Press Releases

Today, the mutual optimization of design and technology provide key advantage in the highly competitive semiconductor market. Traditionally, when developing integrated circuits (IC), their design and technology were considered and developed separately. Looking to the future, this is no longer appropriate. Experienced IC designers need a deeper understanding of the interactions between design and technology options to ensure maximum product optimization. For the 18th time, the "International Conference on IC Design and Technology (ICICDT)" provides a forum for engineers, researchers, graduate students and professors to cross the boundary between design and technology.

The (computational) performance of quantum computers relies heavily on their core hardware element: the qubit. Several approaches to realize qubits exist, yet they still lack stable scalable fabrication value chains to become industrially viable technologies. Project MATQu aims to expand the European expertise in materials and processes and enables the European industry to further develop solid-state-based quantum computers. The two Fraunhofer institutes IPMS and IAF are contributing expertise in 300 mm manufacturing and low-temperature measurement technology.

With its latest release of development tools for RISC-V processors, Swedish software manufacturer IAR Systems offers support for the ISO 26262 ASIL-D ready certified RISC-V processor core "EMSA5-FS" of the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS. Users of the toolchain software will thus benefit from simplified certification processes for functional safety, lower costs over the entire product lifecycle and maximum performance in RISC-V-based applications. The new EMSA5-FS processor core from Fraunhofer IPMS is marketed by partner CAST Inc.

The Internet of Things and especially the Internet of Voice require energy-efficient and high-quality audio devices. In-ear headphones are a particular challenge in this regard. These battery-powered miniature devices are expected to cover an ever-increasing range of functions. An innovative loudspeaker technology developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS represents an important development push due to its small size and high energy efficiency. New research results enabling order-reduced modeling have now been presented in the Nature Journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS and semiconductor intellectual property provider CAST, Inc. announced the immediate availability of EMSA5-FS, a fault-tolerant embedded RISC-V processor IP core designed to meet the most stringent functional safety requirements of automotive, air-borne, and other safety-critical applications.

In the recently launched joint project "T-KOS" of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD), terahertz technology is now to be developed synergistically for industry in the fields of communication and sensor technology for the first time. Innovative system solutions in both areas can make a significant contribution to the successful implementation of future issues such as digitalization, Industry 4.0 or resource efficiency and thus strengthen Germany as a business location in the long term. In the project, Fraunhofer IPMS is working on high-frequency front-end solutions from 60 - 500 GHz as well as an energy-efficient AI accelerator based on in-memory computing.

As digitization continues, connected devices are making their way into more and more areas of everyday life. However, these are often vulnerable to cyberattacks; in the past, many end consumers, such as users of online services, were affected in addition to industry and businesses. A German consortium of industry, university and research institutes aims to make these systems more secure in the future thanks to light-based data transmission and computation. Over the next three years, the "Silhouette" project (Silicon Photonics for Trusted Electronic Systems) will develop universally applicable solutions. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research BMBF is funding the project with around 12 million euros.

On June 1, 2021, the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS will reinforce its institute management. Dr. Wenke Weinreich, Division Director Center Nanoelectronic Technologies, will be Deputy to the Institute Director Prof. Hubert Lakner. Jörg Amelung, Division Director Active Micromachined Systems, will deputize for the Executive Director Prof. Harald Schenk. The institute is thus taking an important organizational step in order to continue to operate effectively as a leading international research and development service provider for photonic microsystems and nanoelectronics.

The quantum computer race is in full swing. Germany has long been one of the world leaders in basic research. In the joint project "QUASAR", the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS now wants to develop a semiconductor quantum processor "Made in Germany" together with its partners. The project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with more than 7.5 million euros, aims to lay the foundations for the industrial production of quantum processors over the next four years.

Many monitoring, sensing and characterization tasks in industry today are based on classic ultrasonic sensors. Micromachined ultrasonic transducers (MUTs) represent an innovative and effective development that can open up new applications thanks to their compact design and efficiency. However, the investment costs for the development of such MUTs are too high for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Three Fraunhofer institutes are therefore jointly developing an application platform that will also enable SMEs to use MUTs. The institutes will develop various micromachined devices and pilot products together with industrial partners. In a first step, workshops will be held starting July to demonstrate how well MUTs can be integrated into existing systems.