Two awards for Fraunhofer IAF researchers at EuMW 2023

At this year's European Microwave Week, researchers from Fraunhofer IAF were honored with two awards for their scientific work: Dr. Philipp Neininger and his co-authors were awarded the EuMIC Conference Prize for their paper and Dr. Laurenz John received the DTZ Young Scientist Award for his PhD thesis. These two awards were the highlight of a very successful participation of the institute, which was highly represented at the most important European microwave conference with 18 conference papers.

Dr. Philipp Neininger and his co-authors received the EuMIC Conference Prize for their paper “Ultra-Wideband mmW Digital Step Attenuator”. The paper deals with the currently most broadband digital step attenuator for the frequency range from 40 to 220 GHz, based on Fraunhofer IAF’s 35 nm mHEMT technology. Also nominated for the conference award was the paper by Bharath Kumar Cimbili showing top results in the power efficiency of GaN power amplifiers in the E-band.

The Young Scientist Award of the Deutsches Terahertz-Zentrum e. V. was given to Dr. Laurenz John for his outstanding dissertation entitled “Integrated Sub-Millimeter-Wave High-Power Amplifiers in Advanced InGaAs Channel HEMT Technology”. In his paper, the scientist describes the development of a low-noise amplifier for ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite. For this purpose, three LNA circuits for different frequency bands (around 54 GHz, 89 GHz, and 165-183 GHz) were realized in a 50 nm InGaAs channel mHEMT technology, packaged in waveguide modules, and qualified for the satellite's proto-flight model.

Overall, Fraunhofer IAF looks back on a very successful participation at this year’s EuMW in Berlin. In 18 conference papers, eleven of them as keynote speakers, the Freiburg institute presented its advances in high-frequency electronics and was thus particularly well represented this year at Europe's leading trade fair and conference for microwave technology, high-frequency engineering and radar.

At the exhibition, visitors had the opportunity to talk to the researchers of Fraunhofer IAF and to learn more about the presented cutting-edge technologies. The researchers used the opportunity for exchange with partners and industry. 

Student Career Event

Together with leading RF companies, Fraunhofer IAF participated in the Student Career Event. During an exclusive evening event, young scientists were able to get an idea of what it means to work at a world-renowned research institute in a relaxed atmosphere.