Nicole Smits

Nicole Smits is a Materials and Conditioning Engineer at ASML, where she focuses on keeping EUV scanners clean to meet customer production needs.1 She develops, tests, and optimizes cleaning methods and studies their impact on the scanners.1

Nicole has a strong background in chemistry. She completed her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Chemistry at VU University in Amsterdam.2 During her bachelor's studies, she had the opportunity to work on a project related to halogen bonds in the computational chemistry research group at VU University.2

After her undergraduate studies, Nicole pursued a PhD at Leiden University, specializing in the field of electrochemistry.14 Her doctoral research focused on biomimetic copper catalysts for electrochemical oxygen reduction.4

In August 2020, Nicole joined ASML as a design engineer in the process and cleanliness control group.4 Her current role allows her to fully utilize her passion for understanding complex processes.1 Nicole's expertise in materials science and cleanliness control makes her a valuable asset to ASML's team working on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Nicole is actively involved in industry events and professional development. She has participated in PhD events at ASML, including career events and workshops.3 Additionally, she has been involved with parts2clean, an international trade fair for industrial parts and surface cleaning.56