Are you enthusiastic about pushing the limits in micro/nano fabrication of optical components?

We are looking for a motivated and skilled post-doctoral researcher to carry out advanced micro/nano fabrication research on free-standing transmission gratings for spectral unravelling of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography light sources.

The XUV Optics Group at Twente, in collaboration with ARCNL in Amsterdam, has started a new multidisciplinary research program on these topics. We develop forefront fundamental research, relevant to high tech applications (www.utwente.nl/xuv/). The research will take place in a state-of-the-art thin film laboratory and cleanroom within the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, in collaboration with various academic and industrial partners.

Your goal is to develop the advanced free-standing transmission gratings using the well-established micro/nano fabrication infrastructure. Previously we have fabricated transmission gratings with 50 nm features. The challenge includes:

Exploiting deposition and micro/nano-structuring techniques for patterning and releasing structures with dimensions below 100 nm.
Developing the understanding of the material properties and fabrication processes for stable free-standing grating structures at these dimensions.
Characterizing the deposited films and fabricated structures using characterization techniques such as AFM, XRD, SEM and others.
Exploring alternative materials, fabrication techniques and designs for higher optical performance and reliability.

• You have a PhD degree in materials science, physical chemistry or engineering, solid state or surface physics or a related field.
• You have experience in micro/nano fabrication of structures preferably with dimensions below a micron.
• Experience or affinity in techniques such as nano-imprint lithography, electron-beam-lithography or similar is an advantage.
• Experience or affinity in optical grating simulations using finite-element method (FEM), rigorous coupled waves approach (RCWA) or similar is an advantage.
• You are an excellent team player in an enthusiastic group of scientists and engineers working on a common theme.
• You are creative, like to push boundaries, and are highly motivated to address a major science challenge in micro/nano-fabrication and thin film physics.
• You are fluent in English and able to collaborate intensively with industrial and academic parties in regular meetings and work visits.

You will be appointed on a fulltime position at the University of Twente for 18 months with a possibility for extension. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues in a stimulating scientific environment. The post-doc salary is between € 3.353 and € 4.012 gross per month depending on experience and qualifications.

The offer further involves: a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%, a solid pension scheme, a minimum of 29-day holidays, and numerous professional and personal development programs.

This project is a collaboration between the University of Twente and the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) in Amsterdam, and ASML.

ARCNL is a public-private partnership between NWO (previously FOM), University of Amsterdam, VU Amsterdam and the company ASML. ARCNL focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry behind current and future technology for nanolithography, especially for application in the semiconductor industry.

The XUV Optics group is embedded in the MESA+ Institute (www.mesaplus.utwente.nl), which is one of the largest nanotechnology research institutes in the world, delivering competitive and successful high-quality research. The institute employs 500 people of which 275 are PhD’s or PostDocs. With its unique NanoLab facilities the institute holds 1250 m2 of cleanroom space and state-of-the-art research equipment.