As the demand for faster, smaller, and more cost-effective electronics remains high, so does the need for researchers to innovate and develop novel solutions that deliver superior performance, speed, and reliability. In this context, the ability to create new material utilizing nanomaterials becomes more important. These innovations are driving the development of new and exciting technologies, and part of this change is the ability for users to characterize materials with more precision than ever before.

Discover what challenges and applications fellow researchers address using microscopy summarized in an eBook.

Roland Brunner's working group “Material and Damage Analytics” at the MCL is focussing on the development and utilization of advanced image-based methods (XCT, synchrotron nano-tomography, FIB-tomography, neutron-tomography, FESEM etc.) as well as on correlated imaging workflows.   The group has a strong focus on materials for microelectronics and energy storage.

Although nanocrystalline metallic alloy thin films provide a variety of interesting properties especially for engineering applications there are some challenges which need to be solved. A big drawback concerns the generation of residual stresses evolving during the deposition process, limiting their performance.

Here, particularly the understanding of the stress evolution with respect to the occurrence of tensile and compressive stress within the thin film is of high importance for his group.

In general, the material microstructure impacts the material characteristics. Therefore, a profound knowledge of the underlying structure-property relationships is crucial for Roland Brunner and his group.