PhD - student: Measuring charges and fields in semiconductor metrology

Work Activities
In semiconductor devices and materials, electric fields can arise due to doping, laser excitation, and other processes. Measuring these fields and/or the charges that create them, is nontrivial as it is highly undesirable to attach physical electrodes to semiconductor devices just for this purpose. At the same time, the ability to measure these fields is highly interesting as it offers the possibility to apply it as a diagnostic tool for quality control. A non-contact way to measure static or slowly varying electric fields is Electric-Field Induced Second Harmonic generation, or EFISH. In isotropic media, optical second harmonic generation (SHG) is normally not allowed. Static electric fields, however, break inversion symmetry, allowing SHG. This means that SHG can be used as a probe of the local static electric field and charge distribution in a material. EFISH is also direction dependent, in principle allowing for measurement of the electric field vector.

Project goal
In this project you will work towards exploring and understanding EFISH to measure static fields and charge distributions in various materials and structures. For this you will learn to work with (tunable) femtosecond laser pulses generated by the laser systems available in the Light/Matter Interaction groups at ARCN. These laser pulses have high peak power and are therefore ideal for the nonlinear optical EFISH process. You will design your own setup, get acquainted with nonlinear optics, perform experiments on relevant materials, and learn how to analyze your data.

Qualifications
Applicants must hold, or be nearing completion of, a Master’s degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline, in accordance with Dutch university requirements for enrollment in a PhD program. While prior experience with femtosecond lasers is not a prerequisite, it will be considered a distinct advantage. Candidates should demonstrate a strong interest in nonlinear optics, materials science, and chemistry, coupled with excellent critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills. Proficiency in both written and spoken English is mandatory.

Work environment
ARCNL performs fundamental research, focusing on the physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. While the academic setting and research style are geared towards establishing scientific excellence, the topics in ARCNL’s research program are intimately connected with the interests of the industrial partner ASML. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 100 persons of which 65 are ambitious (young) researchers from all over the globe. www.arcnl.nl

About the Light/Matter Interaction group
The research activities of the Light/Matter Interaction group focus on the (non-)linear optical and terahertz response of materials within the context of photo-acoustics, light-induced damage, and local field measurements.

Working conditions
The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 2,968 per month and a range of employment benefits. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. ARCNL assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Prof. dr. P. Planken: p.planken@arcnl.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD - student: Generating short-wavelength radiation from plasma

Work Activities
This fully funded PhD position lies at the interface between fundamental physics and industrial application. It is part of activities in ARCNL’s Source Department. The research activities of the Source Department and its EUV Plasma Processes group aim at the atomic- and molecular-level understanding of the fundamental dynamics in the operation of contemporary and future plasma-based sources of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light for nanolithography.

In our group’s research we, for example, uncovered the quantum origins of the generated EUV light [Torretti, Nature Comms. Nature Commun. 11, (2020)], found a universal law for expanding plasma [Sheil, Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, (2024)], and found that less than half the initial droplet volume is present on thin tin sheet targets as used in EUV sources [Liu, Phys. Rev. Appl. 20, (2023)], and work on an alternative EUV source solution [Mostafa, Appl. Phys. Lett. 123, (2023)].

Background
The revolutionary introduction of EUV lithography was the culmination of several decades of collaborative work between industry and science – a Project Apollo of the digital age. The short, 13.5-nm EUV wavelength enables patterning the smallest, smartest, and most energy-efficient features on chips. The required 13.5-nm radiation is generated from plasma that is produced from tiny tin droplets that are heated by powerful laser pulses. At ARCNL, we are now thinking about the next generation of light sources: Can we make more efficient and more powerful EUV sources? Is it possible to make light sources that emit radiation efficiently at even shorter wavelengths?

Project goal
To identify what light source will power the next generation of lithography machines, we need to understand what plasma conditions are optimal for producing light from plasma, but also we need to understand how such plasma should be generated, and what laser technology should be used. You will join an interdisciplinary team of several PhD students and postdocs in ARCNL’s highly cohesive Source Department and have as an objective to design & execute experiments, and work with advanced laser technologies, to understand the emission of light and ions from plasma that you generate.

Qualifications

• You have (or will soon obtain) an MSc degree in (Applied) Physics
• Knowledge of experimental laser physics and/or plasma and fluid mechanics is an asset, especially if combined with strong hands-on laboratory skills
• Programming experience, particularly in Python, is welcomed
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English are required

Work environment
The Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. ARCNL is a public-private partnership between the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the VU University Amsterdam (VU), and associate partner the University of Groningen (UG), and the semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML. ARCNL is located at the Amsterdam Science Park, The Netherlands, and has a size of approximately 100 scientists and support staff. See also www.arcnl.nl

Working conditions
ARCNL offers you:

• Responsibility over a setup including state-of-the-art droplet generators and laser systems
• The ability to improve your experimental skills in extensive experimental campaigns that can be designed with a lot of freedom
• Collaboration with the in-house theory group, allowing you to understand the EUV-emitting plasma through radiation-hydrodynamics simulations
• Large amount of (image) data and a wide range of existing data analysis tools, allowing you to apply and develop your data analysis skills
• Cooperation within a large team of PhD- students and postdocs and with a large industrial partner
• The opportunity to show your work at (international) conferences for industry and academia

The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 2,968 per month, with annual increases throughout the term of employment, as well as a range of employment benefits including a high-end laptop. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. ARCNL assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Oscar Versolato:

Dr. Oscar Versolato
Group leader EUV Plasma Processes
E-mail: versolato@arcnl.nl
Phone: +31 (0)20-851 7100

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please send your:

• Resume
• Motivation letter on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page)

Online screening may be part of the selection.

