Electrical Engineering in Application: Students Visit the Technological Laboratory for Micro and Nanosystems
How exciting electrical engineering can be beyond lectures and scripts was recently experienced by students of the Internal link opens in the same window:“Electrical Engineering in Application” (ELA) program during a visit to the Internal link opens in the same window:Laboratory for Micro and Nanosystems at the Furtwangen University of Applied Sciences. ELA students from semesters 1 and 3 participated in the visit and gained impressive insights into applied research and modern laboratory technology.
The tour of the laboratory was expertly guided by Alexander Filbert and Dr. Julien Petit, who not only showed the participants the diverse technological equipment but also explained how it is used in concrete processes and projects.
In the Laboratory for Micro and Nanosystems, innovative miniaturized systems are developed – meaning that mechanical, optical, and electrical components are combined in the smallest spaces to create highly functional sensors, actuators, or medical applications. The students were able to see, among other things, how:
- Cleanroom technology and silicon technologies are used to manufacture micro and nanosystems, such as through specialized photolithography processes or thermal processes like oxidation and doping,
- Characterization devices like scanning electron microscopes (FIB-SEM), AFM, 3D profilers, or ellipsometers make complex structures visible and measurable,
- Coating and etching techniques are used to build up or structure layers, and how backend processes like chip bonding or wire bonding contribute to the creation of functional systems.
A highlight of the visit was the interaction with the project staff in the lab. The students had the opportunity to engage directly with engineers, ask questions, and learn more about ongoing research projects – from flexible electronics to micro- and opto-systems, to applications in medical technology and sensor technology.
The visit to the laboratory beautifully combined theory and practice, demonstrating how electrical engineering knowledge is applied in cutting-edge research environments.