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From the institutes
Wireless data at top speed Digital cameras and camcorders now provide high-definition film sequences several giga-bytes in size. But unfortunately, it takes several minutes to send the image data via Bluetooth to your home computer. A fast alternative is offered by the “multi-gigabit communication module,” which is six times faster than a USB cable.
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Short news
Smart controls for warning lights on wind turbines
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The last word…
… comes from Dr. Veronika Glaw from Fraunhofer IZM
»» page 16
From the institutes
Unmanned robots save lives
After a disaster, the coordination in the af-fected area can be very difficult. Searching for survivors in unfavorable terrain is often particularly tricky, as well as being risky for the rescue teams. The EU project ICARUS, in which Fraunhofer IZM is involved, is working on making searching for survivors both on water and on land as effective as possible. »» page 6
From the institutes
What the look on your face reveals about you The software SHORE™, developed at Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, detects and analyzes facial expressions, with success: Two applica-tions based on the software have already received awards.
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Title
Terahertz waves: small structures for high frequencies
Ultrafast data transmission, detec-tion of concealed weapons, or diagnosis of diseases – the range of potential applications for terahertz waves is enormous. Around the world, science and industry are working on developing electronic circuits for this previously largely unused spectral range. Fraunhofer IAF has set a European record by attaining a frequency of 0.66 THz. »» page 4
Content: Events page 2 From the institutes page 3 Title page 4Interview page 5 From the institutes page 6Fraunhofer around the world page 12 Short news page 13Imprint page 15
A visit to the Land of the Morn-ing Calm. Photo: wikipedia.de / Jpatokal » page 12
“We are now able to achieve frequencies of over 600 GHz.“Interview with Dr. Arnulf Leuther. Photo: Fraunhofer IAF » page 5
Section of an integrated circuit with ultrafast transistor. Photo: Fraunhofer IAF
October 2012 48
Fraunhofer VµE Microelectronics News
Events
While every care is taken to ensure that this information is correct, no liability can be accepted for omissions or inaccuracies.
Preadvice INC 9The Ninth International Nanotechnology Conference on Communication and Cooperation
Berlin, Germany May 14-17, 2013
Date Event / WWW Location Group institutes involved
10/15/2012 - 10/17/2012
International Conference on Planarization 2012 www.conference.vde.com/icpt-2012/Pages/ICPT2012.aspx
Grenoble, France ISIT
10/22/2012 - 10/26/2012
IST World Congress 2012 www.itsworldcongress.at
Vienna, Austria ESK
10/23/2012 - 10/27/2012
EuroBLECH 2012 www.euroblech.com
Hannover, Ger-many
IZFP
10/26/2012 - 10/27/2012
AES San Francisco 2012 www.aes.org
San Francisco, USA
IIS
10/28/2012 - 11/02/2012
EUROPEAN MICROWAVE WEEK 2012www.eumweek.com
Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands
FHR
11/06/2012 - 11/08/2012
VISION 2012 www.messe-stuttgart.de
Stuttgart, Germany
HHI, IMS, IPMS
11/08/2012 3rd Fraunhofer CNT Research Daywww.cnt.fraunhofer.de
Dresden, Germany
CNT
11/13/2012 - 11/15/2012
nano SAFE 2012 www.nanosafe.org
Grenoble, France
11/13/2012 - 11/16/2012
electronica 2012 www.electronica.de
Munich, Germany
EMFT,IMS, IPMS, ISIT
11/14/2012 - 11/16/2012
COMPAMED 2012 www.compamed.de
Düsseldorf, Germany
EMFT
11/14/2012 - 11/17/2012
MEDICA 2012 www.medica.de
Düsseldorf, Ger-many
EMFT, HHI, IIS, IPMS, IDMT
11/27/2012 - 11/29/2012
SPS OPC Drives 2012 www.mesago.de/de/SPS/home.htm
Nuremberg, Ger-many
ESK
01/21/2013 - 01/23/2013
HiPEAC 2013 www.hipeac.net/conference
Berlin, Germany FOKUS
01/28/2013 - 01/31/2013
Arab Health 2013 www.arabhealthonline.com
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
IPMS
02/02/2013 - 02/07/2013
Photonics West 2013 http://spie.org/x2584.xml
San Francisco, USA
IPMS
3
The GoalRef system was developed by researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. “The technology works in a similar way to that of the theft protection of a department store,” ex-plained René Dünkler, spokesman for the GoalRef project. Ten antennas behind the goalpost and crossbar create and monitor a weak magnetic field. As soon as the ball nears the goal line, the field is influenced by thin spools in the soccer ball. A proces-sor is then able to determine, by means of the antenna signal, whether the ball fully crossed the goal line or not.
“GoalRef is a bit like an invisible curtain behind the crossbar and the goal line. As soon as the ball fully passes through this ‘curtain,’ it is recognized as a goal,” says Ingmar Bretz, project head of GoalRef. The system then automatically sends this infor-mation in real time via encoded radio sig-nals to the referees, whose special wrist watches display the result visually and by means of vibration.
Fraunhofer technology performed well in both phases of the test
The IFAB investigated the possible use of technical aids after several incorrect rul-ings, including the disallowed goal for Eng-land in the game against Germany in the 2010 World Cup. Eight goal-line technolo-gy systems were initially tested for the In-ternational Football Association Board last November and December. The evaluation criteria were compiled by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Tech-nology (EMPA). Only two systems managed to qualify for the next test phase with this set of criteria – including GoalRef from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen.
In the second test phase, the independent testers of the EMPA put both systems through rigorous tests in the laboratory as well as in field tests, training, and live pro-fessional matches. To test reliability and also whether the referees receive prompt notifica-
tion, several thousand goals were evaluated for each system. The GoalRef system passed these extensive tests with flying colors.
Robust enough for a shot from Ronaldo
“In the test and test matches we used a ball made by our development partner of many years, the Danish manufacturer Se-lect,” explained René Dünkler. Peter Knap, CEO of Select and Derbystar: “The chal-lenge was to develop a ball that could withstand even a shot from Ronaldo and, at the same time, communicate with the intelligent goal.” The iball is also available under the name Derbystar. In the future, balls from other manufacturers will be able to use the GoalRef technology as well.
