Hybrid materials are materials prepared by com­bining organic and inorganic materials design­ned on the micro or nano scale. The combination of such materials leads to new exciting func­tio­nality and effects with highly tailorable properties. For the fabrication of inorganic materials we use sol-gel-based processes. Our focus is on wide-band-gap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide or zinc oxide which are very promising materials for numerous photonic applications. Various growth condi­tions lead to nano or micro crystals and fibers. Above all also porous and bulk semiconductors are grown.

The development of new materials needs a deep understanding of the materials properties. Thus various kinds of spectroscopy are needed. Among optical spectroscopy, our field of expertise is magnetic resonance spectroscopy with various techniques such as optically or electrically detected multiple resonance spectroscopy, allowing the determination of the microscopic structure and chemical nature of defects in materials.