ZMDI partners with the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) to create a new performance center for nano and microelectronics

ZMD AG (ZMDI): Four Fraunhofer Institutes in Dresden are joining forces with the Technical Universities (TU) of Dresden and Chemnitz to set up a performance center for functional integration for nano and microelectronics. In close cooperation with local companies, including ZMDI, in-depth research expertise will quickly convert innovations into applications and products, thus strengthening the region’s economy. The official start of the project has been planned for July 1, 2015.

The picture shows from left to right Thilo von Selchow (President and CEO Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG), Stanislaw Tillich (Minister President of the German Free State of Saxony), Professor Dr Reimund Neugebauer (President of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft), Professor Dr Hubert Lakner (Institute Director of Fraunhofer IPMS), Professor Dr Hans Müller-Steinhagen (President of TU Dresden) and Professor Dr Arnold van Zyl (President of TU Chemnitz) at the opening event of the Functional Integration for Micro/Nano Electronics Performance Center.

Nano and microelectronics penetrate all spheres of modern life. With the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, not only is the demand for integrated systems increasing, the system requirements are also rising. In the future, components will have to integrate even more functions and become even smaller and more strongly interlinked. Today, the competitiveness and innovative strength of companies in the field of electronics decide how fast the latest technological developments can be accessed.

This is where the concept of the Performance Center comes in: “The pilot project for functional integration of nano and microelectronics must concentrate the strengths of research and economics regionally,” emphasized Professor Dr. Reimund Neugebauer, President of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “Apart from the functional project work, the center must establish the basis for efficiently marketing the results and must be the central contact for future additional partners interested in collaboration.” In the future, the efficacy of the Performance Center must be substantiated by an intensive participation by industry, among other things. In return, the companies will be given the opportunity to determine the thematic orientation of the pilot project by means of an industrial advisory board.

During a two-year pilot phase, the Performance Center will be financed with funding from the Free State of Saxony and the Fraunhofer Institute as well as from the industrial partners. “No other location is as suitable as Dresden,” said Minister President Stanislaw Tillich. “On the one hand, we have many highly innovative small and medium-sized companies in the fields of sensors, actuators, semiconductors and mechanical engineering. On the other hand, an excellent research landscape exists in which the universities cover the scientific advancements and the Fraunhofer Institute covers the practically oriented research in the relevant fields of technology. If we link them all even closer, we can further extend the strengths of Dresden and Chemnitz as a location.”

Functionality as Close as Possible to the Application

During the two-year pilot phase, the engineering work at the Performance Center will concentrate primarily on microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS), such as sensors and actuators, as well as on system integration in industrial automation. Important research must include, for example, sensor nodes for interconnected systems in adaptive systems for condition monitoring, diagnosis or measuring, and controlling systems, which minimize the energy consumption in production. After two years, the focus will be extended to other fields of application, such as energy, medical technology and mobility.

The Performance Center will have three “pillars” at its foundation. First, the partners will develop a common technology and development platform for innovative building blocks and systems, and thus the content on which all other work is based. Second, in order to strengthen the application orientation, a central office will be set up for marketing research and development results and the technology transfer. Thus, companies and partners will be permitted to access the services offered in a quick and easy way. The third foundation is industry-financed innovation projects, and therefore direct orders from industry will be submitted to research partners of the Performance Center.

Advantages for Location in the Dresden and Chemnitz Region

To date, more than twenty Saxon companies have expressed their fundamental interest in participating in the project. Thilo von Selchow, CEO of Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZMDI), stressed that “More than ever before, innovation today is a matter of cooperative partnership. In this respect, the Fraunhofer Institute has an important bridging function between research and industry. The new Performance Center strengthens the competitive position of the location. For ZMDI, the Internet of Things is the next big growth horizon. The high technology competence in the region, the close network with universities and research facilities, and the bundling of forces in the Performance Center will help us to sustainably secure growth perspectives.”

At the end of the pilot phase, a virtual innovation center will be set up by the close networking of the universities, the Fraunhofer Institute and the regional industry. Any success is intended to be transferred to help develop this project into a permanent center, which will also be funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), or into a model project. In addition to the performance centers for sustainability in Freiburg and for electronic systems in Erlangen, the Performance Center in Dresden is the third pilot project of this kind in Germany.