The prize is in recognition of the many years of work carried out by Prof. Klages in the field of plasma technology development. Prof. Klages, who laid the foundation for his activities in the field of plasma technology as long ago as during his time at the Philips Research Laboratory in Hamburg – the nucleus of the Fraunhofer IST – has had a decisive influence on the Institute since its establishment in 1990. Initially, he concentrated on the deposition of coatings through activated CVD processes and, in particular, thereby on diamond technology. In the mid-nineties, he transferred his scientific focus to the field of plasma technology, where he distinguished himself as an internationally recognized expert in the field of atmospheric pressure plasma processes.

Claus-Peter Klages represents not only plasma technology but also quality in research. “This can be confirmed not only by colleagues but also particularly by doctoral students, whose work he has corrected and annotated – in red, of course,” recalls Dr. Andreas Pflug, with a wink. The Group Leader for simulation at the Fraunhofer IST gave the laudation at the award ceremony: “Professor Klages was an important role model for all of us. He was extremely productive, acquired, travelled, researched and published a great deal. During his time at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft alone, he composed 116 articles for professional journals, 159 conference papers, 55 patent specifications and 9 book chapters.” Nevertheless, he was always ready to listen to other people. In the case of tricky questions or technical problems, he always had a good idea or a suitable publication at hand. “His wealth of knowledge continues to impress – and not only us,” reveals Dr. Pflug.

About the Prize

The Rudolf Seeliger Prize has been awarded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Plasmatechnologie e.V. (German society for plasma technology, DGPT) since 2001. Within the framework of the biennial plasma technology conference, the society honors therewith the excellent work of deserving scientists in the field of plasma technology.

Biography

After studying chemistry at the Universität Hamburg, Claus-Peter Klages completed his doctorate from 1975 to 1979 in the field of organic-physical chemistry. During his doctoral studies, he worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Organic Chemistry at the Universität Hamburg from 1977 to 1979. He then moved to the Philips Research Laboratory in Hamburg in order to work as a research assistant on various topics of applied materials research: Reversible data storage in polymer films, liquid-phase epitaxy of pyrope layers and - in the group around Dr. Heinz Dimigen - thin-film technology, in particular diamond CVD. His habilitation at the TU Braunschweig followed in 1989. From 1990 until the end of his activities at the Fraunhofer IST in spring 2019, Prof. Klages was Head of the Atmospheric Pressure Processes department, from 2003 in a part-time position. From 1994 to 2003, Claus-Peter Klages was Deputy Director of the Fraunhofer IST. He was awarded teaching assignments as Visiting Professor at the University of Lanzhou, China from 1993 to 1996, and as Consultant Professor at Shanghai University, China from 1998 to 2000. In 2002, Prof. Klages was initially appointed Adjunct Professor at the Institute of Surface Technology IOT of the Technische Universität Braunschweig. In 2003 he was appointed Professor there and is still active in this position.