From Research to Application: Projects at Fraunhofer EMFT

In the project ‘Insect cells as sensors for environmental toxins’, Fraunhofer EMFT is developing a novel test method in which living insect cells are used as sensitive biosensors. This allows even the smallest toxic effects of pesticides to be detected quickly, without labelling and automatically. The aim is to identify risks at an early stage and support the development of bee-friendly pesticides – an important contribution to the protection of insects and biodiversity.

Safety First! - Is the motto of the "StressScent III" project, in which researchers from Fraunhofer EMFT, in collaboration with the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, have developed a Virtual Reality System (VR System) which uses realistic and immersive training to better prepare rescue and emergency personnel for sometimes dangerous missions and stressful situations and thus contribute to a safer working life. Through realistic training engaging all senses, real-world situations can be simulated more accurately, thus contributing to a safer work life. The goal of the project is to develop a scent dosing system adapted to an existing VR headset for practical application.

Unlooc is a project that focuses on the development of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technologies. These technologies aim to improve the efficiency of drug testing while reducing the need for animal testing. The Fraunhofer EMFT research team is supporting the development of the organ-on-chip multiwell plates, which offer precise control of cell culture conditions and enable animal-free pharmaceutical testing.

In patient surveys on insulin dosing, patch pumps score significantly better than conventional insulin injections in terms of comfort and user-friendliness. They are easy to use, comfortable to wear, and do not need to be removed for sports, showering, etc. For safe and comfortable handling, it is essential that the patch pump doses the insulin precisely and evenly. The micropumps developed at Fraunhofer EMFT achieve dosing deviations of less than 4% even with the smallest volumes. Researchers at the institute were able to verify this in a study.

Move2THz is an EU-funded research project to develop an innovative InP-on-silicon platform for energy-efficient sub-THz semiconductor technology. The aim is to strengthen Europe's technological leadership in 6G, radar, imaging, and photonics.

Efficient use of resources while maintaining high yields from the fields has become a central topic for agriculture. Monitoring various plant parameters, such as their water or nutrient content, plays an important role here. Currently, such parameters are deducted from soil samples by complex and lengthy processes in laboratories. The scientists at Fraunhofer EMFT are working on the development of reliable and faster methods to monitor relevant plant parameters.

The APECS pilot line aims to be Europe’s leading platform for advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, driving next-generation integrated systems.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Europe - with more than 6 million new cases every year within the EU. Reliable monitoring systems that detect intermittent abnormalities and recognize critical cardiac behaviors would be an effective means of preventing the feared sudden cardiac death. The goal of the EU SmartVista (Smart Autonomous Multi Modal Sensors for Vital Signs Monitoring) project is to develop and demonstrate a next-generation, low-cost, intelligent multi-modal sensor platform to reduce the incidence of sudden death from cardiovascular disease.

How can supply chains for the chip industry become more independent and better protected? The coronavirus pandemic in particular has highlighted the problems for Germany and Europe. In the "Semiconductor-X" research project on the digitalization of supply chains in the semiconductor industry, Fraunhofer EMFT is working with over 20 partners to make supply chains more sustainable and resilient and to promote decentralized, sovereign data exchange.

The strategic importance of semiconductors and Europe's dependence on other regions of the world is clearly evidenced by the recent international crises. In the EU project ICOS, European research organizations are jointly working with industry to build up know-how and networks to support Europe in regaining its sovereignty and leadership in this field, in accordance with the objectives of the EU Chips Act.

Approximately 80 % of the CO2 footprint of average electronic components is created already during their production. A Fraunhofer EMFT research team is working on optimizing semiconductor manufacturing processes in order to minimize the use of climate-damaging process gases. In this context, the scientists are also testing more climate-friendly alternatives to etching gases used as standard today.

With the foundation of Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) in 2022, seven leading research institutions in Bavaria, including the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, have committed themselves to an ambitious goal: Building the first German quantum computer with up to 1000 qubits “made in Bavaria”. The partners are working on realizing full-stack quantum-computer demonstrators, remotely accessible to researchers and industry. Within this framework, Fraunhofer EMFT researchers are contributing their engineering expertise to enable scaling and industrialization of the qubit platform based on superconducting qubits.

28 European research partners aim at designing, building and operating a quantum processor of up to 1000 qubits in Europe. As part of the project, Fraunhofer EMFT is providing the development of new fabrication processes for qubit chips, which will facilitate chip manufacturing on an industrial scale for commercial use in the future.

Diabetes types that require regular insulin treatment are highly dependent on the patient's ability to constantly track their blood glucose levels and self-administer insulin accordingly. This not only causes a major inconvenience in everyday life, but also involves the risk of hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia. In addition, a blood sugar deficiency can only be predicted inadequately in certain situations. Together with five European partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer EMFT are developing an implantable measuring and dosing system. It is capable of monitoring all relevant key metabolic parameters on a situation-specific basis and adjusting the insulin dosage accordingly.

Even in today's innovative, miniaturized electronic products, traditional wiring is still prevalent. The problem: manual wiring can account for up to 80% of product costs and also has an impact on reliability, production yield, weight and resource consumption. Last but not least, it limits the possibilities for further miniaturization. In the HyPerStripes project, researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are working with 16 partners from three European countries on a promising alternative: long, flexible electronic systems (“hyperstripes”) to replace conventional cables and printed circuit boards.

