What's FIRST?

FIRST is a Scientific Program

Research
FIRST builds upon a successful tradition of technologically oriented research and accomplishments at ETH on objects measured in fractions of a micrometer and functional dynamics taking place on the femto-second time scale.

"Smaller" and "faster" requires new paradigms in miniaturization down to the nanometer and molecular scale and three-dimensional nm-structuring. Finally, it requires the synthesis of these devices, materials and systems from nano-scale building blocks.

Interdisciplinary solutions are pursued in FIRST by the utilisation of joint efforts based on the synergy between electronics, mechanics, chemistry, physics, biology or other disciplines.

Chain of Innovation
Solving the challenges in materials and processing technology and mastering the “whole” innovation–chain: concept-technology-devices-systems-applications, FIRST enables “hands-on” participation combined with a significant level of autonomy in research and learning potential.
Based on that successful interplay between material and device development, the new opportunities for faster and smaller devices, higher densities of information and data rates, higher complexity and diversity of systems, or more compact functions will form the basis of tomorrow's high-tech industries.