Senior Postdoc Improved Electron Microscopy of Increasingly Small Semiconductors

Challenge: Nanoscale imaging of next-gen semiconductor chips.

Impact: Faster and more reliable electron beam imaging for the semiconductor industry.

 Job description

Semiconductor chips store and process information in everything from pacemakers and cars to the electronic device you are reading this on right now. As these chips evolve, they’ve shrunk to the point that makes them hard to see and measure. Controlled manufacturing of increasingly small chips is one of the biggest challenges faced by the semiconductor industry today. To solve this problem, TU Delft joined forces with ARCNL and ASML to push current boundaries in applying Scanning Electron Beam imaging in a SEM to inspect and measure the structures made  in the production process. Together with a team of experts from academia and industry including 7 dedicated PhD students and 2 Postdocs you will address  fundamental limitations, encompassing both the design of electron microscopes and it’s detectors and how images in the SEM are formed.

One of the research directions in the program is to measure, understand and mitigate charging effects resulting from imaging in a SEM. As a 3 year fully funded post doc your focus will be on:

• Applying your background in physics, electrical engineering, or signal processing to implement novel detection schemes that improve signal collection in a SEM
• Research on a charge measurement device and / or novel detector concepts that enhance signal collection in the SEM
• Creating better images by detecting and preventing artefacts due to charging or damage.
   

Being one of our postdocs, we count on your creativity, vision and people skills to level with senior experts and co-supervise PhD and Master’s students. This is an exciting opportunity to further your academic career, improve your leadership skills and make a societal impact by enabling the production of smaller, more powerful and semiconductors. Details of the program can be found here.

Requirements

You get a kick out of using applied science to solve complex problems. With your pioneering mindset, you can handle the uncertainties of the unknown.

You also have:

• A PhD in Engineering, Science, (Applied) Physics, (Applied) Chemistry or a related subject.
• Proven expertise and affinity with research related to Scanning Electron Microscopy on the nanoscale.
• Enjoyment in tinkering with machines and implementing technical improvements.
• Good organizational skills to drive the practical aspects of the project.
• Enthusiasm to further your leadership skills, co-supervise PhD students and collaborate with experts from both academia and industry.
• A good command of English, because you will be working in a diverse team with a wide range of stakeholders in an international environment.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Applied Sciences

With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. 

Conditions of employment 

• Duration of contract is 3 years.
• A job of 38-40 hours per week. 

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. 

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network. 

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Timon Fliervoet, via t.f.fliervoet@tudelft.nl or LinkedIn.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 6 Jan 2025 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV
• Motivational letter

You can address your application to Timon Fliervoet.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• For the final candidates, a knowledge security check will be part of the application procedure. For more information on this check, please consult Chapter 8 of the National Knowledge Security Guidelines. We carry out this check on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Applying for an exemption for specific research and educational areas is an obligatory part of the selection procedure for this vacancy. This exemption must be obtained from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) before an employment contract is agreed upon. Click here for more information.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.