The IFAB has now decided that the two goal-line technologies GoalRef and Hawk-Eye – a camera-based solution – will have their tournament debut. Both systems will be evaluated at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan in December.
From the institutes
Contact: René Dünkler Phone +49 911 58061-3203 [email protected] Institute for Integrated Circuits IISNordostpark 93 90411 Nuremberg Germanywww.iis.fraunhofer.de
Goal or no goal?
Heated debates about whether the ball was “in” or not might soon be a thing of the past. The international soccer federation FIFA will place its trust in technology to settle this touchy subject in the future. The Interna-tional Football Association Board (IFAB) has decided to use the goal-line technology GoalRef and Hawk-Eye in the FIFA Club World Cup. If the test is a success, the green light will be given for wider use.
Photo: Fraunhofer IIS / Kurt Fuchs
GoalRef detects whether the ball’s entire circumference crossed the goal line.Photo: Fraunhofer IIS / Kurt Fuchs
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Aus den Instituten
4
Title
Flames leap from the building and black smoke is rising. The fire department is al-ready on the scene to fight the fire in the apartment building. Is anyone still inside? The heavy smoke makes it difficult to see and search for survivors. Terahertz technol-ogy, however, could make it much easier in the future for rescue teams to find people in burning buildings.
Terahertz waves can penetrate smoke, dust, fog, and clothing – even from several hun-dred meters away. The electromagnetic waves are absorbed to different degrees by different materials, and do not damage the material. In combination with imaging tech-niques, an individual profile can be gener-ated: a person can be detected reliably de-spite thick smoke.
Terahertz frequencies have great potential
The potential of the high-frequency range lies not only in rescue operations. Security personnel can discreetly detect persons car-rying concealed weapons, even in a large crowd. Terahertz waves can be used to transmit large quantities of data over short ranges many times faster than is currently possible. Doctors can also see new possibil-ities in the diagnosis of diseases. The varied potential applications are one of the main reasons why science and industry are in-terested in opening up the high-frequency spectral range.
The terahertz range – with frequencies of between 300 GHz and 3 THz and wave-lengths of less than 1 mm and greater than 100 µm – lies on the electromagnetic spec-trum between infrared and microwave. For a long time, terahertz waves were largely off-limits, because it was not technologically possible to manufacture electronic circuits that could use them. Transistors with high electron mobility and system architectures with many transmitting and receiving chan-nels are needed to make use of the high-frequency range.
European record at Fraunhofer IAF
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF were the first in Europe to achieve a cutoff frequency of 0.66 THz. The record was attained using transistors made of III/V semiconductor structures (InGaAs/InAlAs) that give electrons an enormous drift speed. In conjunction with a transistor gate length of only 20 nm (approximately the length of a chain of 100 atoms), this made such high frequencies possible. Fraunhofer IAF in Freiburg is work-ing closely in this field with the electronics company Sony Germany GmbH. “Over the next few years, we will work with our in-dustrial partner to break the 1 THz barrier,” states Institute director Prof. Dr. Oliver Ambacher with confidence.
In addition to the advantage of a high bandwidth, integrated circuits with fast transformers are of a very small size and have low energy consumption. Because they are also low-noise devices, they form the ideal technological basis for future tera-hertz systems. The technology is not yet mature enough to take advantage of the potential of high frequencies. The fire-fight-er using a hand-held terahertz camera to find people in a burning house is still just a vision. But one that is moving closer.
Terahertz technology could make the search for people in a burning building much simpler.Photo: fotolia.de / Benjamin Nolte
Terahertz waves: small structures for high frequencies
Ultrafast data transmission, detection of concealed weapons, or diagnosis of diseases – the range of potential applications for terahertz waves is enormous. Around the world, science and industry are working on devel-oping electronic circuits for this previously largely unused spectral range. Fraunhofer IAF has set a European record by attaining a frequency of 0.66 THz.
Contact:Sonja KriependorfPhone +49 761 [email protected] Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAFTullastrasse 7279108 FreiburgGermanywww.iaf.fraunhofer.de
Integrated circuit with ultrafast tran-sistors: thanks to a gate length of only 20 nm, IAF was able to achieve a record frequency of 0.66 THz. Photo: Fraunhofer IAF
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Experts have long been talking about the “terahertz gap” in the electromag-netic spectrum – what does that mean?
Leuther: The terahertz gap is a frequency range that was, and still is, very difficult to access. The gap is between the microwave and the infrared ranges of the electromag-netic spectrum. For decades, there has been a development towards lower frequencies in optics and higher frequencies in electronics. The terahertz gap is what’s left over. At Fraunhofer IAF, we are working on making this gap even smaller.
At Fraunhofer IAF, you set a European record: a cutoff frequency of 0.66 THz. How did you manage that?
Leuther: There are two parallel develop-ments. On the one hand, the structure sizes within the devices are being reduced more and more. On the other hand, better mate-rials are being used as the basis for each device. We mostly use materials in which electrons can move quickly. Most electronic devices are made of silicon, but there are also materials such as indium arsenide that have advantages over silicon. We use this compound semiconductor to produce devices with very high cutoff frequencies. We are now able to achieve frequencies of over 600 GHz with the circuits that we pro-duce at our institute.
What challenge do you still see in using terahertz radiation?
Leuther: The range of the radiation is very restricted, as it stimulates resonances within molecules. Materials vary in how well they absorb terahertz radiation. These character-istics of terahertz radiation present, on the one hand, a challenge – but also opportu-nities.
Interview
Contact: Dr. Arnulf Leuther Phone +49 761 5159-329 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF Tullastrasse 72 79108 Freiburg Germany www.iaf.fraunhofer.de
Dr. Arnulf Leuther. Photo: Fraunhofer IAF
“A fire-fighter could use a terahertz camera to find people in the smoke”
For a long time, terahertz radiation was a frequency range that had not been well researched. The electronic circuits needed to generate the radi-ation had not been invented. Fraunhofer IAF is considered a pioneer in Europe in the area of ultrahigh frequency circuits. VµE spoke to Dr. Arnulf Leuther, the deputy head of the business unit millimeter-wave circuits, about the challenges and potential of terahertz radiation.
