Between Sparks and Future Visions – Jacob’s BOGY at IMS CHIPS

How do you find out what you truly want in life? Which career not only sounds right but feels right? For Jacob, a 15-year-old high school student, the answer to these questions began at a place where tiny structures make a big impact – right here at IMS CHIPS on the Campus Stuttgart-Vaihingen.

Jacob is fascinated by everything that makes the future tangible. In his free time, he and his friends love tinkering with microcontrollers, connecting sensors, and bringing wireless modules to life. His favorite subjects – computer science, math, and physics – aren’t just lessons to him; they’re a playground for curiosity.

One evening, while watching an ARD documentary about photonic chips from Q.ANT, which are produced here at IMS CHIPS, Jacob was instantly captivated. “That’s what I want to see!” he thought – and the very next day, he picked up the phone.

And yes – IMS CHIPS offers BOGY internships. A few weeks later, Jacob arrived at our institute, eyes wide with curiosity and, perhaps, a little nervous excitement.
From day one, things got hands-on: practical exercises on the IMS Board, testing his own circuits, and making LEDs blink – a perfect start. But what followed exceeded all his expectations.

For two full days, Jacob had the chance to step into our cleanroom – a place where dust simply doesn’t exist and where very few outsiders ever go. Dressed in a white protective suit, surrounded by softly humming machines and glowing yellow light, he felt like he had entered another world. Here, he was allowed to handle wafers – those wafer-thin slices of silicon from which microchips are born. He watched as patterns emerged, as ideas took shape and became real products. “That was so impressive,” he says.

He also gained insights into the packaging and design departments, where chips are processed further, separated, and integrated into their final products. “I had no idea how many steps it takes to make a single chip,” Jacob shares enthusiastically.

What impressed him most, however, were the people. “Everyone was so open, so passionate about their work. You could really feel that they love what they do.” That passion lit a spark in Jacob too – the desire to one day study aerospace engineering, ideally right here on the Stuttgart campus.

His BOGY week at IMS CHIPS gave him not only valuable technical insights but, above all, confidence that he is on the right path.

When Jacob talks about his week, his eyes light up. He knows now that he wants to be part of this world – a world where research, precision, and passion come together. Maybe one day he’ll return as a student assistant, or even as an engineer, he told us with a smile.

We at IMS CHIPS are thrilled by Jacob’s enthusiasm and wish him all the best on his journey. We’ll be happy to welcome him back anytime!

And to everyone who would like to dive into this fascinating world themselves: Come visit us, ask about our BOGY program, and discover how exciting microtechnology can be.
After all, sometimes it only takes a single spark to ignite an entire future.

Interested in a BOGY?
Simply get in touch with our Head of Education – you’ll receive all the relevant information about the program and can arrange a personal appointment: e-Mail