Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD - Photonics, Optics, Engineering, Innovation across Disciplines

The application for the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD was approved on 27 September 2018 by the Expert Commission of the Federal Government and the German States. The funding is valid from 1 January 2019 for seven years. In addition to researchers from Leibniz Universität Hannover, the TU Braunschweig, the Laser Zentrum Hannover and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics Hannover (Albert Einstein Institute) are involved.

Implementing precision optical systems quickly and cost-effectively with additive manufacturing is the vision of PhoenixD. Researchers from mechanical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, computer science and chemistry will work together on the simulation, production and application of optical systems. So far, such systems are usually made on a glass basis in small-scale operations, often by hand. Experts from different disciplines now want to work together on a digitized production system so that individualized products can be realized.

The system opens up far-reaching possibilities for applications. In agriculture, for example, the use of chemicals could be minimized. The new systems allow a sensor to detect weeds, which are then treated with lasers. For such applications, optical components have been too expensive to manufacture. Even individualized optics for the medical sector is an application option. For example, a near-patient blood analysis for the diagnosis of diseases is possible.