What areas of application could tera-hertz radiation be used in?
Leuther: The waves can be used to detect molecules very specifically and with very high sensitivity. This opens up new pos-sibilities in analytics or medical engineer-ing. Furthermore, terahertz radiation can be used for detecting gases, solids, or liq-uids and can also be used to boost safety: the human eye and optic technologies can-not see through smoke, but it is transpar-ent in the terahertz range. In the future, a fire-fighter could use a terahertz camera to find people in the smoke.
Looking into the future: What will be possible with terahertz technology in 10 years?
Leuther: The famous gap will be closed up more and more. Applications that are still at the research stage will be everyday in the near future. We cannot yet predict all the applications that will be possible. I cannot promise that within 10 years terahertz radi-ation will be available in mass-marketed devices – my crystal ball isn’t that good!
Dr. Leuther, thank you very much for talking to us.
Dr. Leuther was talking to Juliane Otto.
About Dr. Arnulf Leuther:Dr. Arnulf Leuther studied physics at RWTH Aachen. His doctoral thesis, which he completed at Forschungs-zentrum Jülich, was concerned with realizing new types of device con-cepts for ultrahigh-frequency tran-sistors. This work brought him in 1996 to the technology department of Fraunhofer IAF, where he has since focused largely on developing III/V semiconductor technologies for the production of ultrahigh-frequency cir-cuits. The continuous development of the processes used at Fraunhofer IAF led in 2011 to the presentation of the 20 nm transistor and of cir-cuits based thereon for frequencies above 500 GHz.
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Earthquake, tsunami, or shipwreck: in many cases, it still takes too long for trained res-cue personnel and search teams to arrive on site. When it comes to the recovery and rescue of possible survivors, however, every second counts. The most effective search possible, together with fast recovery, is what is needed to help victims of disasters quickly. That is why the ICARUS project (Integrated Components for Assisted Rescue and Unmanned Search Operations) was in-stigated.
The aim of ICARUS is to support on-site personnel with unmanned vehicles that can be used on land, in the air, and in water. Within the next few years, various systems are to be integrated that will use optimized thermal imaging sensors, video processing, and data combination to improve future search and rescue operations.
Thermal imaging camera systems to the rescue
Together with the Université de Neuchâtel and the TU Vienna, the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM will develop a super lightweight thermal imag-ing system with minimized dimensions and low power requirements. The system will feature two cameras, whose image data will be evaluated using fusion algorithms. Due to the combination of the innovative camera system with these algorithms, human survivors trapped under rubble or lost at sea can be identified with extreme accuracy.
Of particular benefit: the system will allow search and rescue teams to reliably distin-guish people from other objects that also emit thermal radiation. The underlying semiconductor system is based on a wave-length of 9.5 µm, which is the main radia-tion wavelength at human body tempera-ture. By integrating the two cameras, which complement each other in terms of reso-lution characteristics and technologies, the project consortium will develop a high-per-formance system.
Robust and compact
In order to withstand external factors such as heat, cold, and mechanical stresses, Fraunhofer IZM is developing a suitable in-tegration and packaging technology. This technology must be able to satisfy tough requirements pertaining to the reliability of the contact between individual components and the “periphery” of the QCD camera.
Within the system, the operating tempera-ture of the sensors used may be as low as -50 °C. This temperature must remain sta-ble within the entire range of the intend-ed ambient temperature (-20 to +50 °C) to ensure the functionality of the sensors. This is guaranteed by a multistage Peltier cool-er. Condensation on the sensor surface is avoided, as the scientists will assemble the sensor package in an evacuated and her-metically sealed housing.
To keep the package dimensions small de-spite the required housing, Fraunhofer IZM is using sensor chips that are thinned by TU Vienna. These chips will be assembled onto a CMOS read-out chip by stud bump flip chip bonding. Extremely precise positioning is necessary, as the pitch of the interconnec-tions of the pixels is planned to be between 50 to 120 µm. The package will also have to be commercially manufactured at high yield. This will improve future protection for rescue personnel and will enable them to act fast when they get to a disaster site.
From the institutes
Contact: Mario Rothermund Phone +49 30 46403-677 [email protected]
Marina Müllen Phone +49 30 46403-279 [email protected]
Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25 13355 Berlin Germany www.izm.fraunhofer.de
Unmanned robots save lives
After a disaster, the coordination in the affected area can be very difficult. Searching for survivors in unfavorable terrain is often particularly tricky, as well as being risky for the rescue teams. The EU project ICARUS, in which Fraunhofer IZM is involved, is working on making searching for survivors both on water and on land as effective as possible.
Fast help saves lives.Photo: pixelio.de / s.media
Whether from the air or on the ground, victims can be found quickly thanks to a thermal imag-ing camera system. Fig.: ESRI Portugal
The ICARUS project:The ICARUS project, which is funded by the EU, started in February 2012 and has a total volume of 17.5 million euros. The project consortium com-prises 24 institutions from 10 coun-tries in addition to the “Interconnec-tion Metallurgy and Processes” (IMP) working group of Fraunhofer IZM. For more information, see: http://fp7-ica-rus.eu. The website has a question-naire that can be filled out by po-tential users such as civil protection and other aid organizations so that their needs and experiences can be included in the project.
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Whether it’s a wedding, birthday party, or other celebration, these days the chances are you’ll have your camcorder with you to record the great occasion. But we often for-get to bring the data cable along with us, so despite promising the hosts to transfer the images to their computer the morning after, we hardly ever do. It would be simpler if the data could be sent without cables. Ob-viously, wireless connections like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are now commonplace. But using them to copy high-resolution video footage of an entire wedding reception to a com-puter takes a great deal of patience, as transferring several gigabytes of film data wirelessly can take several minutes.
