Research Institutions

The HTW offers an impressive range of study programmes in five different departments spanning fields from engineering, computer science and economics, to culture and design. Traditional applied sciences like mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and business administration go hand-in-hand with more contemporary and innovative studies such as Information Technology/Networked Systems, Life Science Engineering, Environmental Engineering/Regenerative Energies and Microsystems Technology.

Let us consider the closer microsystems technology. Today this item is penetrating nearly every area of everyday life. Automotive technology, multimedia, medical engineering, bioengineering and genetic engineering, environmental protection – highly complex microsystems can be found everywhere. This study programme at the HTW Berlin runs for seven terms during one of which company placement is done. Apart from imparting students with solid skills in the core areas of engineering, it also provides access to modern simulation and CAD technology, computer science, electronics, sensors and microtechnology.

The HTW Berlin is regularly distinguished for the high quality of its study programmes. Students who wish to spend a part of their studies abroad will find that the HTW offers ideal conditions: it cultivates ties with over 100 other universities worldwide, thus maintaining strong bonds with collaborative partners.

The HTW encourages research and development projects on a wide range spectrum. Within Berlin, the Federal Republic of Germany and Europe, the HTW works together with small and medium-sized businesses, unions, administrations, associations, research and training institutions, and other individuals to fulfill these objectives and goals.

HOLOEYE Photonics

Specialized on digital optics, HOLOEYE is providing products and services in the fields of Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS)-based spatial light modulators (SLM), customized design and fabrication services for diffractive optical elements (DOE), as well as a broad range of standard DOEs and customizable LCoS microdisplay components.

Since 1999, our development and engineering teams in Berlin-Adlershof (Germany) have participated successfully in many publicly and privately funded research projects and implemented numerous industrial applications. Our range of standardized products and solutions comprise complete SLM kits, microdisplay components, driver-hardware, software tools, SLM-accessories, and standard DOEs (polymer / glass). For demands beyond standard, we offer customization and development, ranging from services and support for driver electronics, electronic designs, LCoS designs, and DOE designs, product development, fabrication and replication, to firmware and software solutions.

Within the field of Spatial Light Modulators (SLM) SLMs basing on high-resolution 2D microdisplays are developed and produced for phase but also amplitude modulation. Here we focus on reflective LCoS architectures / displays / microdisplays and the common video resolutions from Full HD (1920 x 1080 px) over 4k (3840 x 2169 px) up to 4160 x 2464 px with pixel sizes of 8 µm, 6.4 µm, 4.5 µm, and 3.74 µm. Due to the physical properties of the liquid crystals used, our SLMs are particularly suitable for monochrome, but also color field sequential (CFS) applications in numerous fields of optics, where the phase, the amplitude or the polarization of light is to be dynamically modulated with high spatial resolution. 

Covering a wavelength range of ~ 350 nm to 2500 nm, high resolution light modulation applications within the visible, the near-infrared, and the telecommunication waveband are addressed. For convenient control and integration into the software environment of our customers, our software package includes a software development kit (SDK) allowing to show images and phase arrays in many programming languages directly on the SLM.

The Diffractive Optical Elements (DOE) team comes up with a broad range of off-the-shelf standard DOEs with various patterns, like dot arrays, dot circles, circles, multi-lines, and cross-hair patterns. It also develops new DOEs following costumer specifications for the light patterns to be generated. The DOEs are made of standard plastic materials – like polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) or polycarbonate (PC) – as well as of standard fused silica glass by etching, or are replicated, using acrylate-on-soda-lime glass substrates.

And in the LCoS Microdisplays area state-of-the-art display solutions are developed, focusing customized developments, in particular for industrial applications.

Application areas

Telecommunication: optical switching, wavelength selective switching (WSS)

Holography: AR/VR/MR displays, projection, data storage, …

Material processing: mask-less lithography (2D, 3D), Two-photon polymerization, ...

Microscopy: light sheet, super-resolution imaging, 3D, …

Holographic optical tweezers (HOT)

Laser beam shaping (donut modes, Bessel/Airy beams, top-hat-profiles)

Temporal laser pulse shaping

Laser beam splitting

Laser beam steering

Wavefront modulation / aberration correction

Polarization generation (radial, azimuthal)

Adaptive optics: dynamic lens

Focusing through opaque media

Complex modulation

Digital filtering

Pattern projection (phase)

Fringe projection (amplitude)

Ophthalmology