Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Division Engineering of Adaptive SystemsThis year, our employees have filled our labs and research halls with Christmas magic. You can see how they did it in this video.
Only our chips suffer from Christmas stress – which is why we bake and freeze them all year round
In our microelectronics laboratories, we put your integrated circuits through their paces at the wafer or package level. Like the contrast between frosty outside temperatures and a cozy living room, our aging tests monitor the components through temperatures of -40°C to 300°C. Additional degradation analyses show how robust the circuits are when exposed to varying voltage and temperature conditions in everyday use.
More information on our laboratory for IC reliability testing (wafer prober laboratory)
We’re printing the future – not just snowmen
In our laboratories, there’s a special mood in the air during the festive season. While Christmas lights flicker outside, we’re tinkering away inside with our 3D printer to produce functional prototypes such as our time tagger – a high-precision stopwatch for electronic signals that is used in applications including quantum computing or quantum communication. Here, we develop hands-on, practical solutions for robust electronics – including everything from component fitting and fine soldering to commissioning and the safeguarding of functionality.
More information on our Application Center for Quantum Communication
The swinging snowman – but with precision
From dancing snowman to validated sensor – in our lab, we use a shaker and laser vibrometer to measure the transmission of vibrations to the sensor housing, for example.
We uncover problems before your device meets the critical eyes of your customers. By doing so, we make sure your devices are on a stable »footing« even in turbulent times. We’re also working on smart sensors that operate in the background to ensure that everything goes smoothly – not only at Christmas.
Advent time's here the Milling Machine runs clear
In our demo production – the real-world laboratory of the AI Application and Test Center – you can gain direct insight into how AI makes the production process smarter. The starting point is a classic milling machine, which we use to demonstrate how smart retrofitting works and how existing machines can be made data-capable. No Christmas magic, just smart sensor technology and edge AI for greater reliability and more efficient maintenance. Our demo production facility, which currently has five stations, has a flexible design and can also serve as a test environment for your individual questions.
From Christmas decorations to adaptive assembly tasks
During the festive season, you’ll also find our robots hard at work in our lab and actively helping to decorate the Christmas tree. To prevent them from damaging the fragile Christmas decorations, we develop sensitive, adaptive algorithms to control the robotics hardware. For safe and robust handling of even the most complex assembly tasks – perhaps also coming soon to your production process?
Sustainable and reliable heating – not only at Christmas but also all year round
Christmas is a stressful time of year, particularly for Santa Claus and his helpers. To keep the workshop heating system running reliably and sustainably despite snowstorms, he put it through its paces in summer using our hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) test bench and climate chamber. A smart move! Our lab is also available for testing your components and systems – no matter what climate you need to emulate.
We’d like to thank you for your trust and excellent collaboration. Here’s to many more successful projects in 2026!
Professor Peter Schneider and Dr. Wolfgang Felber
Directors of the Division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS