Advanced crystals with highly precise properties are often needed in fundamental physics to expand our knowledge of the Universe.

Such crystals are not available on the market and need to be specifically developed.

The section Semiconductors of the IKZ researches on the fabrication of high precision semiconductor crystals for cosmology R & D. Currently the following key projects are in progress: 

The LEGEND Collaboration (Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless ßß Decay) aims to verify the neutrinoless double beta decay of the germanium isotope ⁷⁶Ge.

This process cannot be explained with the Standard Model of particle physics, so experimental proof would be a sensation.

IKZ`s group CZ-IV supplies the required high-purity germanium crystals.

Another example is given by the recently approved design study of the Einstein-Telescope (ET) for high precision gravitational wave detection where IKZ´s Float-Zone group is a partner.

Ongoing research at Berkeley Lab's (California) shows excellent properties for scintillation of gallium arsenide (GaAs) to be a potential material for "Dark Matter Photon Detection". Within this project, our group VGF-III-V is involved in growing GaAs single crystals with specific boron and silicon doping.