Current Collaborative Projects

The German lighting industry today faces global competition and therefore demands technologies that allow lighting panels to be produced more resource and cost efficiently than before. In the "KonFutius" project, a new panel light is being developed together with six partners, in which fibre composite plastics and electronic components are integrated. Compared with conventional halogen lamps, the light not only consumes less energy, but also has up to 60 percent lower manufacturing costs.

In LASIBAT functional ceramic materials, adapted layer deposition methods as well as a scalable inline laser sintering process including the necessary laser system technology (laser source, optics and temperature control unit) are developed for the manufacturing of solid-state batteries. Laser sintering enables a reduction of the thermal impact on underlying material und undesired diffusion process and therefore the formation of side phases which would otherwise reduce the battery performance. At the end of the project, a setup for an in-line laser sintering process is built up to show scalability for potential industrial use. The materials for cathode and electrolyte layers are especially adapted to the new and comparably fast blue laser sintering method. Blue laser radiation increases the efficiency of the laser sintering process due to higher absorption of most ceramic materials. Due to the low optical penetration depth it makes layer selective heating possible which is necessary for the sintering of the thin film electrolyte.

The result of the project is (1) new solid-state battery material system, adapted to the fast laser sintering, which fulfil the necessities over the lifetime while meeting additional restrictions as e. g. price and environmental challenges (2) to setup a demonstrator to validate the cell concept of the solid-state battery cell with a mixed cathode layer and laser sintering for manufacturing and (3) to develop an experimental setup for a scalable laser-based sintering in-line approach with blue laser radiation and a closed loop temperature control.

In the context of climate change and the energy transition, interest in the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier is increasing. Crucial for this is the entire chain from generation, storage and distribution to reconversion into useful energy by different technologies. High-temperature fuel cells based on oxide ceramic materials SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) show the best efficiency of all available fuel cells. However, this technology is still subject to limitations today, such as insufficient cycle stability, long start-up time and high manufacturing costs. As a result, their widespread use is limited. The project of the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT), the Institute for Materials in Electrical Engineering 2 at RWTH Aachen University (IWE) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) aims to lay essential foundations to eliminate these restrictions. By using a thin-film proton conductor as the electrolyte material, the cycle stability is to be significantly increased compared to the state of the art. The overall objective of the project is therefore to develop high-performance material systems and suitable production processes for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for the next generation of SOFCs. Materials and production processes are to be designed with a particular focus on inline capability and scalability in order to ensure targeted production by SMEs that is suitable for mass production. The main focus is on companies that can play a significant role in the future-oriented "fuel cell" technology by using new materials and modern process technology: Material production, scaling of precursor synthesis, production of porous metal carriers, deposition technology, special plant engineering, laser and process monitoring technology, and laser system integration.

In the context of the energy transition and climate change, there is growing interest in the use of green energy carriers. Compared to hydrogen, green ammonia offers various advantages such as greater energy density and easier liquefaction. Solid State Ammonia Synthesis (SSAS) is an electrochemical process for the direct production of green ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen and water vapor. As part of the planned project of the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), the Center for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), innovative production processes for manufacturing such cells are being developed. This includes spray coating and magnetron sputtering of ceramic thin films on metallic substrates as well as subsequent laser annealing of the deposited layers. After completion of the project, a high-performance thin-film-based SSAS cell and new findings on degradation under operating conditions should be available. 

Components subject to severe wear and corrosion often fail due to localized surface damage. The replacement of failed components is resource-intensive and the recycling of metallic components requires energy-intensive melting processes. In addition, the increasing demand for increasingly scarce raw materials leads to economic dependence on importing countries and causes a significant environmental footprint due to the CO2 emissions generated in the manufacturing process.

At Fraunhofer ILT, an automated hybrid process chain for the sustainable repair of metallic components is being developed as part of the "PRECIRC" research project. By combining the turning process with extreme high-speed laser cladding (EHLA), a process chain is created that enables both additive manufacturing and pre- and post-processing of the components in a single clamping.

Efforts to mitigate climate change have made understanding and monitoring atmospheric physics (including wind and temperature distributions in the atmosphere) increasingly important. It is crucial to improve climate models and weather forecasts. However, there is a data gap for continuous measurements above 5 km, which is the maximum height of commercial compact wind radars and lidars. The EU-funded EULIAA project will develop a lidar array measuring autonomously the atmospheric wind and temperature from 5 km up to 50 km on a 24/7 basis over a long period (more than 1 year without maintenance) and covering a large observation area (up to 10 000 km²). The new lidar units are low priced, compact, efficient, easily transportable, and powered by wind turbines or solar panels.

