The microelectronics industry is increasingly focusing on trend topics such as miniaturization, 3D integration and artificial intelligence (AI). New developments and technologies such as quantum computing will also provide strong impetus for further advances in the medium to long term. With the increased use of mobile devices and the Internet of Things (IoT), energy efficiency is also an important aspect of microelectronics.
Progressive miniaturization on a nanoscale level represents a technological challenge. Ever smaller structures and 2D materials require innovative approaches to overcome current physical limits. Among other things, chips for 5G applications are to be developed that improve connectivity in various application areas – for example, for autonomous vehicles.
Experts at Fraunhofer ILT develop and evaluate beam sources for EUV lithography and the corresponding measurement technology. Plasma sources driven by high-power lasers generate the extreme ultraviolet radiation used to pattern state-of-the-art semiconductors and are a key component in the miniaturization of electronics.
In addition to nanoscale patterning, assembly and interconnection technology plays a crucial role in high-performance electronic components. Together with industry partners, Fraunhofer ILT is developing, for example, new interconnection techniques for battery contacts and power components.
Fraunhofer ILT also has expertise in the structuring and functionalization of surfaces and in 3D volume structuring. For example, microscopic structures can be introduced into glass or sapphire substrates by selective laser etching, structures that can be used to create microfluidic systems for biochemical analyses.
For three decades now, the AKL – International Laser Technology Congress has been established as a key platform for exchange within the laser community. From April 22–24, 544 experts from 21 countries, around 90 speakers, and 57 exhibiting companies and institutions flocked to AKL’26 in Aachen. There, during the Gerd Herziger Session, a panel of high-caliber experts reviewed the developments of the past 30 years and looked ahead to the future of increasingly ubiquitous laser technology.
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The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT will present its laser-based process chain for glass optics manufacturing at Optatec, May 5–7, 2026, in Frankfurt am Main, Hall 3, Booth 219. From optical design through shaping, laser polishing, and laser shape correction to alignment and packaging, Fraunhofer ILT offers a fully integrated, laser-based manufacturing process that is unique in this form worldwide. The process chain covers shaping, laser polishing, and laser shape correction, followed by alignment and packaging. Fraunhofer ILT offers a fully integrated, laser-based manufacturing process that is unique in this form worldwide.
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Industrial manufacturing is under increasing pressure. Sales markets that were considered secure for decades are becoming unstable. Robust supply chains are being threatened. Energy and material costs are rising, markets demand a growing number of variants, and new products must reach production readiness ever faster. In this environment, the laser has established itself as a reliable manufacturing tool. Its physical principles are well understood, and many laser-based processes are mature and proven in industrial use. As a result, the focus of research is clearly shifting. The key question is no longer whether a process can be realized with a laser, but how efficiently, robustly, and economically it can be operated in everyday production.
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In its special show "Photonics meets Robotics: AI Success Stories" Laser World of Photonics 2025 will be focusing on the future field of cyberphotonics, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen is playing a key role in this. Researchers from the institute will give presentations on specific applications and exhibit research results to show how AI and other digital methods are already increasing quality and efficiency in photonics, robotics and laser-based, highly automated manufacturing processes. The special show in Hall A3.433 builds a bridge between LASER and the parallel automatica.
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Whether in medical technology, quantum technology or semiconductor production, optical systems are an integral part of many high-tech applications. To ensure that lenses, mirrors and other components meet the highest requirements, manufacturing needs processes that combine precision, efficiency and flexibility. The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT develops tailor-made solutions for precisely this purpose, solutions that consist of a few highly efficient and extremely productive individual steps. Laser-based optics manufacturing enables the industry to produce dimensionally accurate and functional components with low roughness, from prototypes to series production, from microlens arrays to macro-optics, from spheres to free-form optics.
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Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT
