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Fraunhofer IPMS
Company Description
Fraunhofer IPMS, Dresden carries out customer specific developments in fields of microelectronic and micro systems technology serving as a business partner that supports the transition of innovative ideas into new products. Fraunhofer IPMS develops and fabricates modern MEMS and OLED devices in its own clean room facilities. In addition to R&D services it offers ramp-up within a pilot production. With modern equipment and about 200 scientists and engineers, the range of projects and expertise covers sensor and actuator systems, microscanner, spatial light modulators, wireless micro systems as well as organic materials and systems.
Contact Information
 Maria-Reiche-Str 2
Dresden
Germany
Press Releases
| Liquid crystals waveguide switching technology
At the Photonics West 2012 show in San Francisco from 24th to 26th January 2012 the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS presents a novel optical liquid crystal switch.
Either for signal switching in optical communication networks or fiber sensor networks the optical path connection needs to be dynamically controlled. Optical switches and routers are devices designed to execute such essential
control functions. The market makes demands on current optical switching device technologies for high reliability and stability of switching, for switching between many inputand output-channels as well as for providing low optical loss, low cross-talk and short switching times. Optical switches with no moving parts, such as the liquid crystal based devices, warrant high operation stability and reliability. This is one of the reasons to decide for Fraunhofer IPMS’s liquid crystal optical switching devices. Yet, what makes this technology truly attractive is the use of isotropic liquid crystals which, through the underlying quadratic electro-optic Kerr effect, render the device remarkable properties: sub-micro-second switching times and excellent transparency over a broad spectral range from 400 nm to 1600 nm, at a still reasonable operation voltage. All the more, due to their straightforward design, these devices are easily integrable and manufacturable by means of high precision, planar silicon wafer technology. The Fraunhofer IPMS’s optical switching device, presented in the figure, is made on two bonded silicon wafers – forming the base and the top parts of the chip – each including structured electrodes stripes. The wafers enclose in between an isotropic liquid crystal layer. An electric field applied between selected electrodes from both parts of the chip and across the liquid crystal layer causes a local change of the refractive index on corresponding regions inside this layer. Light waves can be guided on the paths, thus ‘activated’, at an optical loss of better than 2 dB/cm.
The technology based on such ‘active’ optical waveguides permits, just by structuring suitable electrodes on the chip, the fabrication of optical switches with multiple inputs and outputs at either single- or multi-mode operation.
Fraunhofer IPMS’s optical switching device technology offers hence remarkable advantages in terms of switching stability and reliability, since no moving parts are involved, then device design flexibility and scalability are warranted
as well as simple wafer level fabrication. The requirements for low cost and high volume manufacturing are therefore met. Furthermore, by using this technology, the range of functions implemented on a device can be extended to include interconnection, optical attenuation and modulation. These devices can be tailored to meet the specific needs of optical networks, remote sensing and laser technology applications. |
| VarioS – a microscanner construction set
Online configuration of customer specific microscanners and short lead time for demonstrators at low costs:
The Fraunhofer IPMS Microscanner Construction Set VarioS allows, in astonishing simple way, to configurate microscanners online and have demonstrators delivered within a few weeks at low costs. Testing applications and exploring new markets now becomes a lot easier.
The path to a customized microscanner is quick and easy: at http://www.micro-mirrors.com specifications for an individual device can be defined online with the Scanner-Configurator. Also, customers are able to choose from more then 150 readily fabricated designs in stock.
Essential device characteristics such as:
• Microscanner type (1D, 2D)
• Mirror diameter <= 3 mm
• Scan frequency (0.1 – 50 kHz)
• Mechanical mirror deflection <± 30°
• Dynamic optical mirror planarity
can be specified. The Scanner-Configurator also provides product and price information. If desired, specifications then can be send to Fraunhofer IPMS via a web email form and a quotation can be requested. Customers receive a quotation within a period of two weeks.
After ordering, the lead time for demonstrators is three to nine weeks. Lead time depends on, whether a fitting design is
• In stock (3 weeks),
• modular (6 weeks)
• or semicustomized fabrication (9 weeks)
is required to fulfil customer requirements.
„Because of our wide experiences in continuously innovating and improving the process of microscanner design, development and fabrication we are now able to offer customers easy configuration of individual microscanner demonstrators and quick delivery at low costs.” cheers Denis Jung, project manager of the microscanner construction set VarioS. |
| Programmable illumination with micro mirrors
Widely used mechanical apertures in illumination systems for optical equipment and instruments can be replaced by programmable ultra fast Micro Mirror Arrays (MMAs) acting as high resolution Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs). This replacement enables new or significantly improved functionalities in numerous applications. As an example, high resolution light microscopy for biological analysis or semiconductor inspection is addressed. On the trade show the partners present key components for programmable illumination systems, comprising spatial light modulators, driving electronics and software, optical components as well as a programmable illumination module prototype. Significant development contributions were carried out in the EU funded FP7 project “Micro-mirror enhanced micro-imaging” (MEMI, EU FP7, Project Reference: 215597, www.memi-fp7.org). Within this project additional project partners are KLA-Tencor (Israel), Kings College London (Great Britain) and the Institute Pasteur (France).
In-Vision Digital Imaging Optics GmbH:
In-Vision Digital Imaging Optics GmbH is a leading solution provider for optical system solutions in the field of industrial microdisplay applications. A strong focus is development ressources and competencies in optical design, thin film technology and system engineering with customized system solutions in applications such as biotechnology, medical technology, rapid prototyping, industrial projection applications amd digital cinema. Extensive production capabilities and an experienced and dedicated team enable sophisticated and problem oriented solutions and short development and delivery times.
Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS:
The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS carries out application specific research and development in the areas of microsystem technology and organic light emitting diodes. Fraunhofer IPMS supports his partners from first ideas, feasibility studies and prototype developments upto pilot fabrication. More than 200 scientists utilise a high end infrastructure to carry out projects in the areas of sensor and actuator systems, micro scanner devices, spatial light modulators, systems for life science and medical applications and organic materials and systems. |
| All-reflective unobscured optical power zoom objective
The Fraunhofer IPMS presents a novel design for an all-reflective unobscured optical power zoom objective. Commercially available lens-based objectives are composed of at least two moveable lenses or lens groups with different complicated moving functions. Using optical elements with variable power (e.g. liquid lenses or deformable mirrors) manufacturing costs can be reduced. Furthermore, because the mechanical guidances become unnecessary, longer product lives can be ensured. However, for applications in the machine vision or in environmental monitoring, where image data over a wide spectral range are required, zoom objectives with liquid lenses are not appropriate. For a lot of applications the UV or near infrared (NIR) part of the light spectrum in combination with the visible light (VIS) is used. Therefore, more than one detector with different spectral sensitivities will be often used. Appling an all-reflective objective without chromatic aberrations instead of a common refractive lens, the need of several objectives will be unnecessary. The all-reflective zoom objective design of the Fraunhofer IPMS consisting of 4 mirrors, which are arranged without any obscuration. The central obscuration of coaxial systems causes a loss of contrast, which can be avoided by a so-called “Schiefspiegler”-approach. The zoom functionality of the objective is realized by changing the curvature of two mirrors. The design provides a zoom factor of 3, a rectangular full field of view between 38° × 49° and 13° × 17°, and an f-number of 4.5. The demonstrator shown at Photonics West proofs the design by three identical systems with different focal lengths, whereas the variable mirrors were substituted by ultraprecision-machined solid mirrors. |
| Scanning Photon Microscope
At the Photonic West 2009 in San José the Fraunhofer IPMS presents a Scanning Photon Microscope:
The laser scanning microscopy is a well-established visualising method for different fields of application. The objects being detected are raster scanned by a focusing laser beam and the light diffused from the samples surface is collected by a suitable mounted detector. However, systems which are currently available on the market, are very voluminous and cost-intensive. That is why the possibilities for applications are limited. The Fraunhofer IPMS presents an alternative with its “Scanning Photon Microscope”. It works on a similar principle but uses a two-dimensional resonant microscanning mirror developed at the Fraunhofer IPMS for the deflection of light. Various possibilities for miniaturization of the system result from the minimal dimension of the mirror (4 x 3 mm2). The presented demonstrator with a dimension of 4 x 10 x 20 cm collects pictures of 1000 x 1000 pixels with a resolution of 10 µm per pixel. Therefore the image area is 1 x 1 cm. By changing the optical design it is possible to increase the performance parameters. Very interesting for future applications is the possibility to choose the wave length of the radiated light and therefore to activate processes like fluorescence and to evaluate them wave length specific. Non-destructive testing, e.g. to detect microcracks, or the biotechnology are potential fields of application. Measurements are possible both in the illuminated area and in the dark field. The basic principle used for the "Scanning Photon Microscope" can be extended to other fields of application. By further miniaturization, endoscopic imaging is possible. Here, the use of the micro scanning mirror offers the possibility of integration of other functions into system – like data projection and imaging at the same time – which cannot be realized with conventional video endoscopes using CMOS imagers. In combination with 'time-of-flight' measurements, extension to three-dimensional imaging is possible. |
| OLED-on-CMOS-Integration for sensor applications
At the Photonic West 2009 in San José the Fraunhofer IPMS presents demonstrators of OLED-on-CMOS-Integration for sensor applications.
Besides the standard substrate glass, Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are suited for the integration on different application-specific materials, like silicon wafers. For the first time ever, this allows the monolithic integration of highly efficient light sources into standard CMOS Integrated Circuits. Due to the combination of OLEDs with CMOS technology (OLED-on-CMOS) advantages concerning light-brightness, efficiency, low operating voltage and spectral characteristics can be achieved. This offers a great variety of completely new applications regarding the possibilities of the integration of different sensor-devices (e.g. photo detectors) into the CMOS-circuit-technology. In addition to the advantage of the supplement of efficient and stable light-emitting devices on the CMOS-chip, using the OLED-on-CMOS-technology, CMOS-based activation and signal processing can be realized. Since the light-emitter can be placed above the CMOS-electronics, no additional valuable space on the chip is claimed. This combination allows the production and application of highly developed devices: first of all, OLED-microdisplays (based on CMOS-technology) with embedded image-receiver (bi-directional microdisplay) for an interactive adaption and control of the displayed information via eye movement and, secondly, optoelectronic sensors with an integrated light source. Since a while the Fraunhofer IPMS offers developments in this field and is able to present different technology-demonstrators. During the Photonics West 2009 the Fraunhofer IPMS will present the prototype of a bi-directional OLED microdisplay with an imaging CMOS photo diode matrix interlaced in a QVGA display (12 x 9 mm²), both are integrated and work at the CMOS chip. Furthermore, an optical flux sensor will be presented, which includes the required light source on the CMOS-sensor chip. A CMOS photo diode line allows the detection of the speed of a particle flow and an embedded OLED light source in the form of stripes in parallel to the photo diode line provides the illumination of the medium. Due to the achieved reduction of the expenditure regarding the construction and circuit technology numerous applications of those devices are enabled. Fields of application vary from chemistry, medicine to life science. Other applications of OLED-on-CMOS include light barriers, opto-couplers and optical communications. |
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