Main research topics

The department "Materials in Electrical Engineering" is concerned with various research topics:

  • Surface technologies, thin film technology, PVD layer deposition (multi-level and mixed layers, metallization, functional layers, contacts).
  • Material analysis and material testing; coating metrology, mechanical and non-destructive material testing; Test Center Coating and Material Properties Ilmenau (Official Testing Laboratory, accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025)
  • Materials development, new materials, functional materials, metallization
  • contact materials and systems, lead-free solders, application tests

Range of services

  • Material development, coating development, material selection and optimization, development of coating materials and processes
  • Research on contact materials and contact systems, functional coatings
  • Development of methods for the characterization of thin films
  • Investigation of layer and material properties: X-ray diffraction (structure investigations, phase detection, stress measurements, scanning tunneling/atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (element analysis using EDX, EBSD, ESEM), analytical high-resolution transmisson electron microscopy with EDX and EELS, X-ray fluorescence (element analysis, layer thickness measurement, element depth profiles)
  • Special coating metrology: electrical coating and contact measurements, coating thickness, coating stresses, adhesive strength, hardness profiles, mechanical properties
  • Materials testing: mechanical properties, hardness, microhardness, universal hardness (hardness profile, electrical and plastic deformation energy), metallography with image processing, standard methods of non-destructive materials testing

Special equipment

  • Vapor deposition and sputtering equipment, PVC equipment
  • X-ray diffractometer, with additives for texture, thin films, residual stresses
  • Scanning probe microscope (AFM)
  • TEM transmission electron microscope TECNAI S20 with EDX, brightfield/darkfield imaging, STEM
  • Material testing equipment, metallographic preparation technique, microscopy, micro- and universal hardness, nanoindenter, coating stress meter, optical profilometer, GDOS, XRF, Thin Film Analyzer, Light Flash Analyzer
  • School X-ray facility
  • Electrical measurement technology, conductivity, U-I characteristics, degradation measuring station