Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography ARCNL

Within ARCNL’s research program, three thematic clusters reflect the direct alignment with the Research and the Development & Engineering departments at ASML

SOURCE
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light is used to manufacture chips. This light is generated by firing laser pulses at tiny tin droplets, turning each one into a hot and dense plasma. The Source Department investigates all aspects of this process, including e.g. plasma and fluid dynamics and the modeling thereof, drive laser physics, ionic interactions, and the atomic origins of the EUV light

METROLOGY
In the lithography process, accurate inspection and positioning of nanometer-scale structures are essential. The Metrology department focuses on the development of new imaging and metrology techniques for detection of markers buried underneath opaque layers and for detailed visualization of nanostructures. This involves lensless and computational imaging, coherent light sources that range from infrared to soft x-rays, and advanced optical detection schemes.

MATERIALS
The performance limits of materials are continuously challenged in novel lithography technology, requiring atomic-level insight into and control of their properties. The Materials Department investigates a wide range of materials behavior, with an emphasis on the properties of surfaces and interfaces, in the context of e.g. EUV optics, protective coatings and membranes and contact phenomena, such as nanoscale friction and wear.