The Initial Training Network entitled "Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters for Self-Powered Automotive Sensors: from Advanced Lead-Free Materials to Smart Systems (ENHANCE)" will provide Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) with broad and intensive training within a multidisciplinary research and teaching environment. Key training topics will include development of energy harvesters compatible with MEMS technology and able to power wireless sensor. Applied to automobiles, such technology will allow for 50 kg of weight saving, connection simplification, space reduction, and reduced maintenance costs - all major steps towards creating green vehicles. Other important topics include technology innovation, education and intellectual asset management. ENHANCE links world-leading research groups at academic institutions to give a combined, integrated approach of synthesis/fabrication, characterization, modelling/theory linked to concepts for materials integration in devices and systems. Such a science-supported total engineering approach will lead towards efficient piezoelectric energy harvesters viable for the automotive industry.

ESRs will focus on this common research objective, applying a multidisciplinary bottom-up approach, which can be summarized by: "engineered molecule- advanced material- designed device - smart system". The main purpose of the ENHANCE project is to create a multidisciplinary joint research activity, implying chemistry, materials science, physics, mechanics, engineering and electronics to create harvesters with high-power density and their systems offering stabilized output voltage in 1-3 V range and adapted to specific needs of sensors with high autonomy and working in temperature ranges from room temperature (RT) to 600 °C in vehicles. We propose to develop hybrid scavenging of energies available in the cars (heat (Th) light (Lt) – vibration (vi)) and/or to use multiple conversions effects (piezoelectric (Pi) – pyroelectric (Py) – electromagnetic (EM) – photovoltaic (PV) by the same transducer - heterostructure based on piezoelectric/ferroelectric/multiferroic crystals, films or nanostructures and not by adding multiple individual transducers into one package – a common approach used in literature.

The approach of hybrid energy harvesting by single transducer, offering time efficient and simplified fabrication of hybrid system, is in line with the final goals of the project – creation of the systems of vibrational/thermal/light energy scavengers not only with sufficient efficiency of energy scavenging (300-500 μW/cm2/g2), but also with reasonable price and viable technologies of fabrication and integration for real industrial applications.

Further information

Video

Modern society relies on a multitude of electrical and electronic devices, from communication to industrial production and e-mobility. About 80% of them require the conversion of primary electricity into another form of electricity. Therefore, highly efficient electrical energy conversion is critical. This mainly depends on the power switching transistors used, which should have a as low as possible resistance in the on state and  a high reverse breakdown voltage at the same time. New semiconductor materials with a wide-band gap (WBG) such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) achieve a higher breakdown field strength than silicon and therefore devices can be made much more compact. Power electronic converters with higher efficiency than silicon based circuits have already been demonstrated on this basis.  

The new semiconductor material gallium oxide (Ga2O3) with its breakthrough field strength more than twice as high as that of SiC and GaN has the potential to further increase the efficiency of power converters equipped with it. For about six years, there has therefore been worldwide interest in research into new power electronic semiconductor components based on Ga2O3. The goal of ForMikro-GoNext is to demonstrate fully functional vertical Ga2O3 transistors. To achieve this goal, crystal growth, epitaxy and process technology will be further developed and coordinated. 

Project partners:  Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth (IKZ) / Ferdinand Braun Institute (FBH) / University of Bremen / ABB / AIXTRON SE.

The joint project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Press Release

The partners have already achieved promising results in the development of III-V multi-junction solar cells on silicon. However, further improvements in component performance and production costs need to be achieved before industrial use can take place. This includes a reduction of the dislocation density in the III-V solar cell layers from today 108 cm^-2 to the range of 1-5*10⁶ cm^-2, the demonstration of solar cells with efficiencies > 30 % and the optimization of the economic efficiency of the MOVPE growth processes. This "MehrSi" project addresses the most important development steps along this path. In particular, the following objectives should be achieved:
 

• Improved understanding of the nucleation of GaP or Al_xGa1-_xP on silicon including the influence of arsenic and n-dopants like Si or Te;
• Development of fast III-V nucleation processes by variation of Si pretreatment, temperature, heating and cooling rates;
• Development of transition layers in the lattice constant from Si to the III-V solar cell layers with < 5*10⁶ dislocations/cm²;
• Worldwide for the first time production of III-V multiple solar cells on Si with > 30 % efficiency;
• Cost analysis for the use of III-V-Si multiple solar cells in photovoltaic flat modules and development of a utilization strategy with German and/or European solar companies;
• Development of cost-effective MOVPE separation processes with the potential to scale to large areas;
• Education of master and doctoral students in an excellent scientific environment and publication of important results in respected scientific journals.

