Current industrial plasma etching processes are not sustainable because they make use of halogens. HaloFreeEtch will take a fundamental, interdisciplinary and systematic approach to find new halogen-free etching processes. HaloFreeEtch aims to identify new, halogen-free and sustainable etching processes for sustainable semiconductor manufacturing, applied to deep etching of silicon and silicon oxide. The novel etching processes we aim for shall be clean (in terms of harmful chemicals), efficient (in terms of processing speed and manufacturability) and precise (in terms of the desired shapes). HaloFreeEtch will provide a novel model- and data-based methodology for sustainability and life cycle analysis of plasma-etching to quantify the carbon-footprint of all novel etching processes. HaloFreeEtch combines lab-scale research on three innovative technological routes with computational screening of novel and promising etchants, a comprehensive multi-scale modeling approach to predict potential working points and a model-based life cycle and sustainability analysis. Hydrogen (H)-based, metal catalyst-assisted as well as approaches inspired by atomic layer etching (ALE) will be studied. State-of-the-art plasma etching machines will be modified and combined with innovative features and advanced analytics. Besides getting rid of halogens, we will address more dimensions of sustainability such as the high energy consumption of the established plasma etching processes. HaloFreeEtch will implement a novel, sustainability-driven process development scheme which might serve as a blueprint for sustainability-driven process development in electronics and many other industries. The project will focus on the semiconductor industry, where plasma etching is a standard industrial process used for many applications. Taking the lead in the development of innovative halogen-free processes will strengthen the long-term position of the EU in the global chips industry.

Water is one of the most important natural resources on earth and despite increasingly strict regulations, contamination of water that poses a health risk is still a major problem. In Europe, too, our drinking water is exposed to contaminants such as hormones, which even in extremely low concentrations can have effects on humans and animals and are therefore of interest for water monitoring in the context of nature conservation and also various branches of industry. Our goal in this project is to provide the layperson with a ready-to-use, compact, and robust spectrometer capable of measuring extremely low concentrations in the sub ng/L range. To this end, the GREENER project aims to develop new, environmentally friendly QDs capable of near-infrared absorption measurements at emission wavelengths as short as 2µm. These will be singulated by the DNA origami method and integrated into an LED layer stack to synthesize a novel kind of single-photon source. Combined with advanced single-photon detectors enabled by new detector materials that do not require expensive cryogenic coolers but rely on simple thermoelectric cooling, a setup for low-loss, low-noise and high-performance spectroscopy for the Vis to NIR range will be developed. The resulting biosensor will subsequently be evaluated for the detection of critical (endocrine disrupting) contaminants in water in fisheries and aquaponics and will enable end-users to monitor water safety and quality on-side without additional infrastructure or trained personnel.

Electronics are set to merge with our bodies to extend our perceptions. Smartphones and watches will give way to the bodyNET: a network of sensors and smart devices woven into our clothing, worn on our skin and implanted in our bodies. Smart wearables are the next step in the Internet of Things wearable evolution. This market is one of the most vigorous over the coming years. SINTEC addresses a market, in terms of size, that reach over €70BN by 2026. A large amount of scientific results have emerged and a few start-ups are focused on stretchable electronics and sensors that employ liquid alloys for interconnects and passive components. However, there are until today no dedicated commercial equipment for manufacturing of such devices. This hinders large-scale industrial exploration and needs to be addressed. By a novel manufacturing technology for large area rigid-stretch PCB and integration, SINTEC will provide soft, sticky and stretchable sensor patches that can be used multiple times and at longer periods. With its dynamic compliance and water repellent permeable encapsulation it withstands vigorous action, sweating and water; making it ideal for an active life. A ground breaking intra body communication technique gives large bandwidth and secure consumption at low power, allowing for multiplex sensoric inputs from many nodes on the body. To demonstrate the advantages of the novel technology, SINTEC will apply it in clinical environment and in athletics performance evaluation. Industrial partners will exploit the results in manufacturing technology, Fat-IBC, and in soft compliant smart patch applications, e.g., in preventive care, sports and fitness, and medical technology.