New research to venture beyond extreme ultraviolet light

John Sheil, leader of the Plasma Theory and Modeling group at ARCNL, will lead a research program in collaboration with the groups of Oscar Versolato and Ronnie Hoekstra on the generation of light with wavelengths shorter than extreme ultraviolet (EUV). This so-called “Beyond EUV” (BEUV) could push the limits of resolution in nanoscale printing, metrology and imaging. The program, made possible by NWO-I’s Strategic Innovation Fund, is aimed at laying the scientific foundation for future development of plasma sources of BEUV radiation.

A step into the unknown

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from tin plasma sources is used for nanolithography processes in semiconductor chip manufacturing, both for printing the smallest features on silicon wafers and for inspecting the resulting patterns. What makes EUV so useful is that it has a very short wavelength of 13.5 nanometers, which enables us to print and see very small features. In contrast, visible light has wavelengths in the hundreds of nanometers, at least 30 times longer than EUV, so it can’t print and resolve nanometer-scale features.

ARCNL’s Source department currently researches the physics of plasma sources of EUV radiation, and they are now going to take it a step further. Being able to generate light with even shorter wavelengths, in the Beyond EUV (BEUV) range, could push the limits of resolution in nanolithography and metrology. The light source is just one of the challenges in unlocking the BEUV regime, but by exploring the possibilities of generating BEUV radiation from plasmas containing elements heavier than tin, the BEUV program led by John Sheil will take short-wavelength source research into the unknown.

Uniting the Source department

The BEUV program, starting in 2026, will combine the areas of expertise of all groups in the Source department: Plasma Theory and Modeling (led by John Sheil), EUV Plasma Processes (Oscar Versolato), and Ion Interactions (Ronnie Hoekstra). Two PhD students will be recruited for the project. They will be jointly supervised by John Sheil and Oscar Versolato and embedded in both theoretical and experimental efforts.

Made possible by the Strategic Innovation Fund of NWO-I (the Institutes Organization of the Dutch Research Council), the BEUV program will be an exploration of new strategic directions for ARCNL research. Driven by practical applications in the semiconductor industry, ARCNL aims to push the limits of fundamental research with this department-wide research program.

More information

If you have questions about this strategic research program, contact institute manager Marjan Fretz (m.fretz@arcnl.nl).