Jena/Erfurt, 21.04.2026. A significant technological advancement in optics and semiconductor manufacturing is on the horizon: researchers from Thüringen are developing a novel machine capable of realizing high-precision nanostructures on photonic components in previously unattainable sizes.
- What: Development project for a facility for large-scale nanostructuring
- Target dimension: Components up to 1 square meter (with sub-atomic precision)
- Previous limit: Maximum 30 centimeters
- Funding amount: 4 million euros by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- Kick-off event: May 6 at the “Quantum Photonics” trade fair in Erfurt
The Leap into New Dimensions
In the manufacturing of highly complex photonic and optical components, conventional processes are currently hitting hard physical limits. To date, high-precision nanostructures can only be produced over a maximum area of around 30 centimeters. A new research project with significant participation from Thüringen scientists is now set to drastically shift this limitation. The goal is the construction of a production facility capable of processing structures on an area of up to one square meter.
The unique aspect of the project lies in the required accuracy: the positioning of patterns and layers is intended to achieve a precision smaller than a single atom. This enormous exactness on such a large area represents a global novelty in production technology and could fundamentally change the manufacturing of complex optical systems.
Millions in Funding for Thüringen Research
The ambitious project has received support at the federal level. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) is funding the project with a total of four million euros. The official starting signal for the research teams will be given in a few weeks: an official kick-off meeting will take place on May 6. The “Quantum Photonics” trade fair, held at the Messe Erfurt, provides the thematically appropriate setting for this.
Background: Photonics and Nanostructures in Thüringen
The optics and photonics location Thüringen, with its historical and economic center in Jena, is one of Europe’s leading clusters in light and nanotechnology. Institutions such as the Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Optik und Feinmechanik (IOF) have been driving innovation here for decades.
Nanostructures – extremely fine patterns and coatings with details on the scale of billionths of a meter – are an indispensable foundation for modern high-tech applications. They are required for high-performance laser systems, sensors in medical technology, high-resolution space telescopes, or components for future quantum computers, among others. The possibility of producing these delicate structures on a large scale and with precision in the future not only reduces manufacturing costs in the long term but also enables completely new component architectures that could not previously be assembled from smaller pieces.
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Large-scale nanostructures with atomic precision
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