EULIAA will yield novel data sets in near real-time for implementation into European databases Copernicus and GEOSS, that will fill current data-gaps and help to monitor the effects of climate change and to evaluate climate protection measures.

Once the enhanced capability developed within EULIAA has been demonstrated and validated in difficult-to-reach regions (polar, equatorial, and mountain), with a high TRL (6–8), a business plan and roadmap for a European array will be produced, involving relevant industrial, standardisation, and end-user actors.

The EULIAA project (lasting 48 months and budget of 3.2 M€) gathers 7 partners from 5 countries with experts in lidar and its subsystems, atmospheric observatories, and atmospheric data provider. It contains all the necessary disciplines to ensure the technological development, data transfer, and sustainable exploitation.

The goal of the project is to develop a tunable beam source and to demonstrate its suitability for applications in quantum technology using exemplary laser cooling of strontium (Sr).

This would make it possible for the first time to provide a platform for sub-MHz laser sources in a spectral range from 350 nm to 700 nm for various quantum technology applications, which only has to be qualified once for a spaceborne operation. In doing so, two technologies already developed for spaceborne applications, low-noise fiber-based amplifiers from the development for LISA and variable frequency conversion from MERLIN, will be transferred by adapting and combining them, enabling a high level of technological maturity.

LASHARE is the acronym of a European project involving more than 30 SMEs from across Europe, partners from industry and six of the most renowned laser research institutes.

Main objective is to share knowledge on laser-based equipment and its use addressing the whole value chain end to end. As a key success factor for European manufacturing the transfer of innovative solutions from the laboratory into industrially robust products and the dissemination of its use stands at the heart of the project.

PhotonHub Europe is a European initiative for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). More than 50 research centers from the field of photonics support the use of photonic technologies in SMEs with their offerings. Along different application areas, these technologies are divided into eight platforms. They range from a focus on components such as optical fibers to semiconductor circuits with integrated photonic functions (Photonics Integrated Circuit / PIC) and laser-based application processes. The aim of PhotonHub Europe is to transfer complex technologies to companies so that they can employ this knowledge to strengthen their innovative power and improve their products. 

Limiting global warming requires major efforts in business and society. Great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from industrial production exists in the manufacture of metallic components. Intelligent lightweight construction applications can save resources in production as well as during the component's service life. Laser-based manufacturing processes are predestined for this, but their cross-industry, combined application is still pending.

The consortium is jointly dedicated to taking the necessary steps to bring the required innovations and technology to industry. To this end, laser-based manufacturing processes are being further developed, new manufacturing routes are being identified and the CO2 equivalents of the process chains are being investigated using sample components.

Within the IDEEL project, the project partners are pursuing several goals. In the first step, a new battery electrode paste optimised for laser application will be developed as a coating material (PEM RWTH, MEET WWU), a highly efficient laser system with a large-area, homogeneous spot (Laserline) as well as a highly integrative process monitoring system based on contactless temperature measurement (Optris, Laserline, Fraunhofer ILT). Based on this, the laser-based drying process will be scaled up to industry-typical feed rates within a demonstrator (Coatema) and finally the physical model of the new drying process will be validated (Fraunhofer ILT, FFB). 

In the future, the results of the IDEEL project will be incorporated into the processes of the Fraunhofer Research Fabrication Battery Cell (FFB), which is supporting the project in a conceptual and advisory capacity. 

The drying process addressed by the IDEEL project is part of the electrode production for high-power battery cells, such as those used in electric vehicles or home storage systems. It is used to dry an electrode paste (slurry), which consists of a specifically adjusted, homogeneous active material mixture and is applied to the copper foil of the battery electrode. Up to now, convection dryers have been used for the heat drying of this electrode coating, but they only transfer their heat energy indirectly into the material and thus place a heavy burden on the CO2 balance and the energy costs of battery production. The IDEEL project partners are therefore focusing on upscaling a more energy-efficient drying process in which the coating is irradiated with the help of high-power diode lasers. This should significantly shorten the area-intensive drying modules, which are usually more than 100 metres long. 

The research project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Battery 2020 funding initiative.

In the framework of the ATIQ project (quantum computers with stored ions), the Fraunhofer ILT is working with a total of 24 other partners to develop reliable quantum computer demonstrators for complementary use cases, including quantum chemistry (reaction chemistry), finance (credit risk assessment) and applied mathematics (optimization problems).

The project is aimed to manufacture a commercial prototype based on the ion-trap technology with a total number of (initially) 40 qubits and a correspondingly high gate fidelity.

