Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWSThe Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS is part of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD)
The Fraunhofer IMWS is one of the leading application-oriented research institutes in the field of materials science. The core competencies of the Fraunhofer Institute are particularly in the field of characterization of materials down to the atomic scale as well as in material development.
The institute sees itself in particular as a point of contact for industry and public clients for all questions relating to microstructure-based diagnostics with the aim of developing technology for innovative and reliable materials, components and systems. In particular, the institute researches questions of application behavior, reliability, safety and service life of innovative materials in components and systems.
The Fraunhofer IMWS is home to the business unit “Materials and Components for Electronics” with around 35 employees. Its special expertise lies in the further development of methods of high-performance microstructural analysis and their targeted use for the evaluation and analysis of process-related and reliability-determining effects that have a significant influence on the functionality of microelectronic and power electronic components as well as micromechanical sensors and actuators. The work focuses specifically on the identification, analysis and control of electrical, electronic and mechanical defects in materials and components in microelectronics, power electronics and microsystems technology as well as related semiconductor and nanotechnologies. In these areas, the business unit works with leading international semiconductor manufacturers, producers of microelectronic and power electronic components and systems with applications primarily in reliability-critical automotive electronics, as well as in the field of modern electronic communication systems and in the consumer market.
