Postdoc: Hydrodynamics of Droplet Deformation & Fragmentation for EUV Lithography

Postdoc: Hydrodynamics of Droplet Deformation & Fragmentation for EUV Lithography

ARCNL - Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Work Activities

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)”.

Background

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.

Project goal

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 experiments and simulations. As part of your work, you will closely collaborate with researchers in the Jalaal group at University of Amsterdam.

Qualifications

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.

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