Annual Report 2010 - Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research

The Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research (IIM) is one of the six institutes of what was called Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (FZD) until the end of 2010, but since this year 2011 is called “Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)”. This change reflects a significant transition for us: it means that the research center is now member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (HGF), i.e., a real government research laboratory, with the mission to perform research to solve fundamental societal problems. Often to date those are called the “Grand Challenges” and comprise issues such as energy supply and resources, health in relation to aging population, future mobility, or the information society. This Annual Report already bears the new corporate design, adequate for the time of its issueing, but reports results from the year 2010, when we were still member of the Leibniz Association (WGL). Our research is still mainly in the fields of semiconductor physics and materials science using ion beams. The institute operates a national and international Ion Beam Center, which, in addition to its own scientific activities, makes available fast ion technologies to universities, other research institutes, and industry. Parts of its activities are also dedicated to exploit the infrared/THz freeelectron laser at the 40 MeV superconducting electron accelerator ELBE for condensed matter research. For both facilities the institute holds EU grants for funding access of external users