Photo Imageable Material Formulation and Testing for Advanced Maskless Super-Resolution Lithography & Holography

Project Overview:
Photolithography has long been the foundation of the semiconductor industry. However, after decades of remarkable progress, traditional projection photolithography is approaching its fundamental limits. Challenges such as resolution constraints (i.e., critical dimensions), escalating hardware and operational costs, and stagnant throughput due to increasing system complexity are becoming more pronounced.
To address these limitations, maskless advanced lithography is emerging as a transformative, multidisciplinary field. This approach eliminates the need for costly and complex phase masks by directly shaping the light wavefront and leveraging novel resist formulations.

Our Approach:
We are developing a cutting-edge lithographic platform that integrates:

• Advanced direct holography, optimized for high-resolution patterning.
• Super-resolution multicolor resists, capable of achieving critical dimensions below the diffraction limit.
• Large-area manufacturing, maintaining the scalability benefits of holography.
• Volumetric and multi-plane structuring, enabling both 2D and 3D additive manufacturing through machine learning-based optimization.

Unlike conventional projection systems, our holographic method precisely controls the light wavefront, opening new possibilities in 3D lithography and volumetric printing. This enables the fabrication of complex micro- and nanoscale structures with high yield and flexibility.

Applications:
Our technology has broad implications across:

• Advanced electronics and next-generation chip design
• MEMS and energy harvesting devices
• Metasurfaces and microfluidics
• High-throughput optics and bio-inspired materials
• 3D volumetric printing and additive manufacturing

Your Role:
You will focus on the formulation of photo-imageable materials that can be spin-coated in thicknesses ranging from 100 to 0.05 microns. This involves:

• Using Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) to dissolve acrylate monomers and photoinitiators into uniform solutions.
• Designing developer chemistries that selectively remove unexposed material without affecting the polymerized regions.
• Conducting bulk exposure tests to evaluate system response across multiple wavelengths.
• Performing imaging experiments aimed at achieving up to 20× resolution improvement over single-color exposures.

You will also work with the team design and evaluate multiplexed holograms for various test geometries and validate their performance using spatial light modulators (SLMs) on a 2D and 3D volumetric printing system.

Who We’re Looking For:
We seek passionate scientists and engineers with:

• Strong practical knowledge in chemistry or materials science
• A foundational understanding of photochemistry
• A drive to innovate in lithographic and additive manufacturing technologies
   

What You Can Expect:

• Comprehensive training in our proprietary chemistries and experimental methods
• Hands-on experience in performance screening and material testing
• Mentorship and supervision for progress tracking and troubleshooting
  Join us in pushing the boundaries of semiconductor fabrication and shaping the future of micro- and nanoscale manufacturing.

Type of Project: Combination of internship and thesis

Master's degree: Master of Science; Master of Engineering Science

Master program: Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Engineering; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology

Duration: 3 - 6 months

Supervisor: Stefan De Gendt 

For more information or application, please contact the supervising scientists John Petersen (John.Petersen@imec.be) and Giammarco Nalin (Giammarco.Nalin@imec.be). 

Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.