At the research centre Laboratory for Emerging Nanometrology (LENA), research groups are working together on questions of measurement in the nanoworld using state-of-the-art technical infrastructure and expertise from electrical engineering, physics, mechanical engineering and chemistry. PTB is involved in LENA as a strategic partner.
The research building on the TUBS campus at Lange Kamp was financed by the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony as part of the joint initiative for new research buildings and was opened in spring 2019. Laboratories and offices for over 100 employees were built in the LENA for around 33 million euros on a total of 2574 m². Since then, the LENA has been a hub for the core research area metrology.
Precise and quantitative measurements on nanoscale structures are not only the basis for a better understanding of the smallest structures, but are also a prerequisite for better standardisation and ultimately for the transfer of nanoscale materials, methods and systems from research laboratories to industrial use. LENA focuses in particular on the precise measurement of three-dimensional objects. This is needed, for example, for new types of nano-LEDs or better high-performance batteries for future electric vehicles. In addition, technologies on the nanoscale are needed to investigate and understand the role of nanoparticles in our environment. Ubiquitous (i.e. available everywhere) sensors and standards should put nanoparticle measurement technology on a completely new footing and serve as the basis for rapid tests on the nanoscale.