Press Releases

Fraunhofer IMS, the competence center for microelectronics and smart sensor systems within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, is excited to announce its advanced capabilities in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on a 200 mm wafer manufacturing environment. The IMS facilities are tailored for low-volume R&D and pilot manufacturing, ensuring flexibility and scalability for various projects.

Experience the future of artificial intelligence up close: This will be possible at the ZaKI.D AI StartUp Festival, a highlight of RuhrStartupWeek 2024. On September 25, 2024, participants will meet visionary founders, experts and up-and-coming talents from Duisburg and the surrounding area as well as projects with a focus on AI. 

Artificial intelligence is a comprehensive and changing technology that is already transforming our working and private worlds. This is accompanied by changes in tasks, but above all new jobs are emerging that require new skills. In order to actively help shape this change, the City of Duisburg has proposed the »Zentrum für angewandte Künstliche Intelligenz Duisburg (ZaKI.D)« for funding in the 5-StandorteProgramm. This programme strengthens municipalities that are particularly affected by the coal phase-out and want to implement forward-looking projects for structural change.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS and Ruhr University Bochum have developed a process that enables a new form of signal amplification for diagnostic tests. Through the advanced use of luminescent single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in bioanalytics, test procedures can be carried out more sensitively, quickly and cheaply. The sensors can be used for enzymatic processes. Their adaptability to different reaction conditions opens up a wide range of applications for standard methods such as ELISAs (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay). The results were published on 15 December 2023 in the journal »Angewandte Chemie International Edition« and open up new possibilities for improving diagnostic procedures and saving detection agents.

Within the project »KoVit - Contactless vital signs recording for an objective follow-up of post-Covid to support medical diagnostics« , the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS is working with the Department of Infectiology at Essen Uni-versity Hospital, Fimo Health GmbH and MedEcon Ruhr GmbH to sustainably improve the lives of post-COVID patients. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Educa-tion and Research (BMBF) as part of the »Hybrid Interaction Systems for Maintaining Health Even in Exceptional Situations (HIS)« program and will run from September 2023 to August 2024.

Independence from fossil fuels and the switch to regenerative energy sources require extensive electrification of production and mobility. This increases the need for compact, energy-efficient, and reliable power electronics. In the PowerCare project , novel vertical gallium nitride power semiconductors as well as real-time failure models are developed and used in a motor drive. Here, PowerCare takes a new approach to the monitoring concept by using a miniaturized motor controller with integrated AI failure prediction. The project thus lays the foundation for the next evolutionary stage of intelligent, sustainable power modules.

The transport of tomorrow will not only be autonomous — it will also be comfortable and safe. The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS presents AI algorithms that massively improve transportation safety and comfort. To achieve this, optical sensors record vital signs, such as heart and respiratory rates. This data is processed by specially developed AI algorithms. The algorithms are modular and easy to integrate into cars and existing systems. They offer entirely new measurement options for car manufacturers. This development is supported by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), which requires the installation of internal cameras in vehicles.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS, together with its partner, has been selected by the ZukunftBIO.NRW program to carry out the InfektoFlex project. From April 2023 to May 2025, this project will develop a modular and rapidly adaptable platform for the diagnosis of dangerous pathogens to improve pandemic preparedness and response. To this end, engineered recognition structures, known as clickmers, will be combined as determinants with carbon nanotubes as optical sensors. In this way, the diagnostic functionality can be validated and the transferability to several relevant pathogens can be demonstrated. The required expertise and technology development are covered in this project by the company ClickmerSystems GmbH and by the Fraunhofer IMS, so that at the end of the project a solution close to the market can be expected.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS has upgraded its LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) camera TinyOwl to 3072 pixels. A 3D integration has been technologically enhanced by Fraunhofer IMS for the SPAD-based (Single-Photon-Avalanche-Diode) camera demo. The advanced camera is particularly robust and can ensure accurate image capture even under harsh weather conditions or machine-induced vibration.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS develops a compiler for efficient hardware implementations of AI algorithms in the EU project CLEVER.