Nanostructured organic systems
The smallest structures in conventional semiconductor technology are many times thinner than a human hair. Yet the smaller the structures, the more effort and money is involved in the production process costs. Various organic systems have the advantage of arranging themselves into nanostructures within the framework of their synthesis process. By controlling the growth of these systems, experts at the Institute are developing new electronic and optoelectronic components with definite merits, such as small structure size, low power consumption, high efficiency and low production costs.
Optical and dielectrical properties of nanostructured materials
Organic and inorganic single and multiple layer coatings play a central role in modern technology. The Institute is predominantly involved with the production and modelling of multiple layer structures with defined optical and dielectrical properties, i.e. transmission and reflection, refractive index and absorption coefficient of these layer systems can be “fine tuned”. Furthermore, these materials can be applied onto very different substrates, such as plastics, metals or ceramics.
Optical and electronic properties of nanolayers
With nanotechnology, even optical and electronic properties which normally mutually exclude each other can be combined to create materials, which are for instance transparent and yet still good electric conductors. The Institute’s work is the physical characterisation of the electronic and optical properties of such systems, and their technological utilisation. The layer and interface systems developed here are chiefly used for improving the effectiveness of optical, electronic and optoelectronic components.
Photophysics of nanostructured systems
The visual process, as well as the modern transportation of data via glass fibres, is based on photophysics, i.e. the transport and processing of light. Researchers at the Institute are working out the principles for the targeted manipulation and control of light, assisted by nanostructured systems. In this way photonic techniques for writing three-dimensional nanostructures can be used for increasing the efficiency of solar cells and for enabling loss-free transmission and processing of light information.