Physics Internship: Measuring virtual leaks in vacuum systems

Introduction

Are you a student with a background in Physics or Engineering? Do you have experience with experimental methods and data analysis? are you self-driven and enthusiastic? Then this internship might be interesting for you!

Background information

In the Defectivity and Optics Lifetime Solutions department, the team defines and delivers vacuum and gas flow based solutions to secure high EUV light transmission through our EUV scanner, thus contributing to high productivity for our customers. The team does this by protecting the (extremely clean) optics and other in-vacuum surfaces from particle and molecular contamination.

Yet, contamination may arise from outgassing of 'dirty' hardware or virtual leaks from closed volumes that are present in the in-vacuum modules.

By means of the team's carefully designed architecture and modules, we make sure that this contamination is mitigated and the Optical Column remains clean at all times.

Your assignment

This assignment is about predicting virtual leaks, quantifying their size and defining validated means for mitigation, with the goal to derive specifications for the conductance of the venting path for the given closed volume as well as possible implementations.

Sometimes enclosed volumes cannot be avoided in a vacuum module design. In these situations, we need to know what its contribution will be, if we need to mitigate it and if so, how.

To reach this we need to quantify the behavior of virtual leaks and compare this to the predictions of analytical models. To do so, measurements on various types and sizes of virtual leaks (i.e. different enclosed volume geometries & non-vented bolt constructions). are done and the results of the measurements are used to validate and calibrate the model to real-life situation. As the end goal, a set of specifications and possible implementations to eliminate the risk of virtual leaks in the in-vacuum modules in our EUV scanners is delivered.

This assignment consists of:

1. Quantification (measurements) for the different virtual leaks: the experimental work should result in measured pump-down times for set of enclosed volumes (vary volume and conductance of the leak ): non-vented bolts varying in size (used in scanners) and volume of the dead end, vented bolts for the reference.
2. Development of analytical models based on measurements for predictions of the virtual leaks as leak flow vs. time & geometry during pump-down.

The assignment should be a derived set of specification for the conductance of the venting path for the given closed volume.

Your profile

To be the perfect match for this internship, you:

• are a student with a background in Physics or Engineering;
• have experience with experimental methods, vacuum/flow and data analysis;
• are self-driven and enthusiastic;
• have great communication skills in English, both written and verbally.

This is an apprentice and graduation internship for master students, with a minimum duration of 4 months, 4 days per week, starting in the second Quarter of 2023.

Please note that we can only consider students who are enrolled at a school for the entire duration of the internship.
This position requires access to U.S. controlled technology, as defined in the United States Export Administration Regulations. Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to access such U.S. controlled technology prior to beginning work. Business demands may require ASML to proceed with applicants who are immediately eligible to access U.S. controlled technology.

Diversity and inclusion

ASML is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving force in the success of our company.

Other information

Change the world – one nanometer at a time
Become an intern at a Dutch company that’s a global industry leader. You’ll gain valuable experience in a highly innovative environment – one that sparks your imagination and creativity. In addition to a monthly internship allowance of maximum €600 (plus a possible housing and/or travel allowance), you’ll get practical guidance from experts in the field and the chance to work in and experience a dynamic team environment.

ASML: be part of progress
ASML is a high-tech company headquartered in the Netherlands. We manufacture the complex lithography machines that chipmakers use to produce integrated circuits, or computer chips. What we do is at the heart of all the electronic devices that keep us informed, entertained and connected. Every day, you use electronics that simply wouldn’t exist without our machines.

Behind ASML’s innovations are engineers who think ahead. The people who work at our company include some of the most creative minds in physics, electrical engineering, mathematics, chemistry, mechatronics, optics, mechanical engineering, and computer science and software engineering.

We believe we can always do better. We believe the winning idea can come from anyone. We love what we do – not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

Students: getting ready for real-world R&D
We’re a global team of about 29,000 people of 120 different nationalities and counting. Headquartered in Europe’s top tech hub, the Brainport Eindhoven region in the Netherlands, our operations are spread across Europe, Asia and the US.

In such an environment, your colleagues may be sitting next door, or they could be thousands of kilometers away in a different country – or even working for a different company.

An internship at ASML is the opportunity to get to know not only the world of industrial-strength R&D, but yourself – you’ll discover just what excites you most. Will you design a part of the machine, or make sure it gets built to the tightest possible specifications? Will you write software that drives the system to its best performance, or work side-by-side with the engineers of our customers in a fab, optimizing a system to the requirements of the customer?

How will you be part of progress?