Beyond classical resolution limits: Dr Wilhelm Eschen receives the Dr.-Ing. Siegfried Werth Prize

Dr Eschen was honoured for his outstanding scientific achievements in the field of high-resolution microscopy with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. In his dissertation entitled ‘Material-Specific and High-Resolution Imaging Using Extreme Ultraviolet Ptychography’, he has opened a new chapter in the history of microscopy - one that goes beyond the classical limits of light microscopy.

When conventional microscopes reach their physical resolution limits, Dr Eschen's research begins: with extremely short-wave EUV light, highly coherent beams and sophisticated reconstruction algorithms that Carl Zeiss and Ernst Abbe could hardly have imagined in their time. With an illumination wavelength of just 13.5 nm and a reconstructed resolution of 16 nm, he succeeded in developing a microscope that is unique in the world. What is particularly remarkable is that this system not only provides images with unprecedented resolution, but also information about the local chemical composition of materials on the nanoscale.

Dr Eschen provided impressive proof that this technological breakthrough is not just a theoretical concept. He successfully applied his method to real samples from microelectronics and biology, demonstrating the enormous potential of EUV ptychography for science and technology.

In his laudatory speech, doctoral supervisor PD Dr habil. Jan Rothhardt paid tribute not only to his scientific successes but also to Dr Eschen's exceptional personality: his perseverance and profound scientific clarity, combined with his modesty. With over 15 publications, numerous international lectures and contributions to patent applications, he sets standards and is rightly seen as a role model for young scientists.

We would like to congratulate Dr Wilhelm Eschen on this well-deserved award and wish him continued success in his future career in science and industry!