On 29th January 2026, around 40 students from the “Am Schwemmbach” cooperative comprehensive school in Erfurt visited the CiS Research Institute for Microsensor Technology to explore the world of scientific and technical professions. Prof. Thomas Ortlepp, managing director of the CiS Research Institute, opened the day with a brief, impressive overview of the institute’s research and development tasks and related job profiles. He presented the interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists, engineers, IT specialists, and microtechnologists. Women make up 38 percent of the institute’s workforce. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of a good STEM education as the basis for successful industrial research and innovative product development.
After this introduction, the students were able to experience in small groups how research and development works in everyday life and try their hand at it themselves. Various wafers from production were examined under the microscope and wafer-thin bonding wires were viewed in detail. The young people had a lot of fun testing their strength. A horseshoe equipped with sensors recorded the mechanical forces during the bending test.
The development of microsensors is preceded by the modeling of physical and technological relationships and the design processes based on them. A small simulation demonstrated the relationship between various parameters such as material, geometry, and physical, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties.
The highlight was a tour of the high-resolution electron microscope. Many young people saw the finest microstructures for the first time and recognized the differences compared to classic light microscopes. The explanations of the secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS), which enables the determination of elements using solid-state analytical methods, were also impressive.
The visit gave the students a lively glimpse behind the scenes of micro sensor research and also showed the connection between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications. Many questions were asked and discussed with curiosity. This is an incentive for the CiS Research Institute to get involved in STEM education and subjects and for CiS e.V. to organize further company visits for school classes.
Anyone interested in discovering interesting things in science and research is cordially invited to get to know the CiS Research Institute on 6th November 2026, during the Long Night of Science.