There is no deadline for the vacancy which will stay open until it is filled. The first shortlist of candidates is expected to be drafted approximately in December 2025.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD-student: Active Hysterons and Spiking Neurons for Physical Computing

Work Activities

Qualifications
We seek candidates with a strong background in physics, electrical\mechanical engineering, materials science, or computer science with an interest in complex materials for computing and learning. Excellent candidates with training in any area of science or engineering will be considered. PhD candidates must meet the requirements for an MSc degree. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required. Other advantageous qualities include experience with coding (Python\Matlab) and numerical methods, as well as familiarity with concepts in complex systems, physical memories or machine learning. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse research environment, and welcome applicants with any background.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.968 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• The successful candidate is expected to spend 50% of their time in Amsterdam and 50% of their time in Eindhoven.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact :

Prof. Dr. Martin van Hecke
E-mail: M.v.Hecke@amolf.nl

Prof. Dr. Yoeri van de Burgt
E-mail: Y.B.v.d.Burgt@tue.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. This means that we will only consider your application if it entails your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD-student: Self-Learning Metamaterials

Work Activities
We are seeking a motivated PhD student to join our team working on realizing learning in novel physical materials, as part of a joint theoretical/experimental research project between AMOLF and the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Living systems capture our imagination in their incredible resilience and ability to adapt and prosper in the face of change in their environments. In comparison, human-made materials work reliably until an external change or internal aging cause them to fail once and for all. In this project, we will utilize a physical learning approach to imbue metamaterials and robots with intrinsic adaptation and learning from their experiences.

Using a combination of theory, numerical experiments and precision desktop experiments, we will create 3D materials with self-adapting elastic elements that counteract changes in the environment and the aging of their own parts. We will study how to make these materials learn continually by adapting functions over their lifetime without forgetting old lessons. Thereby, we will bring synthetic materials a large step closer to their living counterparts. With this project, we aim to redefine the way we engineer materials with direct ramifications in adaptive materials and robotics.

We offer a PhD position that combines theoretical exploration and experimental realization of a new class of robotic learning metamaterial, based on active and non-reciprocal elastic elements with controllable stiffness. The project will involve analytical and computational modelling, as well as designing and conducting lab experiments. Key questions include: How to create materials that can self-learn bulk visco-elastic properties? How to structure such materials to learn continually and counteract the aging of their own parts? Can we optimize self-learning materials to achieve properties that are hard to combine? With this research, we aim combine materials engineering with evolution and learning theory, blurring the lines between synthetic materials and adapting living systems.

For more information about our work, see:

[1] Jonas Veenstra, Colin Scheibner, Martin Brandenbourger, Jack Binysh, Anton Souslov, Vincenzo Vitelli, and Corentin Coulais. Adaptive locomotion of active solids. Nature, 639(8056):935–941 (2025).

[2] Yao Du, Jonas Veenstra, Ryan van Mastrigt, and Corentin Coulais. Metamaterials that learn to change shape. arXiv:2501.11958 (2025).

[3] Stern and Murugan, Learning without neurons in physical systems, Ann Rev Cond Matt Phys 14, 417 (2023)

[4] Dillavou, Beyer, Stern, Liu, Miskin and Durian, Machine learning without a processor: Emergent learning in a nonlinear analog network, PNAS 121, e2319718121 (2024)

Qualifications
We seek candidates with a strong background in physics, mechanical engineering, materials science, or computer science with an interest in complex meta-materials and (physical) learning. Excellent candidates with training in any area of science or engineering will be considered. PhD candidates must meet the requirements for an MSc degree. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required. Other advantageous qualities include experience with coding (Python\Matlab) and numerical methods, as well as familiarity with concepts in complex systems, physical memories or machine learning. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse research environment, and welcome applicants with any background.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

The Machine Materials laboratory at the University of Amsterdam is led by Corentin Coulais, with the goal of developing artificial materials which combine microstructure and out-of-equilibrium processes to interact with their environment in a programmable fashion.

The Learning Machines group is a new group at AMOLF, led by Menachem (Nachi) Stern, and focuses on the development of fundamental understanding and theories regarding learning, from a physical perspective, under real world constraints.

Our group members work closely together with extensive support from us and AMOLF resources in all aspects of design, realization, and interpretation of computational models of mechanical metamaterials and physical learning systems. We have a strong focus on stimulating development of students in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at our institutes and beyond. Moreover, we work closely together with international groups and companies.

Working conditions
The position is hosted at AMOLF, and the successful candidate will be enrolled for a Ph.D. program an the University of Amsterdam with joint supervision of Dr. Coulais and Dr. Stern. The experimental elements of the work will be carried at the science park campus of the University of Amsterdam.

• The working atmosphere at AMOLF is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.968 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at the University of Amsterdam.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact:

Dr. Menachem Stern
E-mail: stern@amolf.nl

Dr. Corentin Coulais
E-mail: C.J.M.Coulais@uva.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.