Faster than USB2, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth
Frank Deicke and his colleagues from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsys-tems IPMS took a different approach. Deicke specializes in infrared technology. Some time ago, the researcher presented an infrared module of a kind never seen be-fore. It transfers data at a rate of 1 Gbit/s, which is one billion transmitted calculations per second. As a general rule, cable con-nections between electronic devices are faster than wireless ones. In this case it is the other way around. The new “multi-gigabit communication module” is six times faster than a USB2 cable and 1430 times faster than a Bluetooth connection. This performance is above all due to high-speed
From the institutes
Contact: Moritz FleischerPhone +49 351 [email protected] Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS Maria-Reiche-Strasse 2 01109 Dresden Germanywww.ipms.fraunhofer.de
Thanks to Fraunhofer technology, even large files such as video of a family celebration can be sent to the host’s computer in seconds – without any cables. Photo: pixelio.de / Ieva Mangulis
Wireless data at top speed
Digital cameras and camcorders now provide high-definition film sequences several gigabytes in size. But unfortunately, it takes several minutes to send the image data via Bluetooth to your home computer. A fast alternative is offered by the “multi-gigabit communication module,” which is six times faster than a USB cable.
signal processing. In data transfer, the bot-tleneck is the encoding and decoding of the data, which is to say the packing and un-packing necessary to send data through the air. Before setting off, video information from the digital camera must first be converted into a radio signal. The receiving device, such as a laptop, then decodes the radio signal and converts it back into film data.
Perfect combination of hardware and software
The challenge for the researcher and his team was to build a small infrared module with fast-working hardware and software. In addition, the processing time required should be minimal, because the harder the microprocessors have to work, the more electricity they eat up. “We achieved this ultimately through a clever combination of different technical solutions,” says Deicke. One of these is the transceiver, an optical component which is able to send and re-ceive light signals simultaneously. The trans-ceiver is only about the size of a child’s fin-gernail, but manages to fit in a laser diode to send light pulses and a photo detector to detect them. The decoders that receive and translate the encoded data are also crucial. Deicke and his colleagues had to program ingenious error-correction mechanisms, be-cause the light signals become weakened and distorted in the air. One of the cruxes was the combination of hardware and soft-ware. There are signal decoders that work like little control units – others work purely mathematically, like software. “In order to build a fast and energy-saving module, we had to think about exactly how we could integrate hardware and software compo-nents in our decoder,” says Deicke.
The new technology will let guests send the party video to their host’s computer quickly before they leave. The only require-ment is that, as with a TV remote control, there must be a clear line of sight between the transmitter and the receiver. This is no problem for Frank Deicke: “You simply place the camera or the smartphone next to the computer or laptop.” The video is transferred in just a few seconds.
Optical wireless communication module. Photo: Fraunhofer IPMS
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Light optimized for the road
Xenon and LEDs have replaced light bulbs in many cars. They illuminate a wider segment of the road, they are brighter, and they are usually more energy efficient. Fraunhofer ESK, in conjunction with Audi AG, Delvis, and NAVTEQ GmbH, has developed a system that fuses vicinity information with the vehicle’s own internal information. This allows headlamps to adapt the illumination of the road precisely to the traffic situation.
From the institutes
Current vehicle sensors can only capture a restricted field of vision. Oncoming traffic around a bend or over a hump is only de-tected when it may be too late to prevent dazzling. This is where the Fraunhofer Insti-tute for Communication Systems ESK, Audi AG, Delvis, and NAVTEQ GmbH come in. In the future, wireless information exchange between vehicles will minimize this risk. In-frastructure elements providing information about such things as construction work or complicated stretches of road will warn drivers in good time about possible dangers.
The new system will use Car-to-X commu-nication to detect oncoming traffic more quickly and to dip the headlamps more reli-ably. To this end, it uses a high-definition local dynamic map. The ESK researchers combine this map with certain reference points. This includes traffic lights, local traffic events (construction work), and other road users in the vicinity.
Vehicle-vicinity networking for a better view
As a rule, modern headlamps are controlled only by internal vehicle sensor data such as the steering angle, acceleration, and vi-cinity detection. Due to the high detec-tion speed and the very varied possible sur-
Photo: pixelio.de / Thorsten Pahlke
Effective illumination of the road can help to prevent accidents. Photo: Fraunhofer ESK
roundings, these measurements are often incomplete or contradictory. The data ob-tained in this manner cannot be used with-out further analysis and processing. It is necessary to process it at a central location and to put it into a shared context. This takes place in a data fusion module, which compares and processes the incoming data and derives a precise evaluation of the cur-rent driving situation. The solution devel-oped by Fraunhofer ESK then calculates the optimum headlamp settings. It compares the current data with situation descriptions that have previously been saved in a knowl-edge database. A light-control module then transforms the proper light scenario from the knowledge database to light up the street in exactly the right places.
Useful assistance when driving
Your own lane and important objects at the side of the road, such as traffic signs, are illuminated in a targeted manner, taking other road users into account. The system detects oncoming vehicles in good time, and can avoid dazzling them.
Fraunhofer ESK’s solution has cleared the first hurdle and has been tested successfully during night driving in a test vehicle.
Contact: Susanne Baumer Phone +49 89 547088-353 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Communication Systems ESK Hansastrasse 32 80686 Munich Germanywww.esk.fraunhofer.de
For optimum control of the headlamps, different vicinity data must be processed and evaluated quickly. Fig.: Fraunhofer ESK
9
In in-patient and home care, staff usually cannot look after the patients around the clock. In order to ensure the safety of pa-tients in need, fixed or portable emergency call systems are also used. In an emergency situation, however, physical limitations, de-mentia, or acute helplessness can often pre-vent older people from being able to use these systems. If patients fall, for example, it may take too long for them to be found. Currently available acoustic monitoring sys-tems, which measure merely the duration and level of acoustic events, trigger false alarms too often – and as a result do not help to reduce the workload of care staff.
