Lively interest and a lot of progress: International Conference on UV-LED Technologies and Applications – ICULTA 2023
“Great Conference!", this was how numerous participants from research and industry thanked the organizing team for four days of intense exchange, networking and excursions around ultraviolet light-emitting diodes and their diverse applications.
The international UV LED community came together at ICULTA in Berlin from April 23 - 26. More than 220 participants from 27 countries discussed their latest developments at the conference. Topics covered were broad and included the complete value chain from UV LED technology to systems and applications in the fields of medicine, water, UV curing, monitoring of UV systems, plant growth and sensor technology. Presentations included promising results illustrating how far-UVC LEDs can effectively combat multi-resistant pathogens such as MRSA or can be used to treat chronic, non-healing wounds. The safety aspects to be considered when exposed to far-UVC light were also discussed.
Among other things, UVC LED-based water treatment systems that can be used directly at the point of supply were presented. The first examples of UVC-LED water treatment in the public sector were also covered. In further presentations, ams-Osram, Nichia and Asahi Kasei reported significant progress in the development of UVC LEDs. In addition, FBH scientists succeeded in setting a new record for quantum efficiencies of 233 nm far-UVC LEDs by realizing µ-LED arrays. The conference closed with three poster awards, granted to Tim Achenbach (TU Dresden), Silke Lohan (Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin), and Iman S Roqan (KAUST, Saudi Arabia).
On the 4th day, Berlin based companies and research institutions invited participants to take part in excursions. These included Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Institute for Solid State Physics at TU Berlin, IKZ and FBH, as well as SENTECH and Wista.
The conference was jointly organized by Advanced UV for Life e.V. and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut in cooperation with the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA).
