Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWSWith a comprehensive renewal and expansion of its research equipment, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle (Saale) will be able to provide even better support to its clients in the microelectronics and optical industries in the future. The new equipment includes, for example, high-performance wire bonding machines, high-quality sample preparation systems, a Nanoprober, and high-temperature furnaces. This enables even greater throughput, precision, and depth of analysis in research work.
High-performance electronics and precision optical systems form the technological backbone of key future-oriented industries – ranging from automotive electronics and power electronics to semiconductor manufacturing and optical systems for metrology and lithography. The growing complexity of these components and materials presents increasingly demanding challenges for failure diagnosis and reliability assessment: defects in the nanometer range, new joining technologies, and highly specialized material classes require correspondingly powerful analysis and testing methods.
With its business units “Electronic Materials and Components” and “Optical Materials and Technologies” at its main location in Halle (Saale), the Fraunhofer IMWS positions itself as a leading institution for microstructure diagnostics and failure analysis in these fields. Within the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD), the institute assumes the role of a leading expert in microstructural diagnostics, thereby also strengthening the emerging semiconductor ecosystem in the Central German metropolitan region.
Funding under the “IMDOptE – Innovative Infrastructure for Microstructure Diagnostics in Optics and Electronics” project will enable a substantial expansion of services in three areas:
- For the production and testing of laboratory samples in microelectronics and power electronics, equipment for wire bonding, soldering, and reliability testing will be procured, enabling in-depth investigations into joining processes and failure mechanisms and opening up new avenues for cooperation with regional suppliers.
- In the field of high-resolution characterization and microstructure diagnostics, the entire analysis chain is being modernized: High-quality sample preparation systems, a high-resolution digital microscope, an InGaAs camera for electroluminescence analysis, and a Nanoprober for in-situ electrical characterization increase throughput, precision, and analytical depth, meeting the industry’s heightened quality and purity requirements.
- For the development of innovative glass and ceramic materials – with applications in precision optical instruments and lithography systems – high-temperature furnaces, advanced measurement technology, and specialized preparation and processing equipment are being procured, enabling the derivation of structure-property relationships and the translation of these findings into product and process innovations through prototyping.
Through its technical expertise and internationally visible positioning, the Fraunhofer IMWS thus represents a key location factor in the innovation system of the state of Saxony-Anhalt – not only to support the R&D activities of regional companies, but also as a magnet for new businesses and young scientists, not least in the emerging semiconductor ecosystem of the Central German metropolitan region.
(May 8, 2026)