroom fab (2500 m², 8” / 200 mm silicon and crystalline quartz / amorphous glass wafers). Moreover, transistors and batteries for power electronics applications are being developed in our own facilities. Both MEMs and power electronics have been successfully transferred into prototypes and products.

With the goal of creating technological conditions for increasing the efficiency of power transistors for power conversion, e-mobility and communication applications, the innovative material AlScN was successfully validated for its use in NMOS-transistors.

Excellent accuracy laser projection for high quality optical sensing and measurement tasks . Fraunhofer ISIT has developed 1D and 2D quasistatic scanning mirrors with piezoelectric AlN and AlScN based actuation.

Due to cost pressure and for reasons of climate technology, packaging technology is faced with the task of making manufacturing processes more cost-effective as well as more energy-saving and thus more climate-friendly. One answer to this challenge is the development and use of low-temperature solders, which can already be used in many areas such as the production of white goods (household appliances), consumer electronics, lighting with LED technology and many other applications. Due to the low ambient and operating temperatures of these electronic assemblies and systems, a low melting point solder alloy is suitable for manufacturing.