Paul Drude Institute
research institute in Berlin, Germany

The Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik German for Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics (PDI) is a research institution under the auspices of the Forschungsverbund Berlin and is a member of the Leibniz Association. The institute is located at Hausvogteiplatz in Berlin-Mitte, its research activities are in basic research in the fields of physics and engineering and the areas of materials science and electronics/optoelectronics.
History
The institute emerged from the Central Institute for Electron Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. Based on a recommendation of the Wissenschaftsrat, the institute was newly founded on January 1, 1992, and headed by Klaus Ploog until 2006, followed by Henning Riechert until the end of 2019.
The institute is named after the German physicist Paul Drude (1863–1906), who conducted research in the fields of optics and electronics, among others, and gave his name to the Drude theory.
Tasks
The PDI conducts basic research on nanostructured semiconductors and is involved in the development and realization of novel concepts for future components in information technology and communication technology.
Research focuses on III-V semiconductors based on aluminum, gallium and indium as well as nitrogen and arsenic on the one hand, as well as semiconducting oxides (e.g. Ga2O3), 2D Materials and hybrid ferromagnet semiconductor structures, on the other hand. Among other things, the crystal growth processes are investigated using molecular beam epitaxy. Furthermore, fundamental optical, electrical and structural properties of the semiconductor layers and structures produced in this way are the subject of research. Where possible, paths to possible applications are also identified.
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