While the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) is banning the use of fluorochemicals because of their detrimental effects on the environment and health, the European Commission (EC) has launched the European Chips Act to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to Europe.
The only way to merge both ambitions is to develop novel semiconductor manufacturing processes, free from fluor and other halogen compounds.
In the next 4 years teams of the VUB, Technical University Chemnitz, Fraunhofer ENAS, University of Graz, PlasmaSolve, LioniX, and Warrant Hub, will research and develop halogen-free plasma etching processes, with a € 4 million EIC Pathfinder grant.
The µFlow Cell team of Prof. De Malsche will focus on halogen-free etching of glass, making use of the latest state-of-the-art plasma equipment at the new core facility MICROLAB.