Working Groups

The SDI department’s Piezoelectric Technology (PT) research group  specializes in the system design of applications with piezoelectric components. We work with external partners, Fraunhofer IZM departments and their research groups to integrate piezoelectric technology onto chips and other substrates and develop the corresponding electronic technology, right up to and including system functionality.

Further areas of focus are integrating piezoelectric transformers and control technology into cutting-edge applications like super-flat, miniaturized power supplies for lighting and communication devices.  We also use piezoelectric transformers to reduce the build volume of high-voltage generators to less than half of that of conventional models.  Innovative power supplies using piezoelectric transformers are also a perfect solution in applications for household devices, sports equipment and vehicle shock absorbers, which are all currently exploding in number.

Another key focus of the research group is developing ASICs for highly integrated power supply units (power control, smart power), sensor technology (smart sensor) and RFID (autarkic systems, low power), and for energy harvesting (low power) and high temperature ASICs.

Highly miniaturized systems based on power electronic circuits and discrete electronics are designed using customized software in normalized state space, which accelerates the development of power converters dramatically.

Our research group also advances heuristic approaches to energy transfer systems and develops solutions for highly specialized challenges in the optimization of integrated circuits and systems. Here, our key focus is power conversion and sensitivity analysis.  We develop innovative algorithms that analyze how energy is processed in individual systems, an understanding of which significantly improves the reliability of energy transfer systems.  Using piezoelectric components and efficient design approaches, we deliver compact actuators, sensor technology and power conversion systems for conventional and cutting-edge applications based on passive or LTCC components.