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The main objectives of the SiTaSol project are:
 

• to demonstrate a two-junction, two-terminal III-V/Si tandem solar cell with > 26% efficiency and a target of 30%, using less than 5 µm of III-V compound semiconductor material. This cell will allow a drop-in replacement for today's c-Si solar cells with minimum changes to the PV cell and module.
• to demonstrate PV prototype modules (including 2-10 cells in series) with > 24% efficiency
• to validate processes for the preparation of the growth substrate which are compatible with the cost targets of 0.05 € per 243 cm² wafer
• to validate scalable epitaxy processes for the III-V absorber layer deposition at a growth rate of 100 µm/h, deposition efficiency of 35% and V/III ratio of 3, compatible with the cost targets of 0.62 € per 243 cm² wafer and building a prototype reactor with minimum 100 cm2 deposition area.
• to investigate waste treatment and recycling methods for hydrogen and metals originating from the III-V growth which are compatible with the cost targets of 0.1 € per 243 cm² wafer
• to validate scalable processing routes for III-V/Si tandem solar cells which are compatible with the performance and cost targets
• to perform a detailed life-cycle assessment including socio-economic and environmental aspects
• to establish a theoretical model for the energy harvesting of PV modules with 2-terminal III‑V/Si tandem cells in different European locations

It should be noted that the project is focused on key drivers for realizing a cost competitive c-Si based tandem solar cell technology with outstanding efficiency potential well beyond the limits of single-junction devices.

Participants: AIXTRON SE, Germany / AIXTRON Ltd, United Kingdom / AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH, Germany / Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Germany / JOHANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Austria / Leiden University, The Netherlands / Topsil Semiconductor Materials A/S, Denmark

More information; (Website SiTasol here)

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece / University of Patras, Greece / University of Oxford, UK
University of Surrey, UK / University of Ioannina, Greece / Ecole Polytechnique, France / University of Stuttgart, Germany / Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Germany / Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany / Centro Ricerche Fiat, Italy / Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas, Greece / Horiba Jobin Yvon, France / Advent Technologies, Greece / COATEMA, Germany / COMPUCON Greece / AIXTRON Germany / Konarka, Germany / Oxford Lasers Ltd., UK

The APOLLON project concerns the optimization and development of point-focus and mirror-based spectro-selective photovoltaic concentration systems (Concentrator Photovoltaic, CPV) (multi approach). The different technology paths will be followed with special focus on the identified critical issues related to each system component in order to increase CPV efficiency, ensure reliability, reduce costs and environmental impact. (Multi Junction, MJ) MJ solar cells are manufactured using new materials and deposition technologies. These should make it possible to meet and even exceed the MJ solar cell efficiency target set in the European Strategic Research Agenda for Concentrated Photovoltaics. The optimisation of the Fresnel and prism lens and the development of new imaging, highly concentrated, cell self-protecting, stable optics will enable high optical efficiency and wide acceptance angles. New concepts are applied to mirror-based spectral splitting systems, which make it possible to eliminate the need for cooling. Both the optimized and new technologies are thoroughly tested to ensure reliable CPV systems with a long lifetime. High integration achieved with microelectronic and automotive lighting technologies for high-throughput assembly techniques, together with intelligent solutions for accurate, reliable, cost-effective tracking and reduced mismatch losses are being addressed in the project. Prototype systems will be developed for a complete ecological and economic evaluation, which will eventually lead to an economically attractive concentrating photovoltaic system. In APOLLON, all parties involved, from universities, SMEs, large companies to end users, will present scientifically valuable, usable and durable products, the results of which will be disseminated and used throughout Europe.

Participants: CESI RICERCA, Italy / AIXTRON SE, Germany / Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Laboratory of Photonics and Nanostructures, France / Energies Nouvelles et Environnment, Belgium / CENTRO RICERCHE PLAST-OPTICA, Italy, State Enterprise Scientific Research Technological - Institute of Instrument Engineering, Ukraine / Joint Research Centre (European Commission), EU / Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente, Italy / PV Technology Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering - University of Cyprus, Cyprus / CPower, Italy / Solar*Tec AG, Germany / Energy research Centre of the Netherlands, Netherlands / ENEL Produzione S. p.A, Italy, FUNDACIÓN ROBOTIKER, Spain, New and Renewable Energy Centre, Great Britain / University of Ferrara, Italy

Funded by the European Commission
 
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CNR, Italy / ST Microelectronics, Italy / Epichem Limited, UK / CSIS, Spain / Vilnius University, Lithuania

Our modern society has gained enormously from novel miniaturized microelectronic products with enhanced functionality at ever decreasing cost. However, as size goes down, interconnects become major bottlenecks irrespective of the application domain.

