EUV ERC

Engineering Research Center
for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Science and Technology

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

Since the fall of 2003, over 200 undergraduates from over 40 different institutions across the US and Puerto Rico have contributed to the EUV ERC's research thrusts. Undergraduate students collaborate with Center faculty and graduate students on current research projects. A successful research experience instills confidence in undergraduates who may be uncertain about their suitability for graduate school. It also enhances their competitiveness for admission to strong graduate programs and for national fellowships. During the Summer Program, as a complement to the research work, we also provide ample opportunities for professional development through participation in seminars, symposia, workshops, and the annual EUV ERC Retreat. Some of these activities link together its three campuses through teleconferencing.

 


The 2020 EUV ERC REU program runs from Late May through early August at the University of California at Berkeley and Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Summer projects at each site are different depending on the research and engineering expertise of the Primary Investigator (PI) who runs the laboratory but the results of each project contribute to the overall research and engineering goals of the EUV ERC. Applicants are encouraged to state their preference for location in their personal essay but the applicant's skills and experience are a factor in location assignments..

 

 

UC Berkeley: Dr. Steve Leone is a Professor in the Chemistry and Physics Departments.
Leone Group Webpage

      

Colorado State University, Fort Collins: Dr. Jorge Rocca is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
 Rocca Webpage

 

Colorado State University, Fort Collins: Dr. Carmen Menoni is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.
 Menoni Webpage

 

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Center for X-Ray Optics: P. Naulleau

 

Research Topics

Colorado State University (Marconi, Menoni, Rocca)

  • High Power Lasers
  • Ultraintense laser/matter interactions
  • Optical materials design and engineering

University of California Berkeley (Leone)

  • Attosecond pulse generation and its application to spectroscopy.
  • Ultrafast electronic/vibrational dynamics in gas-phase molecules.
  • Electron and spin dynamics of quantum matter.

Center for X-Ray Optics, Lawrence Berkeley Lab (Naulleau)

  • EUV Resist Photoelectron Spectroscopy.
  • EUV Mask Microscopy
  • Soft X-Ray Scatterometry

Projects description

 

 

 

Application Information

 

 

The Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Science and Technology is soliciting applications for summer 2020 undergraduate research positions. Successful applicants will collaborate with faculty and graduate students on cutting-edge EUV research projects.

Positions offer a ~10-week research opportunity in EUV science and technology along with seminars on current EUV projects and other relevant topics as well as social activities.  Students receive a stipend.  Housing assistance is available to non-resident students. The program is open to students in engineering, physics, chemistry and related fields.

Some Potential Projects

 

 

Application Requirements: 

1. Statement of Purpose

2. Letter of Recommendation (From a faculty member) - this is sent by email to Ms. Teresa Simske at teresa.simske@colostate.edu

3. Copy of Official Academic Transcript

 Eligibility:

1. Sophomore, Junior or non-graduating Senior

2. U.S. citizen or permanent resident

3. GPA of 2.8 or greater (out of 4)

Dates:              Applications open December 15, 2020

Notification of acceptance before or on March 1, 2020

Program Dates: June 1 through August 7, 2020 (flexible)

Please check soon for further informaiton

   

Link to application

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:  February 15th, 2020, 5:00 PM MST.

 

Research and networking
- Video meetings with the REUs and faculty from all 3 Sites
- Daily meetings with Mentor
- Directed research as part of a team to develop inter-personnel skills
Learning and career information
- Four safety training courses: lasers, chemicals, high voltage & machine shop
- Regular practice for presentation Weekly seminars on photonics, graduate school preparation, industry & ethics
Outreach
- Support to communicate summer experience to home institute
- Frequent opportunities to teach high-school students
Weekly Lab or Industry Tour

Students are offered the opportunity to collaborate on a number of laser and optics projects integral to current research at the Center. They are partnered with a research scientist and a graduate student who help them understand and enjoy their research work, and ultimately obtain a definitive result. Students are expected to write a scientific paper and produce a presentation describing the results of their 10 weeks of research. The summer culminates with a student oral presentation session.

 

David N. Hill (Morehouse College)

My project consists of studying the effect of EUV laser irradiation on dielectric coatings. I am also involved in a project that investigates biocompatible polymers that can possibly be patterned with EUV light. The project includes spin coating polyurethanes onto silicon wafers. Presently I am testing the spin coating conditions to find the protocol to generate homogeneous films to be exposed to the EUV.

Thaddeus Johnson (Colorado State University)

My main project has been working in the electronics for a fast laser switch. At first Derek (my REU co-worker) and I researched light polarization, Pockels cells, EMI, RFI, and different types of filters. We then modified the power supply and control board to have improved EMI filtering. This was especially interesting because we had the opportunity to work through the entire process, designing the filters, simulating them, designing our pcb , selecting and ordering parts, and assembling the final circuit. I learned a lot about the differences between the ideals that we learn in school and what goes into making a board that actually does what you want it to. I have also learned a good deal of Solidworks and I have learned how to use the manual milling machine and the band saw.

Nina Popovic Basta (McGill University)

A pump probe uses the popular method of splitting and recombining light to experimentally discover properties of a molecule. For this project the time difference is an essential variable to control and know. My setup used a Michelson Interferometer set up to find a correlation between the time delay and a piezo -motor movement. The final product will be a labview program that can control the piezo motor movements to affect the time delay .

Dominique Everett (Morehouse College)

The objective of our research is to investigate new polymers for EUV laser nano-patterning. We cover substrates' surfaces with polyurethanes diluted in THF ( Tetrahydrofuran which is our solvent), such that the solution can be at a liquid state to spin coat homogenously. Thus far we have discovered that the polyurethane has a reaction to UV light. The goal is to find the conditions that will allow EUV nano-patterning in the surface of these biocompatible polymers.

Diana Peterson (Colorado State University)

This summer, I worked with several different aspects of a 47 nm imaging system. I developed an electronic amplifier to drive a piezo to demonstrate stop-action nano-scale imaging with this microscope. I also developed and tested a new electronics control circuit to remotely control the extreme ultraviolet laser that is used as the illumination light source for the microscope. I'm also working on zone plate software development to design lenses for the microscope. For side projects, I'm working with silicon nitride membranes.

Leigh Martin (University of Colorado, Boulder)

This summer I built a feedback system to stabilize our laser setup. In higher harmonic generation, we require our laser to point directly into an extremely narrow, gas-filled fiber. By using extremely accurate movable mirrors and high speed electronics, I was able to compensate for much of the spatial instability in the laser and keep it pointed directly into this fiber. Hopefully, this will increase the repeatability of the light we create from these fibers, which could lead to higher-quality data.


The foundation for the EUV ERC was provided by the Engineering Research Centers Program of the National Science Foundation under NSF Award Number EEC-0310717. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
Last updated: 01/03/20