FERDINAND-BRAUN-INSTITUT GGMBH LEIBNIZ- INSTITUT FUR HOCHSTFREQUENZTECHNIK

Their core work

Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) is a Berlin-based Leibniz research institute specializing in high-frequency electronics, III-V semiconductor devices, and advanced photonics. They develop compound semiconductor components — particularly gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors, terahertz/millimeter-wave MMICs, and laser diodes — that serve as enabling hardware for telecommunications, power electronics, and quantum technology applications. In H2020, they contributed specialized chip-level and device-level expertise to projects spanning wireless communications beyond 100 GHz, vertical GaN power semiconductors, quantum optics, and biophotonic medical imaging.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FBH's early H2020 work (2016–2018) centered on millimeter-wave wireless infrastructure — traveling wave tubes, DG-band chipsets, and network backhaul components in ULTRAWAVE, alongside an outlier contribution in medical biophotonics (MIB). From 2019 onward, their focus expanded into terahertz communications (TERAWAY), quantum photonics (ErBeStA), and especially vertical GaN power electronics (YESvGaN, their largest project). The trajectory shows a clear shift from RF communications hardware toward power semiconductors and quantum-adjacent photonics, reflecting broader European investment trends in these areas.

FBH is moving toward wide-bandgap power electronics and terahertz technology, positioning them as a key hardware partner for next-generation 6G communications and energy-efficient power conversion projects.

How they like to work

FBH participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as a specialized hardware provider contributing device-level expertise to larger system-integration consortia. With 65 unique partners across 12 countries from just 5 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia (averaging 13+ partners per project). This pattern suggests they are a trusted component-level specialist that consortia recruit for specific semiconductor or photonics capabilities rather than a project driver shaping the overall research agenda.

FBH has collaborated with 65 distinct partners across 12 countries through 5 projects, indicating broad European reach and strong demand for their specialized hardware expertise. Their network spans telecommunications, quantum research, and medical device communities.

What sets them apart

FBH occupies a rare niche as a publicly funded research institute that bridges fundamental semiconductor physics and application-ready RF/power components. Their ability to contribute across wildly different domains — from cancer diagnostics lasers to terahertz wireless chips to quantum optical devices — stems from deep mastery of III-V compound semiconductor fabrication. For consortium builders, FBH offers access to world-class cleanroom infrastructure and decades of GaN/InP device expertise that few European partners can match.

Highlights from their portfolio

• YESvGaN
  Largest project by funding (EUR 477K), targeting vertical GaN power transistors on silicon — a high-impact technology for cost-competitive wide-bandgap power electronics.
• TERAWAY
  Second-largest funding (EUR 248K), addressing terahertz fronthaul/backhaul links with multi-beam optical beamforming — directly relevant to 6G infrastructure development.
• ErBeStA
  Unusual cross-domain contribution: a high-frequency electronics institute working on quantum optics and cavity QED, signaling expansion into quantum technology hardware.