Working Group Micro and Nanotechnology

Scientific profile

The micro and nanotechnology working group has its focus on innovative micro and nanotechnological methods and processes in order to implement highly-integrated, multilayered structural and functional elements for the sensor concepts studied in the research department and to investigate methods for the production of plasmonic nanomaterials for biophotonic applications, as well as micro and nanooptical components. Technologically speaking, these activities are based on an intricate combination of thin-film technology for metallic and dielectric materials, microsystem technology, and nanolithography.

The group possesses great technological expertise in the coating and structuring of complex structures at the micro and nanoscale level. The research activities range from the development of ultrathin single-photon detectors to cantilever-design multi-pixel arrays (bolometer arrays) of radiation sensors for the IR and THz spectral range, as well as miniaturized optical magnetometers and ultrasensitive superconducting quantum detectors for magnetic field measurement. On the basis of nanolithographic top-down methods, research is performed on solid-state quantum bits, extremely miniaturized waveguide components (photonic crystals, planar waveguides), metallic nanostructures and metamaterials for ultrasensitive molecular spectroscopy (SERS, SEIRA), and even custom developments for partners in research and industry.

Research topics

• MEMS bolometer technologies for passive THz sensors
• Multilayer technologies for superconducting detectors
• Single-photon detectors
• Atomic layer deposition of oxides, nitrides, and ultrathin layer stacks
• Implementation of microfabricated macroscopic quantum objects (QuBit)
• Top-down nanostructuring at the wafer level
• Nanooptics and plasmonics
• Microoptics and optical waveguides

Addressed fields of application

• THz detection and imaging
• Energy-resolving single-photon detection in the visible spectral range
• Quantum detectors for magnetic field measurement
• Chip-based plasmonic substrates for Raman and surface-enhanced molecular spectroscopy (SERS, SEIRA)
• Diffractive optical elements (DOEs) and imaging diffraction gratings for spectroscopic system developments
• Custom developments for partners in research and industry