Since 1997, the Federal President has awarded the German Future Prize, endowed with 250,000 euros, every year. It recognizes outstanding innovations that strengthen Germany as a business location and are socially and ecologically sustainable. The prize is awarded on November 25.

Nominated: EUV lithography for semiconductor manufacturing

Dr. rer. nat. Peter Kürz, Carl Zeiss SMT, Dr. rer. nat. Michael Kösters, Trumpf Lasersystems for Semiconductors Manufacturing and Dr. rer. nat. Sergiy Yulin, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, have developed a new manufacturing technique for microchips. They use ultraviolet light with an extremely short wavelength. The plasma of the light source used becomes almost 40 times hotter than the surface of the sun. This makes it possible to produce semiconductors that are particularly powerful, energy-efficient and cost-effective. These microchips have been used by manufacturers of smartphones and semiconductor products for two years.

Nominated: Robotic visualization system

A robotic visualization system for microsurgery has been developed by Prof. Andreas Raabe, MD, Inselspital Bern, Department of Neurosurgery, Michelangelo Masini, MD, and Frank Seitzinger, MBA, both Carl Zeiss Meditec. The innovative system combines robotics, modern assistance systems and visualization. It supports the surgeon during operations by fully visualizing the surgical field and providing important information for decision-making during the operation. Surgeons can keep their hands in the surgical field at all times and concentrate on the procedure. The system was launched in 2017 and has since been used in over 300,000 procedures every year, primarily in neurosurgery and spinal surgery.

Nominated: Sprayable façade insulation with glass bubbles

The team led by Dipl.-Ing. Friedbert Scharfe, Franken Maxit Mauermörtel, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Gerdes, University of Bayreuth, and Dr. rer. nat. Klaus Hintzer, Dyneon, has created a new type of insulation system for building construction. The central element is the 10 to 200 µm small hollow glass spheres. The mineral spray insulation has a particularly high insulating effect and strength and is produced sustainably. It can be installed flexibly and can even be applied using robotic systems. The system was presented in January 2019 and has been available on the market since then.