Interpreting acoustic signals correctly
Within the SonicSentinel project, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, together with light signal-ing system manufacturer Ilper-Elektronik, have now developed a smart sound detec-tor that analyzes acoustic signals differen-tially and can therefore detect emergency situations reliably. The Oldenburg-based “Hearing, Speech, and Audio Technology” project group has developed processes for analyzing signals that allow acoustic events such as screaming, whimpering, or cough-ing to be automatically identified. “First, we used expert interviews with staff in the care facilities involved to find out which events in a care setting are particularly risky and which events frequently result in a false alarm – thunder, for example,” explains Danilo Hollosi, who managed the project. “In the next step, we made acoustic record-ings of different sounds and potentially risky events such as falls, and then evaluat-ed these signals.” To detect and classify events, the researchers used processes for characteristic extraction, the detector pro-cesses themselves, and the fusion of detec-tor results to model emergency situations. One particular challenge was developing signal-processing strategies that would also work reliably in acoustically difficult sur-roundings with background noise or echoes. The algorithms were then integrat-ed into a decentralized embedded platform and interfaces for communication with commercially available light signaling systems were created.
From the institutes
Contact: Stefan GoetzePhone +49 441 [email protected]
Meike HummerichPhone +49 441 [email protected]
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMTMarie-Curie-Strasse 226126 OldenburgGermanywww.idmt.fraunhofer.de
A false sense of security: older and ill people, in particular, may not be able to use the usual emergency call systems when they are needed.Photo: pixelio.de / Gabi Schoene-mann
Smart sound detector assists care staff
As part of the SonicSentinel project, researchers at Fraunhofer IDMT, to-gether with Ilper-Electronik GmbH & Co. KG, have developed a smart sound detector for in-patient or home care. It detects risky situations reli-ably and automatically triggers an emergency call.
Modular technology for different fields of application
As of September 2012, the SonicSentinel system will be tested over a period of three months in the care facilities involved in the project. The smart sound detector will ini-tially be supplied with basic equipment for in-patient care. In the future, further de-tector modules can be added to the sys-tem by users using exchangeable SD cards. This modular structure will allow the tech-nology to be carried over to other areas of application, such as monitoring newborns or psychiatric patients. Connection to com-mercially available light signaling systems will be possible, independent of the manu-facturer.
The smart sound detector analyzes sounds in its vicinity and automatically detects emergency sit-uations. Photo: Ilper Elektronik GmbH
The SonicSentinel projectThe following partners are involved in the project:Ilper Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG (coordinator) • Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, “Hearing, Speech and Audio Tech-nology” Project Group • Johan-niter Unfall-Hilfe e.V., Regionalver-band Weser-Ems • Demenz Support Stuttgart gGmbH, Zentrum für In-formationstransfer • Samariterstif-tung Nürtingen • Fürstlich Fürsten-bergisches Altenpflegeheim, Hüflin-gen • Sonnweid AG
The SonicSentinel project is being as-sisted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for two years as part of the “KMU-innova-tiv” funding program. With this pro-gram, the ministry supports indus-trial research and pre-competitive development projects to strengthen the innovativeness of small and me-dium-sized enterprises in Germany.
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Research about the effectiveness of adver-tising usually involves sub-sequent test per-son surveys. That can lead to distortions, as volunteers do not always want to reveal their emotions, or cannot remember them. GfK EMO Scan has a solution. The soft-ware makes it possible to evaluate a per-son’s emotional reaction based on the look on his or her face. Neither special hardware nor trained personnel are required – a com-puter with Internet access and a webcam are all you need.While the volunteer watches various film sequences, GfK EMO Scan automatically analyzes his facial movements. Volunteers smile if they have a positive emotional ex-perience, but frown and draw their eye-brows together if they are not impressed. The software can detect these signals and also interpret how positive or negative the volunteer feels about what he’s current-ly experiencing. The trick: Algorithmic op-timization allows this to take place in real time. The emotional effect of advertising can thus be measured quickly and accurate-ly without placing a strain on the volunteer. For this achievement, the GfK Association won the 2012 German Innovation in Mar-ket Research Award.
Turning research into art
The communicating wallpaper “Emotional Dialogue” was developed by Larissa Müller and Svenja Keune, students at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences HAW. The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS provided SHORE™ for scientific purposes. The wallpaper comprises flaky and feathery shapes that are connected to the software and react to the emotions of the person looking at it. SHORE™ detects, for exam-ple, whether someone is smiling or is look-ing surprised or sad. The students used this ability in order to make the wallpaper react to emotions: If someone has a surprised look, it starts to shimmy or to make sounds – expressing joy and encouragement.
The students’ interactive textiles brought them three awards at the DMY (Day Month Year) International Design Festival in June 2012 in Berlin: the DMY Award, the Pappel Design Award (presented for the first time by Potsdam University of Applied Sciences), and the Pappel Audience Award.
SHORE™ can detect human expressions
The basis of both applications is the soft-ware SHORE™, developed by Fraunhofer IIS to detect and analyze faces. In order to de-tect both, positive and negative emotions from facial expressions, SHORE™ compares faces in image sequences, videos, or single frames with different model faces for pos-itive and negative emotions. These proto-type model faces were created using a da-tabase of thousands of faces. The database contains metadata on each face. The face captured by the webcam and the model faces are compared at pixel level, taking into account areas particularly relevant to emotion detection such as forehead, eyes, and mouth. But SHORE™ can do even more. The software also analyzes the sex and the approximate age of a person, in addition to facial expressions. SHORE™ also has a short-term memory that it uses to recognize faces that appear in the image again after a few seconds.
SHORE™ is available as a software library from Fraunhofer IIS – the best prerequisite for future innovative projects.
From the institutes
Contact: Sabine Stigler Phone +49 9131 776-5110 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Am Wolfsmantel 33 91058 Erlangen Germany www.iis.fraunhofer.de
What the look on your face reveals about you
A webcam that can detect and assess even subtle emotions in real time? Wallpaper that cheers up the person looking at it when he’s sad? It sounds like science fiction, but thanks to the software SHORE™, devel-oped at Fraunhofer IIS, it is already reality. SHORE™ detects and analyzes facial expressions, with success: Two applications based on the software have already received awards.
