Valorisation at DIFFER
The FOM Institute DIFFER is very active in the field of industrial collaboration, the transfer of scientific results to the public domain and the application as new technology, i.e. valorisation. In addition, extra funds were obtained from FOM and NWO for several promising valorisation projects, also see the annual report. PhD students at DIFFER take part in valorisation courses, and in weekly seminars, attention is paid to the application perspectives of research.
The nanolayer Surfaces & Interfaces (nSI) department is involved in two of the largest Industrial Partnership Programs (IPP’s) and several other industrial collaboration projects for material science. It enables the special type of multilayer optics at the heart of new generations of photolithography for the fabrication of integrated circuits. The research, partially funded by international industry, including ASML and Carl Zeiss SMT AG, results in an annual two patents on average, next to the scientific publications. In 2010, department head prof. dr. Fred Bijkerk won the FOM valorisation prize for the activities in nSI. In 2009, dr. Tim Tsarfati already won the FOM valorisation chapter prize for his thesis.
In 2009, dr. Tim Tsarfati already won the FOM valorisation chapter prize for his thesis
The Fusion Physics department delivers an important scientific and technical contribution to the buildup of the international fusion experiment ITER. This experiment, currently being built in southern France, will be instrumental to delivering sustainable energy via commercial nuclear fusion. Via ITER-NL, contacts are established with over 200 Dutch companies, of which several dozen are involved in the development of essential components. DIFFER actively participates in the international ITER project via Fusion for Energy (F4E) and supplies the Dutch Industrial Liaison Officer.
The Plasma Surface Interaction (PSI) department aims to develop and test potential ITER wall materials and mock-ups with Magnum-PSI, currently being build at DIFFER. Unique in the world, Magnum-PSI will contribute to the development of materials for the fusion reactor and offer new experimental possibilities for plasma-surface interaction research. This is part of the TEC collaboration and in the framework of EURATOM. Collaboration with nSI for surface treatment and analysis will continue to expand, and external parties can request use of the facility.
Magnum-PSI
Within the Generation and Utilization of TeraHertz radiation (GUTHz) department, contacts are established with numerous international institutions that employ the free electron laser FELIX, stationed at DIFFER, to carry out biomedical, -chemical, and -physical research in particular. As such, processes at the origin of molecular motion in the molecular motor F0F1-ATPase are being studied. Molecular motors are increasingly being pursued for nanotechnological applications. The FELIX facility is open on a fee basis in the frame of an IPP for proprietary research by industry.
The free electron laser FELIX
T [dot] Tsarfati [te] rijnhuizen [dot] nl (Tim Tsarfati), +31 (0)30 6096 987