Partners

The Fraunhofer IAF cooperates nationally and internationally with a number of companies and research institutions. These include groups such as Bosch, OSRAM, Infineon, United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS) and Tesat as well as medium-sized regional companies like TRUMPF Hüttinger and Bruker Optik, to name just a few selected partners.

The link between the institute and university research plays a central role – the Fraunhofer IAF has a chair in the area of compound semiconductors at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) of the University of Freiburg. Beyond that, there is also a close cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology  KIT, the University of Stuttgart, ETH Zürich and various designated universities in the Anglo-American area.

Within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the individual institutes are well connected with each other and work together on many research projects to meaningfully link knowledge and competences. The Scottish partner institute of the Fraunhofer IAF, the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics CAP in Glasgow, is the first research institution under the umbrella of Fraunhofer UK Research.

Furthermore, the Fraunhofer IAF is a member of various Fraunhofer groups as well as the clubs and networks Green Touch, MicroTEC Südwest, Photonics BW and VDMA.

Climate change, resource scarcity, energy turnaround – these challenges of today’s society require sustainable solutions. Innovative research plays an important part in this respect. Therefore, the five Freiburg Fraunhofer institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the University of Freiburg combine their competencies in the interdisciplinary »Sustainability Center«.

Solutions for a sustainable development are being investigated and realized together with partners from industry and in close dialog with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The aim of the »Sustainability Center« is to pool the expertise of partner institutes, promote the transfer of scientific developments into marketable products and services, as well as integrating the needs of society into the development process of sustainable solutions early on.

Within the framework of the »Sustainability Center«, Fraunhofer IAF is currently being funded with two projects:

• SusLight: Resource-efficient LED technology

The LED technology not only makes it possible to reduce the global energy demands for lighting, but also lower costs for consumers. The high purchase price of LEDs, however, can often become an obstacle and deter potential buyers. Besides aiming to reduce the production costs of LEDs, the project also focuses on the development of intelligent sensor systems. more info

• G-ONET: Porous graphene-organic networks for super capacitors

G-ONET is investigating functional, via organic chemistry cross-linked graphene materials, which can be used as electrode material in super capacitors, for example in electric cars. Their production is supposed to be cost-efficient and scalable while also meeting »green chemistry« standards. more info

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF cooperate with scientists at the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics CAP in Glasgow – the first research institute under the umbrella of Fraunhofer UK Research.

The Fraunhofer CAP is focused on developing innovative solid-state lasers and combined solid-state semiconductor laser systems for, among others, optical sensors and measurement technology and laser-based »rapid prototyping«. With regard to the subject of solid-state semiconductor laser systems in particular, there is a close cooperation with the Fraunhofer IAF.

Photonics is an important issue in the UK. The industry is the second largest in Europe after Germany. 80 manufacturers of laser-based products are located in Scotland alone, and the researchers at Strathclyde University are internationally recognized experts in the field of photonics. The scientific Director of the Fraunhofer CAP is Prof. Dr. Martin Dawson. He is also the head of a department at the University of Strathclyde and thus ensures the close connection of the CAP to the university.

The spin-offs of the institute commercialize and optimize innovative developments of the Fraunhofer IAF. They produce and market products out of diamond and III-V compound semiconductors independently.

Diamond Materials GmbH

Diamond Materials GmbH was founded in 2004. It produces and processes highly purified CVD diamond substrates. The spin-off offers, inter alia, diamond windows, optical lenses, robust membranes and heat spreaders.

DILAS Semiconductor

In 2001, m2k-Laser GmbH was founded to make III-V compound semiconductor lasers commercially available. The company specializes in the development and production of optoelectronic components on the basis of the III-V compounds GaAs and GaSb. m2k-Laser is the market leader in producing tapered laser diodes and tapered optical amplifiers. On January 1, 2016, DILAS Diodenlaser GmbH and m2k-Laser became one company. M2k-Laser in Freiburg was transferred to a business division of DILAS Diodenlaser GmbH with the name DILAS Semiconductor.