Postdoctoral position in physical vapour deposition of thin films for energy applications

Published: 2023-01-13

Uppsala University is a comprehensive research-intensive university with a strong international standing. Our ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a long-term difference in society. Our most important assets are all the individuals whose curiosity and dedication make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Uppsala University has over 54,000 students, more than 7,500 employees and a turnover of around SEK 8 billion.

Electrification and digitalisation are among the largest areas for the future in the conversion to sustainable societies. The Department of Electrical Engineering conducts successful research and education in the areas - renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, industrial IoT, 5G communication and wireless sensor networks as well as smart electronic sensors and medical systems. The Department of Electrical Engineering is an international workplace with around 130 employees that all contribute to important technical challenges related to energy and health at the Ångström Laboratory.

The position will be at the division of Solid-State Electronics, at the Department of Electrical Engineering.

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Project description
Thin film materials are crucial in surface engineering and the various applications keep expanding. Solid-State Electronics is ramping up several new projects centred on highly conductive thin films. The projects are collaborative with partners in industry and academia. The Uppsala role is to develop deposition processes and demonstrate high performance materials utilizing ionized magnetron sputtering. The resulting materials will be used in energy storage as well as in novel electronic devices.

The research within this project focuses on the growth of thin films on metallic and semiconductor (silicon) substrates. The main challenge is to control the microstructure of the respective material to tune its performance (such as highly conductive and ductile this films for current collectors or thin superconducting layers with high critical temperature for Josephson junction field-effect transistors). In many cases, the existing PVD techniques do not provide materials with the required quality. Therefore, ionized variant of reactive sputtering, High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering, will be investigated.

The work includes deposition process design and materials synthesis of metal and compound thin films that have the desired mechanical, electrical, and chemical performance. It also includes thermal processing for metal silicide formation synthesis and characterisation of the thin films (mainly structural and electrical). Although the work is mainly experimental, understanding the physical mechanisms determining the growth and their impact on the material performance is expected.

Duties

• Synthesis of thin films by physical vapour deposition
• Fabrication and design of test structures
• Characterisation of thin film materials
• Reporting in both oral and written forms and participation to project meetings

Requirements

• The applicant must hold a PhD degree or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in physics, materials science, or equivalent education.
• The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. The starting point of the three-year frame period is the application deadline. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English
• Ability to work in a team as well as individually 

Additional qualifications
Background in thin film synthesis by magnetron sputtering is beneficial as well as previous experience in thin film technology and cleanroom work. 

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact:Tomas Kubart, +46 (0)18 471 7257, Tomas.Kubart@angstrom.uu.se

Please submit your application by Februari 13, 2023, UFV-PA 2023/163.

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Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Placement: Department of Electrical Engineering

Type of employment: Full time , Temporary position longer than 6 months

Pay: Fixed salary

Number of positions: 1

Working hours: 100%

Town: Uppsala

County: Uppsala län

Country: Sweden

Union representative: Seko Universitetsklubben seko@uadm.uu.se
ST/TCO tco@fackorg.uu.se
Saco-rådet saco@uadm.uu.se

Number of reference: UFV-PA 2023/163

Last application date: 2023-02-13