Whether in automobiles – especially in the context of autonomous driving – or future industrial manufacturing: plugs and electrical connection technologies have a key role to play in digital networking. They are the main interface between machines, control units and data processing systems and so they provide the basis for the functionality, simple handling and reliability of automation technology.

Air filtration systems are considered an effective measure to reduce the risk of infection by SARS-Cov-2 in enclosed spaces. However, the HEPA filters commonly used to date are maintenance-intensive and costly. Researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT, together with Helmholtz Zentrum München, ams OSRAM International GmbH and MANN+HUMMEL GmbH are developing self-sterilizing filter elements using integrated LED chips to clean the air.

In the EU project SusFe, Fraunhofer EMFT is working with European partners to develop an efficient and resource-saving design and production platform for medical devices. The aim is to meet both the growing demand for medical devices as well as the aspect of sustainability.

A birth is a miracle of nature - but also a highly vulnerable stage in the lives of mother and baby. In the EU project Newlife, researchers from 6 European countries are jointly working on innovative sensor-based monitoring solutions to ensure the well-being of mother and child during pregnancy as well as during and after birth. The aim is to digitally revolutionize paediatric and childbirth care.

Gear oils make a significant contribution to minimising friction and thus ensure the safe operation of production facilities. In the Smart Gear project, researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are developing solutions to detect a drop in the performance of gear oils with the help of sensor technology and machine learning methods and to predict when the oil needs to be changed.

The aim of predictive maintenance is to maintain operating resources proactively and with foresight. This should reduce downtime and maintenance costs to a minimum. Researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are testing new concepts that use machine learning methods to efficiently process even extremely heterogeneous data and make accurate maintenance predictions for production facilities.

By 2030, global semiconductor production is expected to be almost twice as high as it is today. To mitigate the negative environmental impact, 58 European partners in the EU GENESIS project have set themselves the goal of developing more environmentally friendly materials and processes in the semiconductor industry. As part of the project, Fraunhofer EMFT researchers are working on optimizing exhaust gas purification methods and increasing the efficiency and environmental sustainability of production processes.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases of civilization. Around 15-25% of patients develop diabetic foot syndrome during the progression of the disease: nerve damage and circulatory disorders, particularly in the feet. As those affected have a reduced or no sensation of pain in their feet, pressure points, blisters or cuts often form unnoticed, which can result in an open ulcer if not treated in time. In future, a patch with integrated sensor technology should help to detect critical conditions and the need for treatment at an early stage.

Aquaplaning and black ice turn streets into dangerous slides, which often leads to serious accidents. Within the framework of the high-performance center »secure intelligent systems« (LZSiS), Fraunhofer EMFT and Uedelhoven Studios are working together on a solution to the problem. A real-time warning system shall identify the potential danger due to water or ice on the road surface, thus enabling a predictive detection of the road conditions. Such an early warning system would increase the road safety for all traffic participants.

In the QuQuSemi project, a Fraunhofer EMFT research team is working together with Quantum Diamonds and the Technical University of Munich on a high-resolution microscope based on diamond-based quantum sensors that is specially designed for analyzing semiconductor components. With a spatial resolution of just 100 nanometers at room temperature, it aims to enable the precise measurement of the smallest magnetic fields and temperature differences.

The semiconductor industry and manufacturers of electronic components and systems test their products carefully to ensure that they function flawlessly. An important aspect is the tolerance of chips to ESD (electrostatic discharge). Fraunhofer EMFT and High Power Pulse Instruments GmbH (HPPI) have jointly developed a 2-pin test system that offers many advantages to the semiconductor industry.

An advanced abatement system and exhaust gas cleaning solutions capture and reduce PFAS, NF3, and SF6 emissions in semiconductor manufacturing.

Fraunhofer EMFT is developing intelligent plasters for the early detection of pressure ulcers in nursing care. For this purpose, work is being done on an AI-supported prophylaxis that can initiate preventive actions through early detection, thus making life easier for nursing staff and the person treating the patient.

For Bavaria, the agricultural sector has a significant economic importance with a turnover of around 121 billion euros per year. However, conflicts with the economic goals of farmers and the sustainable goals of environmental and animal protection initiatives occur from time to time due to the different interests involved. Especially the emission of ammonia gases leads to social discussions. Researchers at Fraunhofer EMFT are developing a more efficient measurement method for detecting ammonia gases in agriculture. The aim is to contribute to more environmentally friendly and animal-friendly agriculture.

Many plasma coating systems used in the semiconductor industry have to undergo thorough cleaning on a regular basis after each stage of production. Currently this is mainly carried out using perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) gases, which are up to 17,000 times as damaging to the environment and climate as the greenhouse gas CO2. Solvay, Texas Instruments, Muegge and Fraunhofer EMFT are working on the project ecoFluor to develop an environment-friendly alternative which only has the greenhouse potential of CO2: the gas mixture used by the cooperation partners – Solvaclean®, consisting of fluorine, nitrogen and argon – dispenses entirely with the highly environmentally harmful gases PFCs and NF3.