CONNECT proposes innovations in novel interconnect architectures to enable future CMOS scaling by integration of metal-doped or metal-filled Carbon Nanotube (CNT) composite. To achieve the above, CONNECT aspires to develop fabrication techniques and processes to sustain reliable CNTs for on-chip interconnects. Also challenges of transferring the process into the semiconductor industry and CMOS compatibility will be addressed.

CONNECT will investigate ultra-fine CNT lines and metal-CNT composite material for addressing the most imminent high power consumption and electromigration issues of current state-of-the-art copper interconnects. Demonstrators will be developed to show significantly improved electrical resistivity (up to 10µOhmcm for individual doped CNT lines), ampacity (up to 108A/cm2 for CNT bundles), thermal and electromigration properties compared to state-of-the-art approaches with conventional copper interconnects. Additionally, CONNECT will develop novel CNT interconnect architectures to explore circuit- and architecture-level performance and energy efficiency.

The technologies developed in this project are key for both performance and manufacturability of scaled microelectronics. It will allow increased power density and scaling density of CMOS or CMOS extension and will also be applicable to alternative computing schemes such as neuromorphic computing. The CONNECT consortium has strong links along the value chain from fundamental research to end‐users and brings together some of the best research groups in that field in Europe. The realisation of CONNECT will foster the recovery of market shares of the European electronic sector and prepare the industry for future developments of the electronic landscape.

More Information to connect

Freiberger Compound Materials GmbH (FCM), Germany / Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), Germany / University of Ulm, Germany / Max-Planck-Institute of Microstructure Physics (MPI), Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

SOITEC, France / STMicroelectronics, France / AMD Saxony, Germany / SILTRONIC, Germany / DOLPHIN, France / CEA-LETI, France / FZ Juelich, Germany / MPE-Halle, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

AIXTRON Taiwan

NCSR-D, Greece / IMEC, Belgium / IBM, Switzerland / CEA-LETI, France / STMicroelectronics, France / NXP Semiconductors, Belgium / University of Glasgow, UK / Katholike Universitaet Leuven, Belgium

Adixene: Alcatel VacuumTechnology France SAS, France / AIS Automation Dresden GmbH, Germany / AIXTRON SE, Germany / ASM International NV, Netherlands / ASML Netherlands B.V., Netherlands / Bronkhorst, Netherlands / CEA-LETI, France / EV Group E. Thallner GmbH, Austria / Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik(Fraunhofer IOF), Germany / Fraunhofer Institut für integrierte Systeme und Bauelementetechnologie (Fraunhofer IISB), Germany / HAP GmbH, Germany / IBS Precision Engineering B.V., Netherlands / IMEC, Belgium / Intel Performance Learning Solutions, Ireland / Mattson Thermal Products GmbH, Germany / NanoPhotonics GmbH, Germany / PTB (Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt), Germany / Oxford Intruments Plasma Technology Ltd., Great Britain / PVA TePla AG, Germany / SemiQuarz GmbH, Germany / Recif Technologies SAS, France / SEMILAB Semiconductor Laboratory Co Ltd, Hungary / Siltronic AG, Germany / S.O.I.TEC Silicon on Insulator S.A., France / TNO, Netherlands / Vistec Electron Beam GmbH, Germany / Xycarb Ceramics BV, Netherlands

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

AIXTRON SE, Germany / Danish Technological Institute, Denmark / Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands / Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH & Jülich-Aachen Research Alliance, Germany / Ruhr University Bochum, Germany / Vienna University of Technology, Austria / University of Helsinki, Finland / University of Padova, Italy

The consortium in the "HEA2D" project is investigating the fundamentals for continuous processing chains of 2D nanomaterials with the aim of developing processes for series production.

