Third-party funded projects

This project explores integrating ultra-wide band gap oxides (GeO₂, SrSnO₃) with silicon using nanomembrane transfer and metamorphic buffer layers. It aims to demonstrate doping strategies and device functionality, enabling applications in power electronics, environmental monitoring, and UV optoelectronics. The research addresses key material challenges, advancing semiconductor technology for energy, automotive, and sensor applications.

This project explores the use of silicon vacancy (VSi) centers in SiC for on-chip quantum memories and sensors, controlled by high-frequency surface acoustic waves (SAWs). By integrating powerful piezoelectric films on SiC, the team aims to enable efficient SAW excitation and coherent spin manipulation. Part of the HINA Doctoral Network, this research advances photonic and acoustic technology, targeting industrial applications with cutting-edge performance.

The Fabulous II project aims to uncover the mechanisms behind reduced recombination processes and the influence of dark triplet states in achieving high-performance organic solar cells with non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) that exhibit fill factors (FFs) exceeding 80%. However, the factors that determine why certain material combinations succeed while others fail remain unclear. Developing a general design rule to address this challenge will be a significant contribution of the project.

The discovery of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at SrTiO₃/LaAlO₃ interfaces revolutionized oxide heterostructures, enabling spin-orbitronics. However, SrTiO₃ 2DEGs function optimally only at low temperatures, and 2D hole gases (2DHGs) remain elusive. This study explores BaSnO₃-based 2DEGs with high mobility and SrTiO₃/KTaO₃-based 2DHGs to overcome these limitations.

Within the framework of the priority program INtegrated TERahErtz sySTems Enabling Novel Functionality (INTEREST) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), terahertz injection locking of Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs) with novel, modified Uni-Travelling Carrier (MUTC) photodiodes (PDs) will be developed in cooperation with Universität Duisburg-Essen (UDE, Duisburg), and the Institute of Optical Sensor Systems of the German Aerospace Center (HU/DLR, Berlin).

Within the framework of the priority program INtegrated TERahErtz sySTems Enabling Novel Functionality (INTEREST) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), micro-integrated quantum-cascade transceivers for high-resolution spectroscopy and space applications will be developed in cooperation with the "Institute of Optical Sensor Systems" of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), and the Ferdinand Braun Institute (FBH), both located in Berlin.

The emergence of atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials and their van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures has sparked new scientific interest, offering unprecedented electronic properties for next-generation technologies. 2D magnets—the latest addition to the 2D family—have unique characteristics that make them ideal for vdW heterostructure designs. 2D magnets have the potential to revolutionize magnetic sensors and spintronic technologies, particularly tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) devices. However, reliable and tunable TMR devices pose challenges with conventional materials. The MagicTune project aims to address these challenges by controlling spin-polarized tunneling in 2D MTJs through twist angle and gate voltage control, achieving large and tunable TMR at room temperature.

OPVStability aims to identify robust molecular structures and device configurations that enable both efficiency and long-term stability in organic photovoltaics. The project seeks to develop a comprehensive understanding of degradation pathways on molecular level and stability-enhancing factors across materials, interfaces, and morphological aspects. Additionally, it strives to create predictive tools for assessing device longevity and to devise strategies for producing durable organic solar cells.

This project employs cryogenic scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to create atom-based quantum structures on semiconductor surfaces and explore their electronic properties by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. By assembling ionized adatoms with atomic precision, the researchers aim to construct quantum dots and complex arrays with tunable electronic properties. The goal is to gain detailed insights into electron behavior in reduced dimensions, crucial for fundamental science and future quantum technologies.

This research project aspires to make a transformative step away from the established paradigm of few element, simple and single crystalline structures, and towards more complex novel semiconductor materials and hybrid structures. This collaborative project aims at investigating next-generation organic semiconductors for photovoltaics and spintronic applications.