AMOLF-ARCNL PhD collaboration brings to light new nanostructure metrology technique

The joint PhD program between AMOLF and ARCNL continues to prove its strength in combining fundamental physics with industrial relevance. Falco Bijloo’s research, recently published in ACS Nano, showcases the power of this partnership. This December, two such joint AMOLF-ARCNL PhD candidates will both defend their PhD theses on the same day, highlighting the close-knit collaboration between the two institutes and the fertile research environment it creates for young scientists.

Falco Bijloo adjusts experimental setup.

A BIC breakthrough

Working at the interface of nanophotonics and semiconductor metrology, joint AMOLF-ARCNL PhD candidate Falco Bijloo developed a new optical technique to measure structures far smaller than the wavelength of light. His work focuses on dielectric metasurfaces, which are artificially structured surfaces that manipulate light in unique ways.

By carefully patterning nanoscopic disks with tiny voids, he and his collaborators created a surface that supports a so-called quasi-bound state in the continuum (quasi-BIC). This special optical resonance is extremely sensitive to minute structural changes, allowing the detection of variations as small as a few nanometers. Such sensitivity is essential for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, where measuring critical dimensions quickly and accurately is a key challenge.

Femius Koenderink en Frank Bijloo (AMOLF) — Falco and Femius at the AMOLF coffee corner.

Fruitful collaboration

Doing a PhD at both AMOLF and ARCNL simultaneously gave Falco the opportunity to explore fundamental photonic concepts while keeping an eye on practical applications for the semiconductor industry. “The combination of AMOLF’s expertise in nanophotonics and ARCNL’s focus on industrial metrology makes it possible to tackle problems neither institute could solve alone,” says supervisor Femius Koenderink, leader of the Resonant Nanophotonics group at AMOLF. At ARCNL, Falco’s research is supervised by Peter Kraus, whose group specializes in the development of extreme ultraviolet light sources for nanometrology and ultrafast dynamics measurements.

Fellow AMOLF-ARCNL PhD candidate Nick Feldman, who will defend his thesis on the same day, benefited from the same environment of shared knowledge and state-of-the-art facilities. As Falco and Nick prepare for their December defenses, their achievements highlight how joint training programs can produce both high-impact science and researchers ready to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The AMOLF-ARCNL partnership continues to nurture exactly the kind of multidisciplinary talent that future nanotechnology breakthroughs will require.

Learn more

Read more about the new metrology technique in the paper published in ACS Nano. If you have questions about this study or the joint AMOLF-ARCNL PhD program, please contact Femius Koenderink (email: F.Koenderink@amolf.nl) or Falco Bijloo (email: F.Bijloo@amolf.nl).

Reference

Falco Bijloo, Arie J. den Boef, Peter M. Kraus, A. Femius Koenderink, Structure-in-Void Quasi-Bound State in the Continuum Metasurface for Deeply Subwavelength Nanostructure Metrology, ACS Nano (2025).

What's happening

Most recent news items

All news items

People and recognition

Joining forces to study perovskite interfaces

AMOLF group leaders Professor Wiebke Albrecht and Professor Bruno Ehrler have received an NWO ENW-M2 grant for their joint research project, The Dynamic Atomic Interface between Halide Perovskites and Metals. The insights gained will pave the way for sustainable, high-performance solar energy and information technology. Wiebke and Bruno will each hire a PhD student for this project. The grant amounts to €800.000.

Read news item

People and recognition

Wim Noorduin and Arian van Asten presenting their scientific journey

On October 8, Professor Wim Noorduin and his collaborator Professor Arian van Asten (University of Amsterdam) presented their scientific journey in a video to the audience at the ‘Avond van Wetenschap en Maatschappij’. They did so alongside the other nominees for the Huibregtsen Prize.

Read news item

Research highlights

Natural phenomena ‘hyperuniform disorder’ enables highly efficient, thin silicon solar cells

Silicon solar panels are rigid and heavy, and many rooftops cannot support them. This creates a need for thin, flexible solar cells that can be integrated into building materials. However, making silicon solar cells thinner makes it harder to trap light inside the material. Researchers in the 3D Photovoltaics group found a fascinating way to overcome this challenge using a phenomenon called hyperuniform disorder. They publish their findings in the journal ACS Photonics.

The researchers were able to make highly efficient silicon solar cell materials that are 30 times thinner than conventional ones. They managed to do this by integrating a layer of nanometer sized structures on top of the material. Up close, this pattern looks random, but it is remarkably when you step back: no clumps, no gaps, and no repeating pattern. This is called hyperuniform disorder (or HUD).

Read news item

People and recognition

Off Road grant for a better understanding of intestinal cells that communicate with the immune system

AMOLF postdoc Dr. Susanna Eli received an Off Road grant from ZonMw to investigate cells known as M cells in the gut lining that connect the intestine to the immune system. Understanding how M cells develop could ultimately contribute to better treatments for intestinal and immune-related diseases. The grant amounts to 100,000 euros.

Read news item