We are looking for a motivated and skilled PhD candidate who is willing to take the challenge to develop methods for studying plasma-surface interaction on nanometre-thin films using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Understanding plasma-surface interaction is of utmost importance to develop thin films that resist exposure to reactive ions and radicals, thereby enabling application in future lithography technology. Our aim is to obtain scientific understanding how material properties and atomic-scale structure influence stability of thin films in reactive environments. You will develop and apply methods to perform TEM imaging while exposing samples to reactive conditions, thereby offering for the first time direct imaging of reaction and diffusion processes on these thin films while exposed to plasma.
Your project will be part of a research project on the physics of thin films for extreme UV applications, currently running in the XUV Optics Group at Twente (www.utwente.nl/xuv). We develop forefront fundamental research, relevant to high tech applications, in collaboration with our industrial partners (ASML, Zeiss, Malvern Panalytical and VDL). The research will take place in a state-of-the-art thin film laboratory within the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, which will allow you ample opportunities to collaborate and interact with various academic and industrial partners.
Your goal is to apply and develop methods for
in-situ and operando TEM imaging of thin films exposed to reactive environments. This includes:
- Studying physical and chemical processes in thin film samples exposed to reactive conditions (radical and/or ion exposure) in Environmental TEM set-ups at academic partners (Paris (F) - Ecole Polytechnique) , as well as reference experiments at our in-house TEM facilities.
- Development of TEM inserts that will allow in-situ imaging under reactive conditions at our in-house TEM facilities.
- Use the physics insight obtained from the newly developed imaging capabilities to understand how the resistance of thin films against plasma exposure is related to material combinations and atomic structure of the film.