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PhD Defense Klaas Bijlsma
Klaas Bijlsma successfully defended his PhD thesis at the University of Groningen on June 18th. Klaas worked as a PhD student in the research group of Ronnie Hoekstra (Ion Interactions).
During the four years of his doctoral studies, Klaas took full advantage of the excellent facilities in Groningen, such as the Zernike low-energy ion beam facility. His research focus was on the interaction of tin ions with molecular hydrogen. In modern nanolithography machines, extreme ultraviolet light is generated with a tin plasma. Energetic tin ions coming from this plasma could potentially damage plasma-facing surfaces. One of the ways in which this can be mitigated is by letting the tin ions collide with hydrogen molecules, which will slow down the tin ions. Moreover, in such collisions the tin ions can capture electrons from the hydrogen molecules, which influences the efficiency of energy loss. To understand these processes on a fundamental level, Klaas carried out experimental research. His findings will be used by ARCNL’s industrial partner ASML for simulation research.
After his defense Klaas intends to stay in the Groningen region. He has a particular interest in contributing to the energy transition, so he is looking into job opportunities in this field.
