Innovation/Technology

Das Zusammenspiel von IT und Mikroelektronik macht neue und effizientere Analysemethoden in Forschung, Diagnostik und letztlich der Patientenversorgung möglich. Durch eine schnellere und leichter zugängliche Diagnostik über Point-of-Care-Plattformen können schon während der Wartezeit beim Arzt Ergebnisse vorliegen. Dadurch kann eine mögliche Krankheit besser behandelt werden.

The miniaturization of the dimensions, the precision of the components with their increasing variety of shapes and greater functional integration are the keys to future developments. They are also influenced to a large extent by new technologies that originate from materials engineering and physical process engineering.

The Corona crisis has turned the world upside down and shown us once again how dependent we are on key technologies such as microtechnology and nanotechnology. These technologies support the fight against Corona, for example, in the field of rapid diagnostics, in the low-cost production of miniaturized components for urgently needed medical devices and in the development of vaccines.

Individual patient care is becoming increasingly important. On the one hand, this saves valuable resources, for example in terms of medication and diagnostic tools, and on the other hand helps to provide targeted medical treatment for patients' ailments.

Laser direct structuring (LDS) is a special success story. For almost 20 years, it has been possible to apply electronic conductor paths directly onto plastic parts during series production. LDS enables the production of electronic assemblies with flexible geometric shapes. This process enables electronic products, such as smartphones, sensors or medical devices, to become even smaller and more powerful. Automated manufacturing processes also make this process more economically attractive.

When WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus admonished nations to “test, test, test”, back in March of this year, testing was already recognized as a key strategy in the fight against COVID-19. In response to this, the diagnostics industry has been racing to develop new high-speed test platforms that can quickly and accurately carry out the wide-scale testing needed.

Synthetic diamonds receive additional functionalities due to specific structural defects, which makes them react to magnetic fields or temperature changes, for example. Color centers are responsible for this, such as the nitrogen vacancy center (NV center). These NV-centers can be optically excited and read out and are therefore suitable as sensitive elements in sensors.

Neuer Sprecher von Fraunhofer Reinigung (FRei) und langjähriges Mitglied ist Diplom-Physiker Frank-Holm Rögner. Er leitet die Arbeitsgruppe Reinigung am Fraunhofer FEP und spricht im Interview über seinen Weg zur Reinigungstechnik, seine Visionen für die Zukunft und Weiterentwicklung der Fraunhofer Reinigung – ambitionierte Ziele und Kompetenzen, die die Experten zu bieten haben.

The corona pandemic with the new virus COVID-19 is turning our lives upside down and we are all confronted with a new and completely unexpected situation. At the moment we are increasingly asked by our customers: can you help with corona diagnostics with your micropump? That would be possible. Modern biotechnology needs microstructure technology.

Als regionales Innovationsnetz Optische Technologien sorgt Optence e.V. seit 19 Jahren für die Vernetzung von Industrie und Forschung und setzt sich für die Belange und Interessen seiner 110 Mitglieder ein. IVAM hat mit Geschäftsführerin Daniela Reuter über wirtschaftliche Potenziale optischer Technologien, Deutschlands Rolle im internationalen Markt, Start-up-Kultur und den 60. Geburtstag des Lasers gesprochen.