Hydrodynamics of droplet deformation & fragmentation for EUV lithography

This postdoctoral position lies at the interface between fundamental physics and industrial application. It is part of a fully funded Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council titled “Next-Generation Light Source: Driving plasmas to power tomorrow’s nanolithography (MOORELIGHT)”.

Advanced semiconductor devices are produced using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light at just 13.5nm wavelength. The recent revolutionary introduction of EUV lithography (EUVL) was the culmination of several decades of collaborative work between industry and science – a Project Apollo of the digital age. EUVL is powered by light that is produced in the interaction of high-energy CO2-gas laser pulses with molten tin microdroplets. The use of such lasers leads to low overall efficiency in converting electrical power to useful EUV light. Replacing gas lasers with much more efficient solid-state lasers may significantly improve efficiency, as well as output power. It is currently however unclear what laser wavelength, and what plasma ‘recipe’ should be used. This is because we lack understanding of the underlying complex physics. The goal of project MOORELIGHT is to deliver the missing insight.

The EUV-emitting laser-produced plasmas are generated from tin targets carefully shaped (i.e, hydrodynamically deformed) by a series of laser “pre-pulses”. The ability to shape and control these tin targets is critical for the efficient generation of EUV light in current and future light sources. Achieving such a precise control requires a detailed understanding of the underlying hydrodynamic processes.

You will join an interdisciplinary team of several PhD students and postdocs with the objective of understanding the fluid mechanics underlying target formation, ranging from the (in)compressible flow initiated by impact to the various instabilities that lead to the fragmentation of thin tin sheets. You will be responsible for the design, setup, execution, analysis, and interpretation of
. As part of your work, you will closely collaborate with researchers in the
Jalaal group (https://www.fluidlab.nl/)
at University of Amsterdam.

You have (or soon will have) a PhD related to the field of fluid mechanics. Programming skills (Python and/or C) are required. Good verbal and written communication skills (in English) are required.

The Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. ARCNL is a public-private partnership between the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the VU University Amsterdam (VU), and associate partner the University of Groningen (UG), and the semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML. ARCNL is located at the Amsterdam Science Park, The Netherlands, and has a size of approximately 100 scientists and support staff. See also
www.arcnl.nl (https://arcnl.nl/)
.

The research activities of the
EUV Plasma Processes (https://arcnl.nl/research-groups/euv-plasma-processes)
group aim at the atomic- and molecular-level understanding of the fundamental dynamics in the operation of contemporary and future plasma-based sources of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light for nanolithography.

The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of up to 3 years, with a salary in scale 10 (CAO-OI) and a range of employment benefits. ARCNL assists any new foreign postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

For further information about the position, please contact:

Dr. Oscar Versolato

Group leader EUV Plasma Processes

E-mail:
[email protected] (/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dea8bbacadb1b2bfaab19ebfacbdb0b2f0b0b2)

Phone: +31 (0)20-851 7100

Please send your:

– Resume
– Motivation letter on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.