Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology
The Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology' (FEP), also known as "Fraunhofer FEP" for short, is an institution of the Fraunhofer Society based in Dresden, Germany. The institute conducts applied research and development in materials science. The Fraunhofer FEP is a member of the Fraunhofer Group for Light and Surfaces, to which six Fraunhofer Institutes belong. Its current director is Elizabeth von Hauff.
History
The institute was founded in 1991 under the leadership of Siegfried Schiller from working groups of the former Forschungsinstitut Manfred von Ardenne (Manfred von Ardenne Research Institute) in Dresden. This predecessor institute worked to develop, test, and mature thin-film technologies, and these activities continue at the Fraunhofer FEP today.
In 2016/17, the FEP succeeded in producing OLED electrodes from graphene for the first time. The process was developed and optimized in the EU-funded project "Gladiator" (Graphene Layers: Production, Characterization and Integration), together with partners from industry and research.
In 2024, the institute employed roughly 150 people (not including a few dozen students), and had expenditures of 11 million Euro.
Research and development
One of the Fraunhofer FEP's main areas of work is thin film technology. This includes the coating of plates, strips and components made of different materials with various layers or layer systems, such as special layers for displays and forgery-proof labels. A second field of work is electron beam technology. The electron beam is used as a precise tool for welding, vaporizing or modifying the surface layer of metals.
The institute is divided into six different business units:
- Flexible products
- Coating of metallic sheets and strips, energy technologies
- Development of Customized Electron Beam Systems and Technologies
- Coating of parts
- Precision coating
- Medical and biotechnological applications
Collaboration
Since 2005, the institute has been a member of the Competence Network Industrial Plasma Surface Technology (INPLAS). The institute is also a member of the Fraunhofer Group for Light & Surfaces.
Within Dresden, the Fraunhofer FEP is a member of the Dresden-concept scientific network, in which other Fraunhofer Institutes and institutes of other disciplines as well as the TU Dresden and other universities are also organized.
External links
References
51°1′47.40″N 13°46′53.14″E / 51.0298333°N 13.7814278°E