The R&D activities will focus on state-of-the-art electronics for information and communications technology—which are urgently needed for Internet and mobile telephony. In particular, the aim is to develop the excellent properties offered by gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors for high-frequency, high-performance transistors and circuits to the point of industrial viability. This project and the network associated with it should be seen as a pilot structure and potential model for the future financing of innovative technological developments, combining cooperation between universities, public sector research institutes and industry.

With this new model, the State of North-Rhine Westphalia and the Aachen research region are introducing a new trend towards the efficient use of research funds for technology transfer. At the same time, students at RWTH Aachen will receive practical training going beyond the usual offering that can also be put into practice in a commercial environment. The new concept can be seen as a further extension to the Institut für Halbleitertechnik (the Institute for Semiconductor Technology headed by Prof. K. Heime, who will be retiring in the course of the year). It is being sponsored by the ITHE (the Chair of Electromagnetic Theory headed by Prof. R.H. Jansen), ISI/Jülich (the Institute for Thin Film and Ion Technology headed by Prof. H. Lüth) and AIXTRON AG’s research division (headed by Prof. M. Heuken).

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© AIXTRON April 2000