Students Larissa Müller (left) and Svenja Keune in front of their award-winning textile object “Emo-tional Dialogue.” Photo: DMY
SHORE™ analyzes sex, age, and facial expressions. Photo: Fraunhofer IIS
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Within the publicly funded joint project “Energy-independent Condition Monitoring System” (Ecomos), the application field of wireless radio sensoring was expanded to included condition monitoring of industrial machinery. The project also seeks to widen significantly the application area of condi-tion monitoring. “Wireless sensor networks, through distributed data capture and com-munication, open up completely new possi-bilities in measuring technology and may even revolutionize it in the years to come,” according to Dr. Michael Niedermayer, group manager for technology-oriented design methods at the project partner Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin.
Successful practical test in a paper factory
The first radio sensor nodes were set up and successfully tested in a paper factory. Sensors, data processing, radio interface, and energy supply were separate modules in the first prototype generation. In the second prototype generation, the modules were united in a particularly compact and robust structure. These radio sensor nodes are now available.
The concept of radio sensors for condition monitoring is based on condition monitor-
From the institutes
A paper machine at Hamburger Spremberg GmbH is monitored wirelessly. Photo: Hamburger Spremberg
Batteryless radio solution reaches pilot stage
Systems for condition monitoring should, ideally, detect faults before a machine comes to a standstill. Until now, this type of sensor system has only been used with very valuable drives for reasons of cost. Those days are gone. Fraunhofer IZM, together with partners, has developed battery-less radio solutions that have now been tested successfully for the first time.
ing of machines. The sensors measure and analyze vibrations and temperatures. This allows them to predict bearing damage up to three months in advance. The sen-sor nodes are configured via a radio trans-mitter and receiver and regularly transmit the machine condition to a base station up to 50 meters away. If the sensor nodes dis-cover a pattern indicative of damage, they radio the raw data to a control station via a base station.
Convenient use of sensors
Progress in microelectronics and microsys-tem technology now allows energy-inde-pendent radio sensors to be produced at moderate cost. In addition to precise sen-soring, powerful data processing and the radio connection, the energy supply is an-other important focus of hardware design when it comes to designing maintenance-free radio sensor nodes. Users in the indus-try prefer solutions with energy convert-ers to battery-operated radio technology. Thermogenerators and vibration converts offer a good way of harvesting energy from the surroundings. This means that battery changing can be dispensed with, increasing operating reliability.
Radio sensor installation is convenient as well. When a sensor node is attached to a machine and activated, it detects existing radio networks and logs in. The radio base stations make it possible to adapt the sen-sor nodes by radio and to update their soft-ware.
Depending on the requirements and the usage environment, the material costs for a sensor node are between ten and 200 euros. These lower costs may open the door to new business fields for machine construction with additional service con-cepts, and may contribute to a better un-derstanding of technical systems.
Contact: Dr. Michael Niedermayer Phone +49 30 464 03-185 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25 13355 Berlin Germany www.izm.fraunhofer.de
As part of the Ecomos project, ex-perts are developing a self-suffi-cient microsystem with low-energy measurement capture and process-ing, robust radio communication, and efficient energy conversion to provide vibration analysis. The proj-ect results are being tested as pro-totypes in a real paper factory. Fig.: Fraunhofer IZM
The project Ecomos:The companies IMC-Messsysteme, Elbau, Gesellschaft für Maschinen-diagnose, Converteam, Baumer-Hüb-ner, and Enocean are involved in the development of radio sensor nodes, as well as Fraunhofer IZM and the Tech-nische Universität Berlin. The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); the project manager is VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH in Berlin. Further information is avail-able at: www.izm.fraunhofer.de
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With the semiconductor industry being one of the most important pillars of South Korea’s economy, 23% of the government’s annual investment go into this industry’s development. 9% of all export revenues come from that sector alone. South Korea has established itself firmly within this in-dustry: the country is world market leader in DRAM (65%), NAND flash (49%), and also memory (51.4%). However, there is still a lot of room for improvement and po-tential for further development, particularly in the area of system semiconductor tech-nology as Korea is only represented in this area with 4.2% of the world market. In order to be able to maintain and defend its stable position on the world market, it is essential for Korea to develop and im-plement a competitive and sustain-able foundry system.
Challenges in Korea
In order to be able to offer expert consultation and research services, it requires extensive knowledge in the areas of Korean culture and special characteristics of the Korean market. The differences between Western and Korean culture are particularly notice-able in the Korean business culture and communication style. One exam-ple for this would be the in Korea highly dominant, hierarchical working culture. Even though this does not happen often, it may be the case, for example, that an agreement made with Fraunhofer will be changed later after discussions with Korean superiors. In extreme cases, a project’s content and deadline of orders may be altered even after the project has already started. However, on the other hand, Korean partners seem to wish for more flexibility and a quicker response time by Fraunhofer. One example for that would be when Korean partners send project enquiries to Fraunhofer Insti-tutes.
Tasks of the RO Korea
As it is the main task of the Fraunhofer Representative Office (RO) Korea to ensure cooperation between Germany and Korea, it mediates between Fraunhofer institutes and universities, industry partners, and also the Korean government. Moreover the RO Korea’s responsibilities include bringing to-gether future potential partners, and as-sisting during the realization of projects. By doing so, the Fraunhofer RO Korea creates optimal conditions for a strong European-Korean R&D cooperation.
Fraunhofer around the world
A visit to the Land of the Morning Calm
A Korean saying states that “Getting started is half the journey.” No sooner said than done: the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft founded a Representative Of-fice in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in 2007. The Korean market, with compa-nies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai Kia Automotive, offers an attractive market in the areas of ICT, microelectronics, and the automobile industry.
A visit to the Land of the Morn-ing Calm. Photo: wikipedia.de / Jpatokal
Fraunhofer around the world This column presents, in no particu-lar order, international Fraunhofer lo-cations that work in the areas of mi-croelectronics and microintegration.
Contact: Joohwan Kim Phone +82 [email protected] Representative Office KoreaJamsil the Sharp Star Park A-2027-14 Shincheon-dong, Songpa-guSeoul, 138-240Koreawww.fraunhofer.krAn important part of Korean business culture: a
dinner together with Korean business partners.Photo: Fraunhofer RO Korea
Korean food has many benefits: it has a high vegetable con-tent, and you can try out many dishes at once. Appetizers and desserts are usually very small. The main course consists of soups, side dishes, and lots more.
