As digitalization accelerates and energy demands soar – driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing—new technological approaches are urgently needed. “The CCE aims to lay the foundation for more efficient electronics, ultimately helping to significantly reduce global energy consumption in information processing,” explains Prof. Dr. Katharina Franke.

The idea of using chiral solids and molecular systems is inspired by nature. Chirality refers to the property of an object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image through rotation or translation. This feature is common in nature and technology and often imparts special stability. Although chirality has not yet played a major role in electronics, the CCE seeks to change that by developing novel chiral materials for ultra-fast, low-loss electronic applications.

With the launch of the CCE, research in solid-state physics – already a key focus of the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin – will be further strengthened. Special emphasis is placed on nanophysics, surface physics, and ultrafast phenomena.

Close collaboration between physicists from Berlin, Halle, and Regensburg fosters valuable synergies that promote both scientific progress and technology transfer. The CCE will also play a key role in training highly qualified physicists who can contribute to developing future technologies – particularly in support of Europe’s strategic goal of achieving greater independence in the semiconductor sector.

In addition, CCE is partnering with science education researchers from Technical University Dortmund and experts in science education to explore how to inspire school students to engage with science and how to attract young talents to the natural sciences.

www.chiralelectronics.de

Involved Research Groups

Katharina Franke (Spokesperson)

Robert Bittl

Kirill Bolotin 

Piet Brouwer

Tobias Kampfrath

Felix von Oppen

Sangeeta Sharma

Martin Weinelt