Becoming a learning hub: INFRACHIP Research Accelerator returns to INL
November 26, 2025
From 18 to 20 November, INL transformed into an insightful learning hub for early-career researchers, as it proudly hosted the INFRACHIP Research Accelerator Programme.
Building on the success of its previous edition in July, the short course on “Micro/Nanofabrication and Characterisation for Nanoelectronics” returned to INL for an intensive two-and-a-half-day programme. It brought together 5 external early-stage researchers and 8 INLers, eager to deepen their knowledge and gain hands-on experience in advanced nanofabrication and nanocharacterisation techniques.
About the programme
This intensive training forms part of the broader INFRACHIP initiative, a platform designed to expand access to nanoelectronics infrastructures and strengthen the European research ecosystem. By sponsoring PhD students and early-stage postdoctoral researchers, INFRACHIP encourages participants to apply for transnational access to facilities available through their network, integrating these advanced, and newly acquired skills into their research.
Training at INL
At INL, participants engaged in a dynamic mix of theoretical lectures and live demonstrations across two core facilities: Micro and Nanofabrication (MNF) and Electron Microscopy and X-Rays (EMX).
From the MNF facilities, INL experts Carlos Calaza, Jérôme Borne, Paulo Coelho, and André Cardoso delivered lectures on fundamental processes in micro- and nanofabrication, including deposition, patterning (optical and electron beam lithography), and etching (RIE).
Beyond theory, Helder Fonseca and José Rodrigues challenged participants to fabricate a wafer featuring the INL and INFRACHIP logos. After dicing, the wafer was transformed into individual chips, which were then gifted to each researcher as a unique memento.
Similarly, at the EMX facilities, advanced characterization techniques, such as SEM, FIB, XPS, and TEM, were explored. This time, under the guidance of Cristiana Alves, Enrique Carbo-Argibay, Oliver Schraidt, Alex Bondarchuk, Ana Malheiro, and Elvira Paz.
Finally, thanks to the programme’s strong practical component, participants left with a deeper understanding and enhanced technical expertise in advanced nanofabrication and nanocharacterisation techniques.
At a broader scale, the success of this and similar initiatives further strengthens INL’s position as a catalyst for scientific progress and a steadfast supporter of the next generation of researchers.
