Empa is the research institute for materials science and technology of the ETH Domain and conducts cutting-edge research for the benefit of industry and the well-being of society.
The PhD project focuses on the fundamental study of Excimer laser grey level direct mask projection ablation, limitations in homogeneity and stitching challenges and the development of applications thereof. The main aim of the project is the realization of future high speed – high resolution gravure printing structures. The research work consists of comparisons of different kinds of grey level mask designs and testing these by direct ablation, creation of micron sized and sub-micron surface topologies and their influence on wetting and tribological properties of the final replicated metal structures. Specific topics to be considered are debris management by gas dynamical improvement of inert and or reactive gas guidance, by simulation, real-time observation and realization.
We will address these tasks in a collaborative effort with partner research groups at EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Paul-Scherrer-Institute (PSI) and several companies. Funding for the projects is received from the Strategic Focus Area Advanced Manufacturing of the ETH Board (the strategic management body of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and four research institutes) and is granted for a period of four years. The prospective student will carry out the research in the laboratory’s facilities in Thun and will be enrolled at the doctoral school of EPF Lausanne (http://phd.epfl.ch/) under the supervision of Prof. Patrik Hoffmann.