Chopsticks present a challenge for many people. This picture shows you the theory behind them. Point 1 is the “pivot.” Point 2 comprises the middle finger and the thumb, which are used to keep the lower chopstick in place. It’s OK to ask for a fork, though!
Two tips: 1. The dishes are placed in the middle of the table and are shared. This also applies to soups and stews. It’s no problem if you find that difficult – you can ask for your own portion.
2. Korean dishes can be mild to very spicy. Spicy food is easy to spot by its telltale red color. If you dare to try the spiciest dish-es, your Korean partner will be very happy.
A small note on paying: Koreans are pleased to have you visit them and are proud to be able to show you their cuisine and culture. If you already know each other well, you can offer to pay.
Point 1
Point 2
Bird’s-eye view
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Short news
op a technology platform for CNTFET cir-cuits. The second focus of Fraunhofer ENAS research lies in the area of biomolecularly assembled circuits. The basis for this is found in DNA origami structures, i.e. artifi-cial strings of DNA that can “fold” into complex 2D structures by themselves in cer-tain conditions. The Chemnitz-based re-searchers provide support in the area of mi-crofluidics, which is the handling of tiny quantities of fluids.
presenting its range of services in the area of wafer-level packaging technologies, while new developments in high-tempera-ture electronics will be presented by the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS. The Group itself will also be represented with a booth in the science park. Christian Lüdemann will be there to answer your questions for the busi-ness office.
More information can be found at www.semiconeuropa.org.
Photo: Fraunhofer VµE
BMBF funds excellent research in Chemnitz and Dresden
The Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS will be involved in two projects over the next five years as part of an excellence initiative. The excellence clus-ter “Technology Fusion for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures” at the TU Chemnitz is interested in linking basic technologies for the resource-efficient production of lightweight structures with high output and functionality. The aim is to merge current-ly separate manufacturing processes when working with different material groups. The benefits: energy and material efficiency as well as reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Micro- and nanosystems from Fraunhofer ENAS are intended to make lightweight structures smarter.
The excellence cluster “Center for Advanc-ing Electronics Dresden” (cfAED) at the TU Dresden is interested in future-oriented top-ics within the area of electronic information processing. Because the development of CMOS technology is reaching its limitations, cfAED is pursuing the goal of advancing complementary technologies. To this end, Fraunhofer ENAS is researching transistors and analog HF circuitry based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The work focuses on de-position and contacting of CNTs as well as integration technology. The aim is to devel-
SEMICON Europa 2012
From October 9 to 11, 2012, microelectronics technicians from around the world will meet in Dresden at the 36th SEMICON Europa, the leading trade fair for the European semiconductor industry. More than 350 ex-hibitors from 20 nations are expected, and they will present technological innovations as well as currently available products and services. The wide range on offer includes semiconductors, nanoelectronics, photovol-taics, production equipment, materials, and flat-panel displays. A comprehensive pro-gram with various conferences also offers a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and the advancement of technological progress.
Many institutes within the Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics VµE will also be there: The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM, for example, will be
Contact: Dr. Martina Vogel Phone +49 371 45001-203 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nanosystems ENAS Technologie-Campus 3 09126 Chemnitz Germany www.enas.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Christian Lüdemann Phone +49 30 688 3759-6103 christian.luedemann@ mikroelektronik.fraunhofer.de Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics VµE Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Strasse 2 10178 Berlin Germany www.mikroelektronik.fraunhofer.de
Helmet with integrated sensor system (red: indi-cator layer with quantum dots; blue: piezoelec-tric PVDF film; gray: CNT-filled PMMA electrode). Photo: Michael Heinrich and Michael Schreiter, Institute of Lightweight Structures at the TU Chemnitz.
Partners in the Chemnitz excellence cluster: TU Chemnitz • Fraunhofer ENAS • TU Dresden • Fraunhofer IWU Partners in the Dresden excellence cluster: TU Dresden • Fraunhofer ENAS • TU Chemnitz • Fraunhofer IZFP-D • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossen-dorf • IFW Dresden • Leibniz Insti-tute of Polymer Research Dresden • Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics Dresden • Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems • KSI Meinsberg
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Smart controls for warning lights on wind turbines
Germany’s change of policy on energy pro-duction away from nuclear power has led to an increase in demand for wind turbines. Once these turbines reach a certain height, they must be equipped with collision warn-ing lights. This allows them to be detected by low-flying aircraft, preventing a collision. Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Envi-ronment, Nature Conservation and Nucle-ar Safety has given the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Tech-niques FHR the task of developing a control system for collision warning lights on wind turbines that will satisfy requirements.
Scientists at Fraunhofer FHR will spend the next two and a half years working with Dirkshof, a service company for renewable energy, on the PARASOL project (the name is derived from the German acronym for “passive radar-based control of object iden-tification for aviation”). “In the future, the warning lamps will only be switched on when a plane approaches, i.e. when they are needed, because people living near wind turbines find the flashing red lights bothersome in the night sky. They also at-tract birds, which are then often fatally in-
Short news
Contact: Dr. Lars Nebrich Phone +49 89 56795-361 [email protected] Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFTHansastrasse 27 d 80686 MunichGermanywww.emft.fraunhofer.de
cantly reduced compared to the CT-PET technology currently used. The biggest ob-stacle in combining PET and MRT to one device so far has been that conventional photomultipliers could not operate in a magnetic field without significant loss of ef-ficiency. Due to its small size, the SiPM de-veloped by Fraunhofer EMFT is not affected by the surrounding magnetic field. The small size also makes it more efficient and faster than the avalanche diodes used in the first MR-PET devices.
The possible future applications for the novel SiPM component are not limited to medical technology alone: The new sensor element could be adapted for use in other low light applications as well, for example for extraterrestrial usage, high-energy phys-ics, life science, or detecting weak light sig-nals in analytical instruments.
