Berthold Leibinger
Innovationspreis
Zukunftspreis

Laser technology has given rise to many trends: micro-processing and 3D printing, information technology and quantum computing, ultra-high precision measurements and diagnostics, to mention but a few. On the one hand, lasers have been reduced in size until they have become tiny quantum points while, on the other, they have burgeoned into major installations. The advancement and recognition of outstanding achievements in research and development using and relating to laser light is therefore an important area of concern for the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung.

Innovationspreis
Every two years, the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis is presented to honor innovations in laser technology, irrespective of whether the innovation relates to a beam source or an application and whether it was developed by a research institution or is a product of industry.
Innovations are accepted for consideration as applications or nominations. Individuals or groups from all over the world are eligible for consideration. The application must include a description of the technology and its commercial aspects.
The jury selects a shortlist of eight finalists from among the applications and nominations. The finalists are invited to attend the jury meeting at the Berthold Leibinger Stiftung and present their work in person. An awards ceremony is held to honor the finalists and award winners.
1st prize: € 50,000
2nd prize: € 30,000
3rd prize: € 20,000
Alpha – Tunable Frequency Converter from Visible to Mid-Infrared
Dr. Tobias Steinle, Prof. Dr. Harald Giessen
SI Stuttgart Instruments GmbH & Universität Stuttgart
The high-precision tunable ultrafast laser platform ‘Alpha’ is a product line of SI Stuttgart Instruments and the result of intensive research and commercial development. The fiber-feedback optical parametric oscillator features a unique passive optical stabilization and pulse shaping scheme and serves in bioimaging, nano-spectro-scopy, and visible to deep mid-infrared ultrafast science around the world.

Laser-Driven Microdrones
Prof. Dr. Bert Hecht, Dr. Xiaofei Wu
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg & Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology
Much smaller than human red blood cells, the laser-driven microdrones contain several optical nanomotors addressed individually by circular polarization components of unfocused light fields and will enable independent steering of all six degrees of freedom in 3D. Potential applications range from life sciences to nanotechnology, such as transport and release of cargos, nanomanipulation, local probing and sensing, as well as experiments in fundamental quantum physics.

QLAS – the Photonic 3D Printer
Dr. Sofia Pazzagli, Dr. Sinan Gündogdu,
Grigory Kornilov, Prof. Dr. Tim Schröder
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin & Ferdinand-Braun-Institut
Imprinting photonics elements inside glass and transparent materials is an emerging technology that is key to applications such as smart glasses, head- up displays, miniaturized sensors, and many more. ‘QLAS’ is a new 3D printer technology for these elements using cost and energy efficient laser diodes to produce localized refractive index changes in a glass like transparent material.

OSEC – Tunable External-Cavity Quantum-Cascade Laser
Dr. J. F. Kischkat, Dr. O. Supplie, Dr. R. Schlesinger,
N. Hahne, Prof. Dr. H. von Lilienfeld-Toal,
M. Silvestrov, A. Liero, R. Antal
Quantune Technologies GmbH
For Mid-infrared spectroscopy ‘OSEC‘, optically stable external-cavity QCL, by Quantune Technologies GmbH, combines the best of two worlds: Precise wavelength tunability and stable operation with miniature quantum-cascade lasers made from large-batch semiconductor components. ‘OSEC‘ brings laser-based high-res MIR spectroscopy to in-line industry, consumer and health-tec applications.

Remote Bio-Sensing and Diagnosis of Cardio-Pulmonary Diseases
Prof. Dr. Zeev Zalevsky, Prof. Dr. Javier Garcia
Bar-Ilan University & Universitat de València & Donisi Health
The remote sensing methodology extracts nano-vibrations occurring in the tissue and is capable of continuously sensing various vital bio-signs, molecular concentration of chemicals in blood stream and hemodynamic activity. A commercial product developed by Donisi Health was tested in large clinical trials while focusing on diagnosis of cardio-pulmonary diseases as arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure.

Direct Laser Welding of Al-Si Coated Press-Hardened Steels
Prof. Dr. Shanglu Yang, Wu Tao, Dr. Wei Xu,
Dr. Jiazhi Zhang, Xuzhi Zhang
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
An innovative laser-filler wire welding process for welding aluminum-silicon coated press hardened steels has been developed and approved by Chinese car manufacturers. Press-hardening steels provide ultra-high strength and the capability of being formed into complex shapes, which enables the automotive industry to achieve excellent vehicle weight saving. The new process has huge potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing costs and its complexity.

Optical Frequency and Timing Distribution System
Prof. Dr. Franz X. Kärtner, Kemal Şafak,
Anan Dai, Daniel Petters
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, DESY & Universität Hamburg & Cycle GmbH
An optical pulsed timing distribution system enabling femtosecond to attosecond precision timing, initially developed for timing of km-scale X-ray Free-Electron Lasers, has ultimately been commercialized by Cycle. Cycle’s technology brings atomic level temporal resolution from labs to scientific research infrastructures and space industry such as high energy laser systems and radar antenna facilities.

Ultra High Precision Light Sources in Fundamental Physics and Beyond
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Grote, Dr. Henning Vahlbruch,
Prof. Dr. Benno Willke
Cardiff University & Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics & Leibniz University Hannover
The detections of gravitational waves have revolutionized astronomy and our understanding of the universe. Three innovations in laser physics were essential for this breakthrough: extreme stabilization of high-power lasers, generation and coherent control of squeezed vacuum fields, and novel control techniques for squeezed light application. They may also innovate other applications like quantum communications and light-based quantum computing.