Project partners: 

Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mikro- und Optoelektronik mit beschränkter Haftung - AMO GmbH, AKKA Industry Consulting GmbH, Black Semiconductor GmbH, eleQtron GmbH, FiberBridge Photonics GmbH, Fraunhofer IOF, Infineon Technologies AG, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (Institut für Physik), JoS QUANTUM GmbH, Leibniz Universität Hannover, LPKF Laser & Electronics AG, Parity Quantum Computing Germany GmbH, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Braunschweig und Berlin (PTB), QUARTIQ GmbH, QUBIG GmbH, RWTH Aachen, TOPTICA Photonics AG, TU Braunschweig, University Siegen

The collaborative project "Highly Integrated PIC-based ECDLs for Quantum Technology" (HiPEQ) focuses on the development of an innovative platform for miniaturized single-mode and narrow-band diode lasers ("External Cavity Diode Laser", ECDL) based on photonic-integrated circuits ("PIC") in the visible spectral range. Narrowband fully integrated lasers are needed in various quantum technology applications such as the realization of ion-based quantum computers, quantum communication as well as quantum sensing.

On the one hand, the Fraunhofer ILT is working on the realization of laser-manufactured 3D precision components for the interface and interconnect components between the PIC and the fiber. On the other hand, in a second work package, an optical system for beam shaping and guiding will be developed, which will be used together with a high-power diode laser to grow novel insulator crystals with large Verdet constants. 

Project partners:

TOPTICA Photonics AG, RWTH Lehrstuhl für integrierte Photonik, Surfacenet GmbH, Laserline Gesellschaft für Entwicklung und Vertrieb von Diodenlasern mbH, Electro-Optics Technology GmbH

The production of large components, e.g. for hydraulic components or mining cylinders, requires high resources and costs. Ecological and economic aspects thus require a longer service life for these components. Wear and corrosion, however, significantly shorten their service life. Until now, these components have been protected with metallic coatings, which have ecological and technological disadvantages. The Laser Material Deposition (LMD) process enables the production of metallic dense coatings without environmentally harmful chemicals and noise emissions. Nevertheless, due to the need for expert knowledge and the low productivity in relation to the investment costs, LMD has been used only to a limited extent.

In the HIP-LMD (High-power LMD) project, a predictive simulation model is being developed to predict process parameters and layer geometry. The model takes into account factors such as laser power and scanning speed. Data for the model is generated through experiments and simulations. The model identifies cause-and-effect relationships of the LMD process and converts calculated process parameters into a machine-readable format. A non-destructive ultrasonic microscopy inspection method qualifies the coatings for pores and bonding defects.

The developed model enables scalable productivity to produce metallic coatings with thicknesses of 500 μm and coating rates exceeding 1 m²/h. This approach enables "first-time-right" production regardless of operator experience. The system can be easily integrated into existing production environments and opens up application opportunities for SMEs. By making this environmentally friendly technology available to the broader market, the project will help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling service providers to extend the life of components in mass markets.

The goal of this project is to build and operate a scalable elementary quantum processing unit based on trapped atomic ions. This platform features qubits with coherence times of several seconds and laser-driven gates of high quality. Individual optical addressing on smaller qubit registers together with dynamic configuration of registers by moving, swapping and regrouping the ions enables a scalable solution with high qubit connectivity. The quantum processor will be connected to the Mainz-based high-performance computer MOGON II with low latency and made available to external users as a user facility. At Fraunhofer ILT, advanced laser-based fabrication techniques for the monolithic segmented linear microchip ion trap are being further developed and adapted to the requirements of an innovative trap.

Project partners: 

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz – Institut für Physik, AKKA DSW GmbH, Fraunhofer IOF, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH – Theoretische Nanoelektronik, TOPTICA Photonics AG

The aim of this project is to research and implement novel three-dimensional photonic structures, for example geometrically twisted photonic crystal fibers or non-orientable microresonators. At the Fraunhofer ILT, the methods required to manufacture such structures are being developed based on selective laser structuring and laser modification processes. It is only through the use of micro- and nanoscale laser-based manufacturing processes that the production of such components becomes possible at all. In particular, the two manufacturing processes inverse laser beam drilling (ILB) and selective laser-induced etching (SLE) offer the required geometric degrees of freedom for the generation of three-dimensional photonic components.

Project partners: 

Fraunhofer ISC, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light MPL

The “MobiDART” research project aims to improve the repair of large parts and machine components in metalworking companies. This will be achieved by developing a mobile repair system. In current mobile maintenance, worn functional surfaces of large components are often repaired manually using TIG welding. MobiDART, on the other hand, relies on laser material deposition, which can be automated and allows for material and time saving deposition of material close to the final contour. In combination with CAM software, further resource and CO2 saving potentials are to be developed. These include a reduction of the applied material by a factor of 3 compared to TIG welding, less wear of the milling tools and less compressed air consumption due to shorter milling times. The project thus contributes to the economic and ecological optimization of the repair of key components in various industries.