Press releases

Twenty young scientists were thrilled to spend two weeks traveling across Germany as participants of the Fraunhofer Photonica Summer School and dive into photonics, light and lasers. Fraunhofer Photonica was organized by the Fraunhofer Group for Light & Surfaces chaired by Fraunhofer IPM.

Converting digital building data into 2D plans or 3D models quickly and easily – that is the business model of bimeto GmbH. The Freiburg-based start-up, which was spun off from Fraunhofer IPM, offers solutions to digitize and automate construction planning and thus make it more efficient. A few months after entering the market, the company employs four people and is already cooperating closely with partners from industry.

In the recently completed “HoloMotion” research project, Fraunhofer IPM has greatly enhanced the established 3D measurement method of digital multiwavelength holography in two directions: On the one hand, components in motion can now be measured with high precision for the first time. Secondly, optical gear measurement using digital holography has been raised to a new level.

Measurement systems ensure the quality of industrial products, optimize processes and provide safety. Over the past five decades, the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in Freiburg has impressively demonstrated the enormous contribution to efficiency, sustainability and safety that measurement technology can make. This was recognized by representatives from politics and research at an anniversary event. In a panel discussion, the participants discussed how measurement technology can contribute to sustainable and affordable building and housing in the future.

Periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) is a nonlinear-optical crystal with specific photonic properties. It is suitable for example for the frequency conversion of laser light. Researchers at Fraunhofer IPM in collaboration with the University of Freiburg have developed a new technique that allows them to structure PPLN with full flexibility and without masks. They will present the new technique at the LASER World of Photonics trade fair in Munich.

Revolutionizing the production of fuel cells – that’s the ambitious goal set by seven partners from research and industry. i-skaB is a joint project for innovative, scalable fuel cell production as well as stack production at 30-second intervals. The project was launched at the beginning of the year and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport.

The Carl-Zeiss-Humboldt Research Award 2023 goes to quantum optician Svenja Knappe from the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. She is currently conducting research at Fraunhofer IPM as a guest scientist. Since 2022, the Humboldt Foundation is presenting an annual award to an internationally recognized scientific personality from abroad. The award is funded by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.

A combination of Fourier transform analysis and quantum effect allows the spectral properties of different substances to be detected quickly and precisely. In her dissertation conducted with the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM, Dr. Chiara Lindner developed a quantum Fourier transform spectrometer that can do just that – with just one millionth of the light intensity of standard spectrometers. For her work, she was awarded the Hugo Geiger Prize that honors outstanding doctoral theses in the field of ap-plied research.

When it comes to the key raw material lithium, Germany almost exclusively relies on imports, even though the light metal is contained in geothermal brine. The departments of Geochemistry & Economic Geology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT are working on a method to extract lithium as a by-product of geothermal energy production. As part of the LiMo research project, Fraunhofer IPM is developing an optical sensor intended to make the extraction process more efficient.

Quantum computing and neuromorphic computing are expected to take on computationally intensive tasks in the future. However, the step up from lab to real-world application for this next generation computing is yet to be realized, which is why the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) has joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPM in order to harness its expertise in the field of photonics.