To see more pictures, click: Honorable Runner-ups Pictures Gallery
2025, November
Now accepting submissions for November contest. Deadline for submission is Monday, December 1, 2025, at midnight. Rules for submission.
2025, October
Stained Glass
Francesco Marcantoni, POWERLAB
Re-growth of Mg-doped GaN after un-optimized dry-etching.
2025, September
Si3N4 Nano-balloons
Wenhong Yang, BIOS
Cross-sectional view of a nanofabricated chip showing an array of Si₃N₄ nano-balloons floating above the substrate after reactive ion etching! This image was captured using a Zeiss SEM Crossbeam.
2025, August
No Need for Jealousy – You’re Still a Star, EBPG5000+!
Franco De Palma, HQC
Ever since the new e-beam lithography tool arrived, everyone’s attention has shifted to the EBPG5000+’s younger sister: the EBPG5200. Naturally, the EBPG5000+ might be feeling a bit jealous of what her shiny new sibling can do, but this picture is here to reassure her: there’s absolutely no reason to feel sad! In fact, thanks to the trusted EBPG5000+, we successfully patterned four quantum-dot-based spin qubits, along with two neighboring sensing quantum dots acting as single-hole transistors. The dense pattern consists of three overlapping metal layers, with the smallest feature size down to 25 nm and a spacing of just 30 nm. The three layers are perfectly aligned, with a maximum misalignment of no more than 5 nm. Even more impressive, all 20 devices on the same chip show consistent results in terms of lift-off and alignment! So, dear EBPG5000+, it’s definitely not time for retirement just yet: you’re still doing amazing work.
2025, July
Amplified Rainbow
Philippine Milward, HQC
Who could have guessed that one NbTiN etching step of an amplifier design could result in esthetic diffractive effects? Even from inside the cleanroom, you can create your own rainbow using the dark field mode of a microscope. I truly recommend having your very own pocket sky for the days when all the machines you must use are on floor -1.
2025, June
Josephson Bridge
Andrea Duina, SQIL
The famous bridge connecting two superconducting islands, suspended above the pristine, shimmering waters of over-etched silicon. A quiet place to relax in these hot summer days.
2025, May
Thousand eyes
Thibault Lecoester, PV-lab
Believe it or not, these irises can actually see in the dark. They are microchannels, which will serve as high-gain optical detectors and were fabricated by dry etching – DRIE then SF6 – of amorphous silicon.
2025, April
Masterpiece of Physics: Vanadium Dioxide Forest
Ehsan Ansari, Nanolab
This SEM image unveils a mesmerizing landscape where tree-like structures are sculpted in a VO₂ thin film by the Bob Ross of physics, electric current. When a voltage is applied across a two-terminal VO₂ device, the material undergoes a rapid insulator-to-metal phase transition, allowing a current surge to flow. This current generates localized heating, forming hot metallic filaments that shape dendritic patterns into the film. The result is a forest-like topology, a vivid testament to the dynamic interplay between electrical stimuli and material response.
2025, March
Fractal Phytomorphic Conduits
Weiyu Tang, POWERlab
Dry-etched microchannels with special pixelated pattern… The bionic microchannel networks, encoded with the evolutionary cipher of plant root systems refined through eons, harness fractal geometry’s inherent wisdom to orchestrate three-dimensional hydrodynamic pulsations across lithographically defined two-dimensional substrates.
2025, February
Micro coral
Hao Li, LPQM
After Ar milling and Al wet etching, micro-morals thrive in the ocean of the photoresist.
2025, January
Warped by a sea of photoresist
Matthew Aylett, IQT University of Sussex
Warped by a sea of photoresist… This image showcases an array of vias awaiting their copper fill. The surrounding photoresist leads to an unusual, almost surreal perspective.
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