The Institute of Applied Physics was set up in 1946 under the directorship of Professor Dr Eduard Justi. From its early days the ITP was highly focussed on applied research work. Multiple investigations were carried out e.g. on the conduction mechanism in metals and semiconductors, thermo-electric phenomena, Peltier elements, and solar cells. A little known fact is that Professor Dr E Justi was the actual pioneer of the now popular fuel-cell technique. In 1972 on his initiative the unique High Magnetic Field Facility of the TU Braunschweig was initiated.
In 1974 Professor Dr Wolfgang Gey became the new Head of the Institute and successor to Professor E Justi. His major research work was focussed on low and extremely low temperatures like the superconductivity in crystalline and highly disordered systems. The Institute's speciality was investigations in high magnetic fields as well as investigations at high static pressure. Another important activity was studies of semiconductor materials for solar cells and of transport characteristics of semiconductors carried out by the groups of Professor Dr Günther Schneider and Dr Detlef Schneider.
In April 1999 Professor Dr Andreas Hangleiter became Head of the Institute of Applied Physics. With Professor Hangleiter's arrival the main research work of the IAP focusses again on applied semiconductor physics, in particular on micro- and nanostructures based on III-V-semiconductors for applications in opto-electronics, electronics and sensors.
The appointment of Professor Dr Georg Nachtwei, who works in the field of quantum transport in low-dimensional semiconductor structures, has led to further completion regarding the spectrum of the topics of semiconductor physics. The working group of Professor Dr Andreas Eichler, set-up in 1982, continues doing research work in the field of material characteristics of metals at low temperatures and high pressures, especially at intermetallic rare-earth-compounds and so-called heavy-Fermi-Systems.
With the re-orientation of the IAP since 1999, a massive extension of the technological facilities has taken place. The newly set up cleanroom, which will shortly be completed, will allow the preparation of semiconductor layer structures based upon group-III-nitrides by using metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy. With the help of optical lithography and by deposition of metal contacts it is possible to demonstrate simple device structures. Their characteristics are subject of further investigations. Besides various types of optical spectroscopy, even with high time resolution, high resolution microscopy including a scanning electron microscope, an atomic force microscope and a scanning near-field microscope has been established as a new important subject for the Institute's future.
High precision measurements of the electrical transport characteristics and the band structure of semiconductor structures, also in high magnetic fields, complete the spectrum of the Institute's experimental capabilities.
The research work carried out by the Institute of Applied Physics covers a wide spectrum from fundamental research, supported by the "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft", to direct cooperation with Industry, in the development and optimisation of opto-electronic devices.