On 27-28 September, the participating institutes of the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD) held their Innovation Day in Berlin. Experts from research and development explained current issues in the industry during the course of a symposium and accompanying exhibition. The focus of the first day fell on three keynote sessions discussing the topics of autarkic microsystems, LiDAR and industry 4.0. Our experts were also available for technical discussions between each of the presentations, where they explained the technical possibilities in more detail.

Autarkic microsystems are of crucial importance for developments in the area of "Internet of Things" (IoT) in particular. Major challenges need to be met in order for IoT devices to be able to work independently of fixed infrastructure – including extremely low energy consumption, durable energy supply and efficient wireless communication. When it comes to environmental sensors with LiDAR, the focus falls especially on autonomous vehicles and other mobile systems – all of which have a huge need for high-performance surround-sensors. The third thematic area was dedicated to smart sensors and MEMS. These are an important basis for innovations in industrial and process automation, for example. The FMD presented essential technological contributions and system solutions in this field, covering a broad range of requirements in terms of functionality, harsh environmental conditions, costs and development time. On the second day of the event, the first FMD integration line was opened at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and MicroiFirstntegration IZM in the presence of representatives from the political, scientific and business worlds.

The FMD is Europe's biggest multi-site R&D consortium in the field of micro-electronics, and exists as a research cooperation between the Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics and the Leibniz Institutes FBH and IHP