Chip production without friction

Informazioni relative al progetto

CHIPFRICTION

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101116991

DOI

10.3030/101116991

Data della firma CE 29 Novembre 2023

Data di avvio 1 Gennaio 2024

Data di completamento 31 Dicembre 2028

Finanziato da

• European Research Council (ERC)

Costo totale

€ 1 500 000,00

Contributo UE

€ 1 500 000,00

Coordinato da

STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CHIPFRICTION (Chip production without friction)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-01-01 al 2026-06-30

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Modern semiconductor manufacturing relies on extreme mechanical precision. During chip production, components repeatedly make contact and slide, often under vacuum or controlled gas environments. Even the smallest amounts of friction and wear can lead to positioning errors, reduced lifetime of components, and increased costs. Despite its importance, friction at nanometer length scales is still poorly understood, particularly for very hard and wear resistant materials such as carbon based coatings, which are widely used because of their exceptional wear resistance.

The objective of the CHIPFRICTION project is to understand how friction and wear arise at the smallest relevant length scales in technologically realistic conditions, and how they can be controlled. The project focuses on model systems and aims to identify the physical and chemical mechanisms that govern wear, with the long-term goal of enabling chip production with minimal friction and degradation.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

To achieve these objectives, the project combines custom-built experimental tools, advanced microscopy, and atomic-scale simulations. A key element is the development of a dedicated tribometer that allows controlled friction and wear experiments under vacuum and in selected gas environments, closely mimicking conditions encountered in semiconductor manufacturing.

In parallel, the project develops novel optical methods to directly visualize the real area of contact between surfaces at the nanoscale. By adapting super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to extremely hard materials, it becomes possible to observe where and how contact occurs during friction, something that was previously inaccessible.

These experiments are complemented by computer simulations that resolve chemical bond formation and rupture at the atomic level, enabling a direct link between microscopic mechanisms and macroscopic observations.

The project has already demonstrated that surfaces can wear through the removal of individual atoms and that this process is strongly influenced by the chemical environment at the interface. These findings show that wear is not only a mechanical problem but also a chemical one, opening new possibilities for controlling friction through surface chemistry and environmental conditions.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

By the end of the project, CHIPFRICTION is expected to deliver a mechanistic understanding of friction and wear of contacts under realistic operating conditions, as well as experimental methods that can be applied to other advanced interfaces. The insights gained will help guide the design and selection of materials and operating environments for future generations of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

By addressing friction and wear at their fundamental origins, CHIPFRICTION contributes to the development of more reliable, precise, and durable technologies for chip manufacturing. Beyond semiconductors, the methods and concepts developed in this project are relevant to a wide range of applications where materials operate under extreme precision requirements, including micro-electromechanical systems, precision engineering, and advanced coatings.