Further Information

HEA2D in the media
 

AIXTRON SE, Germany / Freie Universität Berlin, Germany / Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin, Germany

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology 

Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), Germany / Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak Republic / Vienna University of Technology, Austria / University of Padua, Italy / AIXTRON SE, Germany / Artesyn Austria GmbH & Co. KG, Austria / EpiGaN, Belgium / Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Austria

Further information about the project

FBH, Germany / FCM, Germany / OSRAM, Germany / Fraunhofer IAF, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Uni Montpellier, France / Epichem, UK / SAES Getters, Italy

RWTH Aachen, Germany / Head Acoustics, Germany / Uni Twente, The Netherlands / Uni Tel Aviv, Israel / EKD, Spain / NetKnowledge, Israel / Cerobear, Germany / Morskate, The Netherlands / Optibase, Israel

Philips Technologie GmbH, Germany / AIXTRON SE, Germany / BASF SE, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

ASM International, The Netherlands / Air Liquide, France / Bronkhorst, The Netherlands / Conti Temic Microelectronic GmbH, Germany / Infineon Technologies, Germany / NXP Semiconductors, Belgium, Netherlands / Oxford Instruments, UK / R3T GmbH, Germany / SAFC Hitech, UK / STMicroelectronics, France / CEA-LETI, France / IHP, Germany / IMEC, Belgium / Technical University of Eindhoven, The Netherlands / Tyndall National Instiute, Ireland / University of Helsinki, Finland

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

FZ Jülich, Germany / AIR Liquide, France / LMPG, France / Epichem, UK / Jobin Yvon, France / CEA-LETI, France / ST Microelectronics, France

ST Microelectronics, France / ST Microelectronics, Italy / IMEC, Belgium / LMPG, France / CEA-LETI, France / LTM, France / AIR Liquide, France / Jordan Valley, Israel / NCSR, Greece / MDM, Italy / Sigma Aldrich, United Kingdom

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

INOVA LISEC TECHNOLOGIEZENTRUM GMBH, Austria / PROFACTOR GMBH, Austria / ENERGY GLAS GMBH, Germany / DURST PHOTOTECHNIK SPA, Italy / TIGER Coatings, Italy / CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE, Italy / UNIVERSITÄT LINZ, Austria / UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UK / UNIVERSITÄT KASSEL, Germany / KOREA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION, Republic of Korea

CEA-LETI, France / IMEC, Belgium / Acreo, Sweden / Schott, Germany / Alcatel Thales, France / ASMI, The Netherlands / EPIC, European Organisation / VDI-TZ, Germany / CNOP-OV, France / Yole Development, France

EPFL, Switzerland / Jacobs University Bremen, Germany / University of Dublin, Ireland / Institute Jozef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia / Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel / SCM, Netherlands / Evonik Industries AG, Germany

Alacatel Thales III-V Lab, France / Czech Technical University, Czech Republic / Element Six Ltd., UK / EPFL, Switzerland / Fcubic AB, Sweden / FORTH, Greek / Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd., UK / University Of Glasgow, UK / Impact Coatings AB, Sweden / IEE, Slovakia / CNRS, France / Instytut Technologii Elektronowej, Poland / IVF, Sweden / University of Grenoble, France / MFA, Hungary / MicroGaN GmbH, Germany / SIFAM Fibre Optics, UK / STU, Slovakia / University of Ulm, Germany / University of Vienna, Austria / University Of Bath, UK / Vivid Components Ltd., UK

Konarka, Austria / Photeon Technologies, UK / University of Rome, Italy / University of Linz, Austria / University of Bath, UK / ILC, Slovakia / Holotools, Germany

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany / Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany / University of Valencia, Spain / European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France / University of Cambridge, UK / University College Cork, Ireland / Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands / Hochschule RheinMain, Germany / Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy / Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.p.A., Italy / Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands

OSRAM, Germany / Fraunhofer IAF, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

TU Berlin, Germany / LayTec, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

University Duisburg-Essen, Germany / AIXTRON SE, Germany

Würth Solar, Germany / ZSW, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Azzurro GmbH, Germany / MicroGaN GmbH, Germany / Infineon AG, Germany / SiCrystal AG, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Philips, Germany and The Netherlands / CNRS, France / CNR-ISOF, Italy / Merck OLED Materials, Germany / Fraunhofer IPM, Germany / H.C. Starck, Germany / IMEC, Belgium / KU Leuven, Belgium / Uni Lecce, Italy / Novaled, Germany / OSRAM-OS, Germany / Academy of Sciences, Poland / Schott, Germany / Siemens, Germany / Syntec, Germany / Uni Dresden, Germany / Uni Ghent, Belgium / Uni Groningen, The Netherlands / University of Kassel, Germany /EPFL, Switzerland / University of Strasbourg, France

OLLA project delivers final OLED milestone

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Germany / Philips GmbH, Germany / BASF Future Business GmbH, Germany / Applied Materials, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

