Postdoctoral Research Associate - Nanofabrication and interference EUV lithography

Overview

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The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven is a DOE-funded national scientific user facility that provides users with supported research experiences, access to state-of-the-art instrumentation, and collaboration with top-caliber scientists. The CFN mission is advancing nanoscience through frontier fundamental research and technique development and serves as a nexus for a broad collaboration network. Each year, CFN staff support the research of nearly 600 external facility users.

CFN conducts three strategic nanoscience themes: nanomaterial synthesis with designed architectures, platforms for Accelerated Nanomaterial Discovery (synthesis, advanced characterization, physical modeling, and computer science), and studies of Nanomaterials in Operando Conditions for atomic-scale characterization in real-world environments.

The CFN is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to conduct research on advancing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) based interference lithography (IL) and developing nanofabrication strategies for EUV IL masks. You will explore advanced nanofabrication methods based on electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching, aiming to develop EUV IL masks with sub-30 nm feature sizes to enable sub-15 nm patterning. This project contributes to designing photoresist materials for next-generation EUV lithography for Angstrom-era semiconductor chip manufacturing.

The project will also involve optical modeling and computational lithography through collaborations with the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) and Computing and Data Sciences (CDS) at BNL, under the supervision of Dr. Chang-Yong Nam (Electronic Nanomaterials Group).

• Use advanced electron beam lithography (EBL) and inductively coupled reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) to fabricate EUV IL masks with sub-30 nm feature sizes.

• Characterize fabricated EUV IL masks using electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray scattering, or optical methods.

• Use EUV IL to pattern and characterize novel photoresist materials for next-generation EUV lithography.

• Collaborate with scientific staff with diverse backgrounds including materials science, nanofabrication, optical modeling, X-ray scattering, AI algorithms, and computer science.

• Disseminate research findings via peer-reviewed publications and external presentations.

• Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (Materials Science, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related engineering discipline), conferred within the past five years or to be completed prior to the starting date.

• Demonstrated experimental expertise in fabricating nanostructures by EBL and dry etching (ICP with chlorine/fluorine chemistries), along with PVD, CVD, and/or ALD.

• Effective verbal and written communication, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations/proceedings.

• Commitment to creative and independent research, teamwork, and safe scientific work practices.

• Commitment to cultivating an inclusive and respectful workplace environment.

• Experience with interference lithography and related optical modeling.

• Experience in nanofabrication of X-ray optics.

• Experience in materials characterization and analysis (e.g., ellipsometry, X-ray reflectivity, TEM, AFM, XPS).

• Working knowledge of CMOS processes used in the semiconductor industry.

• Experience working at synchrotron X-ray beamlines.

• This is a 2-year Postdoc Assignment.

• BNL policy limits combined total postdoctoral and related R&D experience to five years after PhD, excluding time for family planning, military service, illness, or other life-changing events.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is committed to providing fair, equitable, and competitive compensation. The full salary range for this position is $71,900 – $82,400 per year. Salary offers will be…