Associate Research Scientist; PREP

PREP Research Associate

CHIPS Funded Project.

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and thus requires that such institutions be the recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas.

Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Nanocalorimetry for Semiconductors and Semiconductor Process Metrology

The candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of scientists working to advance the current state-of-the-art in nanocalorimetry-based measurements and expand the technique's applicability to monitoring of semiconductor manufacturing processes. The goals of the project are to (1) improve upon existing nanocalorimetry measurement capabilities at NIST and (2) determine feasibility of using nanocalorimetry for in-situ monitoring of atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma-based processes.

The major responsibilities of the candidate will include making improvements to the existing nanocalorimetry equipment and measurement capabilities. This includes, but is not limited to, modifying the existing instrumentation to provide better sensitivity and stability, developing corresponding data acquisition and analysis systems, performing measurements to determine thermal properties of nanoscale materials commonly found in semiconductor devices, and supporting the nanocalorimetry based semiconductor process metrology development including ALD and plasma.

• Design and assemble new instrumentation to improve the accuracy, sensitivity, speed, and stability of experiments using NIST nanocalorimetry sensors.
• Collaborate with team members on development, fabrication, and testing of new sensor designs and applications.
• Publish results in refereed scientific journals and present results at scientific conferences and meetings.

• Ph.D. in materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related field.
• Expertise with building and maintaining custom lab instrumentation required; knowledge of electronics, PCB layout, and analog circuit design would be a plus.
• LabVIEW experience required; experience with FPGA systems would be a plus.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Please upload the following with your application:

• CV/Resume (limit to 3 pages, include a valid email address).

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. § 272(b) and (c).

Purpose: NIST hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to a broad range of candidates. This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. By applying to a CHIPS-funded PREP opportunity, you also acknowledge that participation in the project requires signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning any work.