Where Science Fiction Becomes Reality — 35th Anniversary of the Center for Micro- and Nanotechnologies at Chemnitz University of Technology
A flagship research center is celebrating its anniversary. The Center for Micro- and Nanotechnology (ZfM) at Chemnitz University of Technology is one of the world’s leading research institutions in the fields of microsystems technology and nanotechnology.
The valuable work carried out here over the past three and a half decades, in collaboration with partners such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems, has helped make Saxony Europe’s leading microelectronics hub today.
The director of the ZfM, Prof. Dr. Harald Kuhn, emphasizes that, despite all the pride in what has been achieved since the center’s founding in 1991, the opportunities and challenges facing the ZfM for the world of tomorrow are of paramount importance: “Micro- and nanotechnology are the foundation of modern innovation in today’s world. In every industry and every area of life, they make an invaluable contribution to making systems smarter, better, and safer. The significance of this technology has grown dramatically in the 35 years since the ZfM was founded—and that was just the beginning. The modernization of our cleanroom infrastructure through the construction of a new cleanroom will help us drive forward the new innovations that continually emerge as a result of the rapid development of technology, in the interest of research, the economy, and society.”
Kuhn also pointed out how much the ZfM’s integration into the region’s research and business landscape has contributed to its success—and will continue to do so: “At the Smart System Campus, where our center plays a central role, we particularly value the close collaboration with local companies and the strong value creation here in the Southwest Saxony region. In addition to Chemnitz University of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS, this successful environment also includes our many regional partners as well as the state of Saxony.”
Peter Bernshausen, Chancellor of Chemnitz University of Technology, praises the close connection between basic research and economic application at the ZfM: “What sounds like science fiction today could be state-of-the-art tomorrow.”