EFDS – European Society for Thin Films

EFDS – Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V. (European Society for Thin Films) is a German non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) dedicated to thin-film technology and its industrial application. Its office (Geschäftsstelle) is located in Dresden, a city the organisation itself describes as being at the centre of the European semiconductor industry and an important hub of vacuum-technology equipment manufacturing. The association positions itself as a moderator, platform and driver for the development of innovative surface and thin-film technologies, connecting small and medium-sized enterprises with research institutes and scientific expertise. The organisation's stated motivation is to help small and medium-sized enterprises gain access to technological progress so that research results can be turned into commercial success. Its vision is to bring people together, give a voice to idea-rich actors and support innovative companies in cooperation with competent partners. Its mission is to act as an open and reliable moderator and as a scientifically grounded expert network, creating and safeguarding quality. EFDS describes itself as an initiator, platform and engine of development in innovative surface and thin-film technologies, and as courageous and open to new ideas and experiments that advance science and research. EFDS pursues several goals: it motivates dialogue and science communication between responsible experts from companies and scientists from research institutes; it supports the marketing, funding and further development of EFDS itself as a mouthpiece for opinion-forming; and it serves as a crystallisation point for the field. Its technology focus covers surface, thin-film, vacuum and plasma technologies, which it argues can make products and processes more efficient and more sustainable. The community research (Gemeinschaftsforschung) organised by EFDS is presented as a guarantee that technical developments for new coating types and for tool and component properties are continuously improved. EFDS is best known publicly for its event and network activities. It organises conferences and workshops, including the International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE), a research-driven gathering that draws hundreds of participants and an industrial exhibition with leading names in surface and plasma technology. Company feedback quoted on the EFDS website describes PSE as an excellent platform for exchanging ideas with researchers and industry experts working in PVD, plasma processing and coating technologies. In 2025 EFDS won the Innovation Project of the Year award, with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) recognising an IGF project on the coating of battery powders. The association thus operates at the intersection of publicly funded industrial research, scientific networking and technology transfer in Germany and across Europe.

EFDS – Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V. is a German non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) active in the field of thin-film technology. Its office is located in Dresden, which the organisation describes as being at the centre of the European semiconductor industry and an important centre of vacuum-technology equipment manufacturing. The association was established to serve as a bridge between small and medium-sized enterprises and the scientific research community, so that research results in surface and thin-film technology could be translated into economic success. From its founding, EFDS has defined itself as an open and reliable moderator and as a scientifically grounded expert network. Its stated goals include motivating dialogue and science communication between responsible experts from companies and scientists from research institutes, supporting the marketing, funding and further development of EFDS as a mouthpiece for opinion-forming, and acting as a crystallisation point for the field. The association describes itself as an initiator, platform and engine of development in innovative surface and thin-film technologies, and as courageous and open to new ideas or experiments that advance science and research. A central element of EFDS activity is community research (Gemeinschaftsforschung), which the organisation presents as a guarantee that technical developments for new coating types and for tool and component properties are continuously improved. This work is linked to publicly funded industrial research programmes; in 2025 EFDS won the Innovation Project of the Year award, with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) recognising an IGF project on the coating of battery powders. EFDS is also known for its conference and network activities. It organises conferences and workshops, most prominently the International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE). The PSE conference is described as research-driven at its core, attracting hundreds of participants and an industrial exhibition with leading names in surface and plasma technology. Company feedback quoted by EFDS highlights the international character of the event, with researchers, engineers and potential customers from across Europe and beyond. The association continues to operate as a networking and technology-transfer platform for the thin-film, surface, vacuum and plasma technology communities in Germany and Europe.

• EFDS wins the Innovation Project of the Year 2025 award; BMWK recognises an IGF project on the coating of battery powders.

  [1]EFDS – Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.efds.org
• PSE 2026 conference held, providing a platform for exchange between researchers and industry experts in PVD, plasma processing and coating technologies.

  [1]EFDS – Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.efds.org

Non-profit expert network and platform connecting industry and research in thin-film, surface, vacuum and plasma technology.

• International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering (PSE)

  Research-driven conference with an industrial exhibition focused on surface and plasma technology.

• Community research (Gemeinschaftsforschung) projects

  Joint research projects, including IGF-funded work such as the coating of battery powders.

1. 1EFDS – Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V.efds.org
2. 2Über Uns – EFDSefds.org
3. 3EFDS - Europäische Forschungsgesellschaft Dünne Schichten e.V. (Wikidata)wikidata.org