New possibilities with new lithography system

Miniaturization is the essence of technological progress: the smaller the technical product, the greater its field of application or potential uses. While it is very helpful when, for example, optical measuring instruments such as spectrometers react ever more sensitively and thus e.g. provide more precise data for climate research, but it is only their suitable size that makes them a useful tool in extraterrestrial earth observation, for example. The same can be said to the already emerging market of quantum technologies.

Both are research fields of our institute - together with the Fraunhofer IOF.

In order to make the marketable breakthrough into application, it is necessary, as mentioned above, to produce appropriately small apertures that bring the complex laboratory setups into manageable formats. One manufacturing process for this is "electron beam lithography", which is capable of writing tiny structures on the order of half a thousandth of a millimeter onto so-called carrier material.

The Thuringian Ministry of Economics and Science is supporting the acquisition of such a new lithography facility at Fraunhofer IOF with twelve million euros, which will provide the basis for joint research projects of the Leistungszentrum Photonik.

"Our new facility will substantially expand the possibilities in the field of micro- and nanostructure generation and enable us to advance into completely new areas of structuring precision, resolution, speed and component size," explains apl.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Zeitner, not only the head of the Microstructure Technology Group at the IAP but also responsible for investments and infrastructure at the Fraunhofer IOF.

The facility is scheduled to go into operation in 2023.