Vidi grant awarded to explore charge-controlled friction
Dr. Bart Weber, leader of the Contact Dynamics group at ARCNL and University of Amsterdam, has been awarded an NWO Vidi grant for a project titled, “Repel or attract? Switchable stickiness for chipmaking.” The project will explore the possibility of using trapped charges at material interfaces to control friction forces, particularly in the context of silicon wafers in semiconductor device manufacturing.
A sticky situation
Friction, the force that makes objects stick or slide, is essential in technologies like semiconductor device manufacturing, where silicon wafers must be held and moved with extreme precision. However, friction is currently fixed by materials and cannot be actively controlled.
A new project led by Dr. Bart Weber at ARCNL and University of Amsterdam, funded by an NWO Vidi grant, will explore a new approach: using electrical charge trapped in thin insulating layers to tune how strongly surfaces attract or repel each other. By controlling this charge, friction can be increased or reduced on demand. This could enable more accurate, faster chip production and open the door to smart surfaces with adjustable grip and motion.
Long-range, reversible, and tunable
When two insulating solid materials touch, the mechanical contacts between them generate and trap electrical charge. These trapped charges can cause parts of the interface to be more “sticky” than others, because of how opposite charges attract. Because stickiness, or adhesion, governs friction, trapped charge can directly modify forces at the interface. Being able to control where such charge-trapping occurs could therefore allow friction to be tuned.
Unlike chemical modifications, electrostatic interactions are long-range, reversible, and electrically tunable. “While charge trapping is well established in memory devices, its role in load-bearing sliding contacts remains largely unexplored,” says Bart. “If we can stabilize charge under these conditions, adhesion – and thus friction – becomes programmable.”
Applications and impact
In modern semiconductor equipment, friction is not a design parameter that engineers can tune, but a side effect of the materials and surfaces involved. “Improved control over friction in these systems would directly enhance positioning accuracy, stability, and throughput,” says Bart. “This not only translates into economic growth, but also reduces energy consumption, as computer chips with finer features consume less power.”
Beyond semiconductor manufacturing, the ability to actively control friction opens up new possibilities for adaptive mechanical systems. “Surfaces could switch between low-friction and high-friction states depending on the task,” explains Bart, “enabling efficient motion when needed, and strong grip when required.” Such functionality is relevant for robotic manipulation, precision engineering, and high-performance mechanical systems.
Support for emerging leaders in science
This project will be funded through an NWO Vidi grant in the domain “Applied and Technical Sciences.” The Vidi is an individual research grant aimed at researchers who are in the process of transitioning to leadership roles. More information about the Vidi grant and awarded projects can be found on the NWO website.
Contact
If you have questions about this research project, please contact Bart Weber (B.Weber@arcnl.nl).
