/From Chemistry to Chips: Hands-on Work with Advanced Etching Reactors

From Chemistry to Chips: Hands-on Work with Advanced Etching Reactors

Leuven | About a week ago

Kickstart Your Career in Semiconductor Processing: Work with a State-of-the-Art Etching Reactor

Are you curious how chemistry and surface reactions can directly enable the next generations of computer chips? Join imec for a 3‑month bachelor internship and work on real R&D challenges in gas‑phase etching using the on‑site advanced reactors equipped with multiple process chambers for selective etch and surface treatments.

In this internship, you will support ongoing developments driven by our top engineers on high‑k and metal‑oxide materials that are critical for advanced logic and emerging device concepts. You’ll help explore how to achieve high selectivity between materials such as TiN and metal oxides, and how to etch these layers without damaging underlying functional materials. 

You will learn how to translate chemistry into experiments: propose a small test plan, run controlled reactor trials, and interpret results using standard thin‑film/structure characterization datasets. You’ll be coached by experts and collaborate in a broader imec–logic learning program, where your work contributes to real process decisions and next steps. 


Type of internship: Bachelor internship

Duration: 3 months

Required educational background: Chemistry/Chemical Engineering

University promotor: Clement Merckling (KU Leuven)

Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Ivan Erofeev (Ivan.Erofeev@imec.be) and Efrain Altamirano Sanchez (Efrain.AltamiranoSanchez@imec.be)

The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-179. Mention this reference code in your application.

Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.


Applications should include the following information:

  • resume
  • motivation
  • current study

Incomplete applications will not be considered.
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