This project is to be carried out at
TU/e - Eindhoven University of Technology in collaboration with
ASML and
M2i-Materials Innovation Institute.
From their development in '70s the number of transistors on microprocessors doubles every 2 years - Moore's Law. Today, Moore's Law drives megatrends that shape our connected world: development of AI, smart devices, intelligent materials, etc. This is enabled by the development of new photolithographic techniques that are pushing further microchip downsizing making semiconductors cheaper and electronic devices more powerful. The printing resolutions with the newest EUV technologies are as small as 8 nm, which is comparable to the atomic levels. To enable this, a proper light beam is needed but also extremely precise environmental control is required. Every particle, every wrinkle, every single vibration can disturb the photolithographic process. That's why a lithographic equipment is kept on its own ecosystem - in a cleanroom and isolated from the
hustle and bustle of the outside world.
The semiconductor industry largely relies on fluorine-based materials- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl compounds, so-called PFAS. Namely, they are omnipresent in lithographic equipment's due to their unique combination of properties - they are very clean and have good mechanical properties and resistances. All materials used in vibrational damping control are currently PFAS-based which means that their production and disposal relate to environmental and health risks, and soon their use will be restricted due to upcoming PFAS-legislation. This project aims at investigating better performing and safer polymer materials for vibrational damping control, inside lithographic equipment's.
The research will be conducted in close collaboration between a TU/e research group:
Coatings, Surfaces and Interfaces (CSI)/ Physical Chemistry (SPC) which is part of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at
TU/e (The Netherlands),
ASML and
M2i-Materials Innovation Institute who will coordinate the project.
The TU/e offers academic education that is driven by fundamental and applied research. We combine scientific curiosity with a hands-on mentality. Our educational philosophy is based on personal attention and room for individual ambitions and talents. Our research meets the highest international standards of quality. We push the limits of science, which puts us at the forefront of rapidly emerging areas of research.