Postdoctoral Researcher Volumetric 3D Printing with Holograms

Pushing the state-of-the-art in 3D printing for biotech applications

At imec we are enabling a new generation of high resolution, high throughput 3D-fabrication techniques that can lead to a new age of building microfluidic devices, tissue engineering, photonics devices, batteries, catalysts, etc. Tissue engineering via bioprinting is currently of high interest because of promises that via rapid 3D-printing several organic constructs can be made such organelles for drug discovery, scaffolds for tissue reconstruction, and even engineered replacement organs. A limiting factor though, is the ability to rapidly fabricate centimeter-sized 3-dimensional constructs to embed living cells in a fibrous matrix or form cell guiding structures and scaffolds at the micrometer scale to accelerate the cultivation of cells and to grow the organoid or tissue. We intend to fix this limitation.

Therefore, in this postdoctoral project, we aim to develop a volumetric 3D printing system that prints centimeter-sized objects at micrometer scale resolution. The project focuses on aspects of expressing 3-dimensional primitive shapes mathematically as a 2D hologram and how that hologram prints in a 3D volume. It will be a joint position between the group of Peter Schelkens at imec-Vrije Universiteit Brussel and different teams at imec (sense and actuate, lithography).

The successful candidate bridges the expertise fields of the mathematical expressions of holograms with the practical implementation of volumetric printing and/or lithography. The topic is multi-disciplinary of nature and requires:

• Expertise in algorithms for hologram construction .
• Optical system modelling .
• Characterization and fabrication methods for building and using setups.

Promotor: Peter Schelkens

Co-promotor: David Blinder

Mentors: Xavier Rottenberg, John Petersen, Dries Dictus, David Blinder

Manager: Roelof Jansen

Required background: Physics (optics), holography, Engineering

Type of work: holography, optical system simulation, interaction with the lab team for system optimization (optical setup and physical hologram preparation)

CSR label: Goal 3 - Good health: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being

Ambitions: generic

Application domains: lithography, holography, life sciences

Focus of work: 70% simulation/modelling, 20% literature, 10% lab work