TEI of Crete (coordinator), Imperial College London (UK), University of Oxford (UK), Politechnico di Milan (IT), University of St-Andrews (UK), Cyprus University of Technology (CY), Johannes Keppler University of Linz (AT), University of Groningen (HOL), Friedrich-Alexander Universitat Erlangen -Nurnberg (GER), Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser – IESL (GR), Technion Israel Institute of Technology (ISR), NanoForce Ltd (UK), Solvay S.A. (BEL), Ceradrop (FR), Beneq (FIN), AIXTRON (GER)

The main objective of the Life Long Learning (LLP) Erasmus Project ‘Organic Electronics & Applications’ – OREA is the development of a MSc curriculum in the field of Organic Electronics. The project benefits from the synergy between Universities, Research Institutions and Enterprises.

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RWTH Aachen, Germany / FCT, Germany / Bruker Optik, Germany / AIS, Germany / Fraunhofer IWS, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Philips, Germany / RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

HMI, Germany / Merck OLED Materials, Germany

Within the PeroBOOST joint project, effective lead-free solar cells based on PerOwSkiT for energy system transformation are being researched along the value chain, consisting of starting materials, deposition processes, solar cell production, encapsulation and scaling processes.

The focus of AIXTRON's subproject is on the investigation of evaporation processes and equipment for the deposition of PerOwSkiT materials. An essential part of the work in PeroBOOST is the research of innovative test rigs and their scaling.

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European Network

Philips Technologie GmbH, Germany / AIXTRON SE, Germany / Fraunhofer Institut für Lasertechnik ILT, Germany / RWTH, Germany/ ESI GmbH, Germany / LIMO Lissotschenko Mikrooptik GmbH, Germany

Funded by NRW Ministry for Innovation, Science, Research and Technology

Philips Technologie GmbH, Germany / AIXTRON SE, Germany / Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Germany / University of Cologne, Germany

Funded by NRW Ministry for Innovation, Science, Research and Technology

University of Wurzburg, Germany / Becker & Hickl GmbH, Germany / Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Germany / University of Bremen, Germany / Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, Germany / qutools GmbH, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

CNRS, France / TU Berlin, Germany / University of Madrid, Spain / University of Bologna, Italy / Alcatel Thales III-V Labs, France / University of Glasgow, UK / University Of Jena, Germany / EPFL, Switzerland / University of Warwick, UK / University of Ilmenau, Germany / IFPAN, Poland / TKK, Finland

IPHT, Germany / MPI, Germany / EMPA, Switzerland / MFA, Hungary / Austrian Research Center GmbH, Austria / VTT, Finland / PICOSUN, Finland / BiSOL, Slovenia / WTC, Germany / iSuppli, Germany / CalTech, USA

European Network

Infineon Technologies, Germany / Fraunhofer IISB, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Novaled AG, Dresden / Sensient Imaging Technologies GmbH, Westphalian Wilhelm University of Münster / Fraunhofer IPMS, Dresden / Symboled GmbH / Fresnel Optics GmbH / Hella KGaA Hueck & Co / Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik GmbH / AEG-MIS mbH / University of Paderborn

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Further informationen about the project

University of Würzburg, Germany / University of Marburg, Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

University of Cambridge, UK / AIXTRON SE, Germany / Philips GmbH, Germany / IMEC, Belgium / Thales Research and Technology, France / Thales Electron Devices, France / Cambridge CMOS sensors, UK / Fritz Haber Institute, Germany / TU Berlin, Germany / Technical University of Denmark, Denmark / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETHZ

Freiberger Compound Materials GmbH (FCM), Germany / Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), Germany / University of Ulm, Germany / Nanoelectronic materials laboratory GmbH (NaMLab), Germany / Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF), Germany

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

AMD, Germany / Infineon, Germany / Wacker Siltronic, Germany / FZ Jülich, Germany / MPI, Germany / IMEC, Belgium

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

OSRAM Optosemiconductors, Germany / Royal Philips Electronics, The Netherlands / BASF Future Business GmbH, Germany / BASF, Germany

The term AVD^® is a registered trademark.

Thales-TRT, France / CNRS, France / TU Wien, Austria / Academy of Science, Slovakia / EPFL, Switzerland / FORTH, Greece / University of Ulm, Germany

RWTH Aachen, Germany / mecca neue medien, Germany / JET Lasersysteme, Germany

University of Hong Kong, China / University of Tsinghua, China / RWTH Aachen, Germany