ARCNL involved in large ‘Perspectief’ program on lensless imaging
Six new ‘Perspectief’ programs have been given the green light by NWO, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. The programs should lead to a new 3D printer for large metal components, more efficient deep-learning systems, extreme microscopy, new bacteria for the chemical industry, injury-free exercise and wearable robotics for people suffering from muscular disorders.
ARCNL and VU Amsterdam group leaders Stefan Witte and Kjeld Eikema are involved in the extreme lensless microscopy program called Lensless Imaging of 3D Nanostructures with Soft X-Rays (LINX). This program is managed by prof. H.P. Urbach of Delft University of Technology. Within the research program, the ARCNL/VU group will lead the project on experimental implementation of new soft-X-ray measurement schemes.
About ‘Perspectief’
With ‘Perspectief’, NWO is challenging scientists to establish a close partnership with industry and social organisations. It concerns multidisciplinary research with a special emphasis on application. Together the parties will develop new research lines linked to the top sectors. The board of NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) is providing 21 million euros for six large-scale research programs within the ‘Perspectief’ funding program. The companies, civil society organisations and knowledge institutes involved in the programs will supplement NWO’s funding with another 11 million euros.
About LINX
An increasing number of everyday devices contain chips so they can communicate with the outside world. This so-called Internet of Things makes demands on computer chips: increasingly they have to be smaller, cheaper and contain more transistors. In order to prevent costly production errors, the production process has to be carefully monitored. For that purpose, the LINX research consortium is developing new measurement techniques to create images of structures without the aid of lenses with measurements of a nanometre (a millionth of a millimetre). LINX bases the techniques on smart calculation methods and so-called soft X-rays, or X-rays with a wavelength of between 10 and 30 nanometres. Ultimately the researchers want to have a system that not only traces errors during the production process of chips, but also a system that can make extremely small details of structures visible in other applications, such as solar cells.
Read the press release of NWO