The innovation award winners at a glance
1st Prize
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Grote, Dr. Henning Vahlbruch, Prof. Dr. Benno Willke
Ultra High Precision Light Sources in Fundamental Physics and Beyond
2nd Prize
Prof. Dr. Zeev Zalevsky, Prof. Dr. Javier Garcia
Remote Bio-Sensing and Diagnosis of Cardio-Pulmonary Diseases
3rd Prize
OSEC Project Group, Quantune Technologies GmbH
OSEC – Tunable External-Cavity Quantum-Cascade Laser
1st Prize
Dr. Daniel Brown, Dr. Alexander Schafgans, Dr. Yezheng Tao
EUV Lithography
2nd Prize
Prof. Dr. Robert L. Byer, Prof. Dr. Peter Hommelhof
Particle Accelerator on a Chip
3rd Prize
Prof. Dr. Stephan Barcikowski, Prof. Dr. Bilal Gökce
Nanoparticle Synthesis
1st Prize
Thomas Schopphoven, Dr. Andres Gasser, Gerhard Maria Backes
Additive Manufacturing
2nd Prize
Project Group DELPHI
Photonic Integration
3rd Prize
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Popp, Prof. Dr. Ute Neugebauer
Raman Spectroscopy
1st Prize
Dr. Balthasar Fischer
Optical Microphone
2nd Prize
Dr. Garrett Cole, Prof. Dr. Markus Aspelmeyer
Crystalline Coatings
Project Group DLIP
Direct Laser Interference Patterning
3rd Prize
Laser Guide Star Alliance
Guide Star Laser
1st Prize
Dr. Alexander A. Oraevsky
Optoaksutics
2nd Prize
Dr. Helmut Erdl, Dr. Abdelmalek Hanafi
Illumination System
3rd Prize
Prof. Hwa-yaw Tam, Prof. Siu Lau Ho, Dr. Shun-Yee Michael Liu
Laser Sensing Network
1st Prize
Dr. Tso Yee Fan, Dr. Antonio Sanchez-Rubio, Dr. Bien Chann
Wavelength Multiplexing
2nd Prize
Project Group InnoSlab
InnoSlab Laser
3rd Prize
Felix Abt, Andreas Blug, Leonardo Nicolosi
Process Control System
1st Prize
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Trupke, Dr. Robert Bardos
Luminescence Imaging
2nd Prize
Prof. Dr. Karsten König
Multi-Photon Tomography
Dr. Ralph Delmdahl, Rainer Pätzel, Dr. Kai Schmidt, Dr. Alexander Usoskin
Pulsed Laser Deposition
3rd Prize
Prof. Dr. Majid Ebrahim-Zadeh
Tunable Femtosecond Lasers
1st Prize
Dr. Markus Willert, Ulrich Graf, Dr. Thorsten Bauer, Dr. Jens König
Cold Microprocessing
2nd Prize
Dr. Richard L. Sandstrom, Dr. William Partlo
VUV Lithography
3rd Prize
Dr. Cary Gunn
CMOS Photonics
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Czarske, Dr. Lars Büttner, Dr. Thorsten Pfister
Distance Sensor
1st Prize
Dr. Karin Schütze, Raimund Schütze
Laser Catapult
2nd Prize
Prof. Dr. Ian A. Walmsley
SPIDER
3rd Prize
Dr. Michael Mei, Dr. Ronald Holzwarth
Optical Frequency Comb
1st Prize
Prof. Dr. Ursula Keller
SESAM
2nd Prize
Prof. Dr. Andreas Tünnermann, Dr. Stefan Nolte, Dr. Holger Zellmer
Fiber Laser
3rd Prize
Dr. Axel Rolle
Lung Surgery
1st Prize
Work Group Disk Laser
Disk Laser
2nd Prize
Dr. Tibor Juhasz, Dr. Ronald Kurtz
Femto-LASIK
3rd Prize
Dr. Stefan Hell, Marcus Dyba, Dr. Alexander Egner
STED Microscopy
1st Prize
Dr. Josef Schneider
Printing Systems
2nd Prize
Dr. Martin Grabherr
High-performance VCSELs
3rd Prize
Prof. Dr. Yong Feng Lu
Microprocessing

Zukunftspreis
The Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis honors outstanding milestones in scientific or industrial research using or generating laser light. It is awarded every two years together with the Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis.
Submissions for the Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis are by nomination only. Candidates may be nominated by former members of the jury, previous award winners, scientific organizations and professional associations from around the world that work in the field of laser technology or photonics.
50.000 €
The winners of the Berthold Leibinger Zukunftspreis
Professor Dr. Anne L’Huillier, Lund University
High-Order Harmonic Generation and Attosecond Physics
Professor Sir David Payne, University of Southampton
"Erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and pioneering fiber optic technologies."
Professor Dr. Karl Deisseroth, Stanford University
"Lasers in Optogenetics Development and Implementation."
Professor Dr. Gérard Mourou, L'École Polytechnique
"Invention of Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) and Extreme Light Sources."
Professor Dr. Philip Russell, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Light
"Photonic Crystal Fiber"
Dr. Osamu Kumagai, Sony
"Multi-wavelength diode lasers for three generations of optical drives."
Professor Dr. Federico Capasso, Harvard University
"Quantum Cascade Laser"
Professor Dr. Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, Harvard University
"Single molecule biophysics and nonlinear optical microscopy."
Professor Dr. H. Jeffrey Kimble, California Institute of Technology
"Resonator Quantum Electrodynamics."

The jury
The jury is made up of independent jurors who select the winners of the Innovationspreis and the Zukunftspreis.
YouTube channel
LeibingerLaserPrize
