Collaboration with Feng Chia University

Targeting new markets: Fraunhofer IST becomes involved in Taiwan

Fraunhofer IST /

On June 1st, 2018 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed that sealed the partnership between Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST and Feng Chia University, that had already existed since 2014.

Prof. Bing-Jean Lee (left) and Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer (right) sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Fraunhofer IST and the Feng Chia University.
© Fraunhofer IST
Prof. Bing-Jean Lee (left) and Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer (right) sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the Fraunhofer IST and the Feng Chia University.
Dr. Ralf Bandorf receives the certificate of appointment for a Distinguished Chair Professorship at Feng Chia University (f.l.t.r.: Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer, Prof. Bing-Jean Lee, Dr. Ralf Bandorf, Prof. Jin-Huang Huang).
© Fraunhofer IST
Dr. Ralf Bandorf receives the certificate of appointment for a Distinguished Chair Professorship at Feng Chia University (f.l.t.r.: Prof. Dr. Günter Bräuer, Prof. Bing-Jean Lee, Dr. Ralf Bandorf, Prof. Jin-Huang Huang).

The intention of the Memorandum of Understanding is to strengthen the collaboration between the two organizations in the field of vacuum technology and surface engineering. “The focus of our collaboration is the industrialization of scientific-technologic development,” emphasizes Prof. Bing-Jean Lee. “Therefore Fraunhofer is the perfect match for this partnership,” Professor Günter Bräuer, Director of the Fraunhofer IST in Braunschweig states, “We expect excellent synergies as we have a matching philosophy: our approach is application and customer centered and we see unique possibilities to jointly approach the Asian market.”

As a first step, a joint center for highly ionized plasmas shall be installed. From the German side, the internationally renowned expert in highly ionized plasmas and processes, Dr. Ralf Bandorf from Fraunhofer IST, will be the coordinator. He has been assigned as Distinguished Chair Professor at Feng Chia University since February 2018. His counterpart in Taiwan is Professor Ju-Liang He from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Both scientists agree: “We perfectly complement each other.”

While in Taiwan the focus of the research centers on flexible substrates and web coating, the Fraunhofer IST pushes the technology development of highly ionized plasmas, mainly considering rigid substrates like technical work pieces ranging from mechanical engineering to photovoltaics and architectural glazing. Besides the process development, hardware will also be further developed. “We have lots of ideas,” Dr. Bandorf comments. “And we are looking forward to jointly realizing them,” Prof. He adds.