SPIE - BACUS Scholarship

SPIE-BACUS Scholarship

You will receive a one-off payment of about 4,600 EUR (5,000 USD) towards your studies. You may use this amount towards tuition fees, textbooks, laboratory supplies, equipment required for your degree programme, or a computer necessary for your studies. The grant is paid as a lump sum and is not spread over a longer period. It is provided by BACUS, the specialist group within the SPIE Optics Society that focuses on photomask technology – the patterned templates used to print circuits onto semiconductor chips.

Who can apply

• Level: You are a full-time student, either on a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme.
• Field: You are studying microlithography (the process of applying tiny circuit patterns to chips) or a related subject with a focus on photomask technology and/or optical or EUV photolithography.
• Membership: You are a student member of SPIE.
• Degree status: You have not yet obtained a final academic qualification, such as an MD, JD or PhD.
• Nationality and university: Applicants of all nationalities and from universities worldwide are welcome to apply. Previous winners have studied in the United States and South Korea.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the SPIE portal, where you will need to log in using your SPIE account. The application deadline is 1 July. In addition, two letters of recommendation must be submitted via the system by this date. These must not be written by family members or fellow students.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is very specific: it is presented annually to a student in a specialised field of chip manufacturing, meaning that the pool of eligible candidates is small. Previous winners have predominantly been PhD students working on photomasks and lithography, which suggests that the standards are high. If your dissertation focuses clearly on photomasks or EUV lithography and you can demonstrate sound research findings, your chances are realistic. Nevertheless, this is a single, highly competitive prize.