Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics
Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics

20 years “Microelectronics News“ – Throwback 2020

Highlights of 2020 / Fraunhofer FHR

GESTRA: The near-earth orbit always “in sight”

© Fraunhofer FHR / Philipp Wolter
Phased array antenna of the GESTRA transmitter and receiver.

In order to monitor the near-Earth orbit and to know which objects are moving there, a phased array radar with high beam agility is required. Fraunhofer FHR has built such a system on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology: In Autumn 2020, the researchers officially handed over the semi-mobile space surveillance radar GESTRA to the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

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We would like to invite you to join us for a small time travel through the highlights of 20 years of Microelectronics News, and we hope you enjoy reading our selection of research and development from the member institutes of the Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics.

Highlights of 2020 / Fraunhofer

Decentralized patient monitoring

© Fraunhofer

The Fraunhofer cluster project M³Infekt, in which six institutes of the Group for Microelectronics / FMD are also involved, aims to develop a monitoring system that enables rapid intervention in the event of sudden deterioration of conditions. The system should be modular, multimodal and mobile and can be used, for example, in the treatment of Covid-19 patients. By initiating necessary measures at an early stage, the system helps to mitigate the course of disease, shorten the duration of therapy and make flexible use of intensive care units.

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Highlights of 2020 / Fraunhofer IZM

Electricity, not pills

© Fraunhofer IZM / Tim Hosman
The flexible implant with 324 electrodes and integrated electronics stimulates and records neuronal activity on the brain surface.

Fraunhofer IZM and the Delft University of Technology are developing electroceutics for the drug-free treatment of chronic diseases. Electroceutical implants can electrically stimulate nerve cells in a targeted manner to trigger or block body signals or to send them to other places in the body. Physiological processes can thus be activated or inhibited depending on the nature of the disease.

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Highlights of 2020 / Fraunhofer IISB

Smaller, faster, more energy efficient – powerful devices for digital transformation

© Fraunhofer IISB / Anja Grabinger
Aluminum nitride crystal as semiconductor base material for power electronic devices.

Highly efficient power semiconductors are to pave the way for a wide range of new applications – from electromobility to artificial intelligence (AI). This is the aim of the project “Power Transistors Based on AlN (ForMikro-LeitBAN)” which was started in 2020 and in which FMD members Fraunhofer IISB and Leibniz FBH are also involved.

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