Contact: Heiner Kuschel Phone +49 228 9435-389 [email protected]
Jens Fiege Phone +49 228 9435-323 [email protected]
Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR Neuenahrer Strasse 20 53343 Wachtberg Germany www.fhr.fraunhofer.de
A Fraunhofer EMFT scientist with a Silicon Photomultiplier Wafer for medical applications. Photo: Fraunhofer EMFT / Bernd Müller
jured by a collision with the rotors,” explains Heiner Kuschel, a scientist at Fraunhofer FHR.
Passive radar sensors are used to detect flight activity in the vicinity of the turbine, and these turn on the lights when needed. This means that flight activity can be record-ed and analyzed. The sensors do not emit any radar radiation, but rather use existing radio signals to locate planes. This means that they are harmless to both the environ-ment and health, and are cost-efficient.
A novel sensor component for more efficient diagnoses
Medical imaging techniques such as magnet resonance tomography (MRT) and positron-emission tomography (PET) are irreplaceable in modern medicine for reliable diagnostics. The scientists at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technol-ogies EMFT together with Ketek GmbH have developed a novel optical sensor com-ponent on a silicon basis, called a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The new device al-lows PET and MRT to be combined to form an efficient hybrid diagnosis method. Illnesses could be discovered at an earlier stage and their progress could be monitored more effectively using a hybrid MR-PET technology. Moreover, MR-PET could facili-tate the understanding of such illnesses as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, de-pression and schizophrenia, as well as help refine surgical techniques. Additionally, the radiation stress to patients could be signifi-
First measurements of aircraft in the wind park using the passive radar system from Fraunhofer FHR. Photo: Fraunhofer FHR
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Microelectronics News
Editorial notes
Microelectronics News, Issue 48October 2012© Fraunhofer Group for Micro electronics VµE, Berlin 2012
Fraunhofer Group for Micro electronics VµESpreePalais am DomAnna-Louisa-Karsch-Strasse 2 10178 BerlinGermanywww.mikroelektronik.fraunhofer.de
The Fraunhofer Group for Microelectronics (German abbreviation: VµE), founded in 1996, combines the expertise of 16 Fraunhofer in-stitutes, with a total of more than 2,700 em-ployees. Its main focus is the preparation and coordination of interdisciplinary research pro-jects, conducting studies and to assist in the process of identifying strategies.
Editorial team: Christian Lüdemann Phone +49 30 6883759-6103christian.luedemann@mikroelektronik.fraunhofer.deMaren BergerPhone +49 30 [email protected] MöbiusPhone +49 89 [email protected] OttoPhone +49 30 [email protected] SchwedePhone +49 30 [email protected]örg StephanPhone +49 30 [email protected] ZaludaitePhone +49 30 [email protected]
Translation: Andrew [email protected]
Photo: pixelio.de / hldg
The business office of Fraunhofer VμE is located directly at the River Spree in the heart of Berlin. Photo: Fraunhofer VµE / Kracheel
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16
The last word …
… today comes from Dr. Veronika Glaw
Ms. Glaw, what are you currently working on?
I work in the High Density Interconnect & Wafer Level Packaging department and deal with wafer-level packaging (WLP). At the moment I am working on a project in-tended to advance the integration of pho-tonics in WLP. Significantly, we work with gold metallizations rather than copper ones, as is otherwise usual in the electron-ics sector.
What excites you about applied research?
Seeing how newly developed technologies are used in products is a great feeling for every scientist. For me as a physicist, the area of detectors, in which we work, is very in-teresting. At CERN, for example, they use detectors that we built. These detectors are now being used to advance the search for the “God particle,” which I find very excit-ing.
What has been your most difficult chal-lenge at work, and how did you solve it?
Some time ago, we were working on a mi-crocontroller project with many colleagues from different departments. Our aim was to produce an emulation device with 600 ports. The challenge for me as the project manager was to create the right conditions for the technological interfaces to allow all superordinate processes to interact with one another without any problems. Thanks to good feedback and communication, we were able to complete the project success-fully and produce and delivery many emula-tion devices.
Imagine that you receive a visit from some nice colleagues and would like to show them something of your town after work, apart from the usual tourist sights. Do you have an insider tip?
If the weather is good, I would suggest going to a beach bar in the evening, or even knocking off work early to go there. The ‘Strandbar’ in the Mitte district, at Monbijou Park, is well worth a visit. It’s right on the River Spree and in the center of Berlin.
A first-grader in your neighborhood asks you what packaging is. How would you explain it?
In order to send information from one Lego brick to another, I can build roads. The more information I have, the longer and wider the roads need to be. Thanks to packaging, I can place very thin Lego bricks on top of one another and make them into a kind of skyscraper. Within the skyscrap-ers, I build an elevator as a kind of road, meaning that the roads get shorter and shorter and the information can be sent more quickly.
What invention would you not like to do without in daily life?
The Internet and, of course, MP3 files.
What do you wish you could learn overnight?
Tap dancing!
You studied physics. If you had to make the decision again today, what would you now decide to study?
Definitely physics. From time to time I’ve certainly had cause to reconsider, but I would decide to study physics again.
Let’s look into the future. What would you like to have achieved in 5 or 10 years’ time?
Together with Fraunhofer FOKUS, HHI and IPK, we want to set up a day-care center. Not only because I’m the Equality Officer, but also from my own experience I know how difficult it can be to juggle private life and career. This project is very close to my heart and I would love to be involved in getting it going.
What song belongs to the “soundtrack” of your life?
“I’m Beginnin’ to See the Light”
About Veronika Glaw Dr. Veronika Glaw studied physics at the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) and got her doctorate there in photonics in 1992. From 1990, she did research in the electrical engi-neering department of the TUB, con-centrating on microperipheric tech-nologies. Her focus was in the area of laser structuring for microelectron-ics. Since 1995 she jointed Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microin-tegration IZM in Berlin, where she works on wafer-level packaging.
Contact: Dr. Veronika Glaw Phone +49 30 46403-605 [email protected] Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25 13355 Berlin Germany www.izm.fraunhofer.de
Photo: Fraunhofer IZM
Enjoying the evening once work has finished – with a view of Berlin’s Museum Island. Photo: pixelio.de / Rainer Sturm
