Postdoctoral Fellow; PREP

General Description

PREP Research Associate
CHIPS Funded Project

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields.

Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.

Research

Title:

HR-EBSD/HR-TKD Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices (U.S. Citizen Preferred)

• Operating a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to collect EBSD data for HR-EBSD analysis.
• Analyzing HR-EBSD data with commercial, open source, and custom developed software.
• Performing assessments of precision and accuracy of strain measurements using NIST developed reference materials and customized samples.
• Using commercial and open-source codes to generate simulated EBSD patterns for comparison with experimental patterns and for assessing performance of new HR-EBSD analysis tools.
• Operating a state-of-the-art automated FIB to create electron transparent samples from blanket films and leading node semiconductor devices for strain measurements via TKD and 4D-STEM.
• Collaborating with the Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices and Packages team within NIST, as well as with external stakeholders.
• Publishing results in peer reviewed scientific journals and presenting results at scientific conferences.

• Ph.D. in materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related field.
• Hands‑on expertise operating scanning electron microscopes with EBSD detectors.
• Experience with developing custom data analysis workflows including image processing using programming environments like Python, C++, Mathematica, Matlab, or similar.
• Comprehension of the mechanics of materials including stress, strain, and deformation. Mathematical formalizations of single crystal elasticity are required, as well as basic understanding of crystalline defects that influence strain.
• Basic understanding of the finite element analysis (FEA) method for simulation of the mechanical behavior of complex geometries like transistors.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• U.S. Citizen Preferred.

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

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