Additive Manufacturing equippment for ceramic applications

• Subject Area: Materials Science
• Term: Funded in 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 437415637

The main aim of this equipment acquisition is research on ceramic structures for signal processing applications in the mm- and sub-mm wavelength range. It is the purpose of this effort to establish this type of additive manufacturing technology for applications in the GHz and especially the THz frequency range. Such applications can be resonators, lenses, waveguides and phase shifters, as examples for single component applications. A special focus will be placed on research for multi-component integration, such as the monolithic implementation of a phase shifter array, in order to make full use of the advantages of the additive manufacturing technology.This requires a thorough analysis of the limits for this type of additive manufacturing technology. In order to push these limits, the following sub goals will be pursued:- Evaluation and development of the minimum obtainable feature size, with the aim to allow for sub-100µm structures. - The tuneability of the electromagnetic application properties, by changing the structural properties of the solid. An example could be the modification of the permittivity or the Q-factor, through changes in the material density or by the use of porosity gradients.- Material development for improved structural application properties, especially for feature sizes below 100µm, as well as the application specific tuneability of the electromagnetic properties of solids, such as the permittivity, the refractive index or the loss tangent.As the ceramic additive manufacturing equipment will be operated by two principle investigators in a user ratio of 80% / 20%, other research goals planned with this equipment acquisition are ceramic medical applications.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Additive Fertigungsanlage für Keramikanwendungen
• Instrumentation Group: 2110 Formen-, Modellherstellung und gießereitechnische Maschinen
• Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Niels Benson