Senior Post-Doc – Oxide Semiconductor (OSC) Electronic Devices

Senior Post-Doc – Oxide Semiconductor (OSC) Electronic Devices

About Tyndall
Tyndall National Institute is Ireland’s largest Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) and a flagship Institute of University College Cork. Specialising in both electronics and photonics, Tyndall works with global industry and academia to transform research into products in its core market areas of electronics, communications, energy, health, agri-tech and the environment. With a network of over 200 industry partners and customers worldwide, Tyndall is focused on delivering human and economic impact from excellence in research. Tyndall is home to a research community of 650 people of over 50 nationalities.

Background to the Role
Within Tyndall’s Micro Nano Systems Centre, we have created a strategic research programme focusing on emerging materials devices and architectures for future information processing, interfacing with CMOS and beyond (“CMOS++ Materials & Devices”).

CMOS++ is involved in the Chips JU NanoIC pilot line co-funded by the European Commission and national agencies as part of the targeted initiatives of the EU Chips Act. The implementation of the Chips JU pilot lines is expected to bridge the gap from lab to fab and will be available to a wide range of users, including academia, industry and research institutions.

The NanoIC pilot line is the result of a remarkable European cross-border collaboration. Hosted by imec (Belgium), its partners include CEA-Leti (France), Fraunhofer (Germany), VTT (Finland), CSSNT (Romania) and Tyndall National Institute (Ireland).

NanoIC targets semiconductor technologies that will shape tomorrow’s high-tech solutions. One of the main goals is to develop the process steps and modules that enable these technologies. This will result in stable ‘platform’ baseline flows with a high technology readiness level (TRL 4-6).

These technologies are situated in three research pillars:
1. Advanced logic technologies
2. Advanced memory technologies
3. Advanced interconnect technologies

In NanoIC, Tyndall’s flexibility into materials integration will allow for rapid, short-cycle screening to reduce the cycle time in identifying and integrating highly performing materials to carry forward into IC development. Our role is to provide agile wafer scale nanofabrication and processing beyond silicon for the integration of selected new materials – Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs) and oxide semiconductor (OSC) – and FET device architectures. The goal is to develop a material platform for embedded DRAM and above IC functionality, thereby providing a key technology block to enable leading-edge ICs.

Purpose of the Role
The purpose of this role is to design and implement a specific research programme associated with Tyndall’s oxide semiconductors (OSC) activity in the NanoIC Pilot Line. This programme will explore new OSCs to deliver high performance FET channel materials (n-type and p-type) immune to device instabilities for integration at the BEOL in advanced CMOS technology nodes. The successful candidate will design devices and devise appropriate fabrication processing approaches to achieve advanced OSC TFTs. The development of advanced material and device electrical characterisation methods is also an essential part of the role. The successful candidate will report to, be directed by and be under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI) assigned to this activity. The research fellow will collaborate with the Advanced Surfaces and Materials Group in charge of the ALD synthesis of OSC films and will engage with the Materials Modelling for Devices group leading the modelling of p-type OSCs.

Your work will be performed in accordance with the Institute’s research integrity policy and all other relevant policies.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with the supervisor and other team members in idea and strategy generation to deliver the outputs of the project and to contribute to raising the profile of this activity
• Coordinate and execute the implementation of a research programme to explore OSCs electrical properties and evaluate device performance and stability. Specifically, for NanoIC these include:

1. Design TFT devices and test structures
2. Develop fabrication process flows
3. Plan the advanced electrical measurement methods
4. Use physics based TCAD simulation tools to gain insight into device performance and to gain insight into the role of defects in device operation
5. Data analysis and interpretation of electrical results
6. Collaborate with the Tyndall modelling and synthesis groups and the wider technical team in NanoIC and provide feedback on the electrical properties of modelled and supplied materials.

• Utilise an independent approach to carry the project work forward including to proactively identify opportunities for external funding sources, prepare grant proposals and the assessment of research findings for potential commercial exploitation in collaboration with the PI.
• Collaborate with project partners, internal and external researchers and carry out any administrative and management work associated with the NanoIC technical deliverables
• Support access to Tyndall’s offer within NanoIC as required by the Pilot Line access model for external users.
• Engage in the dissemination of the results to the relevant research stakeholders in the appropriate form such as reports result to team leaders, partners, and funding agencies and publications in the top-tier journals and at leading conferences in the field.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and provide technical support to students, interns and other team members where appropriate.
• Communicate the benefits of the research to wider society through active participation in several Education and Public Engagement activities, as required.
• Engage in appropriate training and development opportunities to develop own transferable skills, career and reputation.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the Tyndall Quality Management system.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with the required Health and Safety standards.
• Carry out any additional duties as may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.

Essential Criteria

• PhD in materials sciences, engineering, physics or related discipline and typically 6 years postdoctoral experience
• Demonstrated experimental experience in unconventional semiconductors and thin films transistors
• Demonstrated knowledge of device physics and relevant semiconductor materials
• Capability of working independently and also effectively within a team to achieve results
• A demonstrated capability in idea generation and the delivery – both technically and operationally – of successful research projects
• Established track record of supervision and mentoring of researchers and students

Desirable Criteria

• A strong publication record in the field of OSCs
• Experience in the use of TCAD simulation tools for interpretation of experimental results
• Experience in device fabrication and electrical characterisation
• Demonstrate an ability to manage self, time, resources and people to enable a high level of personal effectiveness
• Evidence of multi-disciplinary collaboration with external academic or industrial partners
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• An ability to identify research challenges and opportunities within the semiconductor materials field
• A thorough understanding of the research environment both nationally and internationally and the ability to contribute substantially to grant applications
• Commitment to Open Science, e.g. open access publications, codes and/or research data
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the policy, practices and procedures that are relevant to the role
• Highly self-motivated, be able to demonstrate initiative and commitment to develop own transferable skills, profile and reputation to advance own career after the end of the contract period.