PhD position | Exploring 2D Material Performance and Variability through Advanced Data Analytics in Electron Microscopy

29 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

IMEC

Research Field

Physics
Other

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Belgium

Application Deadline

15 Apr 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Future Transistor Insights through Advanced Data Analytics in Electron Microscopy

In recent years, the potential of 2D materials, in particular semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (MX2), has emerged as a promising alternative to Si for driving the logic scaling roadmap forward. However,  integrating these materials into logic devices requires a fundamental understanding of their performance and variability. One key parameter is carrier mobility which directly influences transistor performance and is impacted by defects and strain within the material. As PhD candidate, you will use cutting-edge electron microscopy techniques to dive deep in the world of MX2 materials, unraveling the impact of these local variations on material properties and on device performance.

 

Electron microscopy, particularly in transmission mode, is the primary method for directly validating hypotheses about material and device characteristics thanks to its higher resolution compared to conventional techniques. Detector innovation has enabled rapid acquisition of multi-dimensional data such as 4DSTEM which capture a diffraction pattern at each beam position. This results in large four-dimensional datasets from which a wide range of information such as orientation, phase, thickness, stacking, strain, etc., can be extracted. Consequently, there is a growing need for fast and automated processing of such large datasets to obtain quantitative insights into material disorder, representing a rapid growing area of research.

 

Key aspects of this PhD

 

In this PhD the student will have the opportunity to collaborate with different groups internal and/or external to imec to investigate the following:

• Quantification of defects and strain via electron microscopy techniques, optimization of data acquisition and machine learning aided data analysis.
• Correlation with other material and device characteristics.
• Reporting and publishing of results in leading scientific journals and conferences.

 

Type of work: Literature review: 20%, Experiments: 40%, Data analysis and simulations: 40%

Supervisor: Claudia Fleischmann

Daily advisor: Paola Favia, Ankit Nalin Mehta

 

The reference code for this position is 2024-165. Mention this reference code on your application form.

Requirements

Research Field

All

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Required background:

Master in Physics/ Materials Science/Nanotechnology/Computer Science/Machine Learning

Good expertise in programming (python, C++) and a basic understanding of algorithms and image processing

Experience with electron microscopy is a plus

Knowledge in machine learning is desirable

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Selection process

• Read the PhD Admission Requirements
• Choose your topics and look up the reference codes (2023-001). You can apply for maximum 3 projects in total.
• Collect your documents in pdf format:
  • Download and complete the motivation letter
  • Resume
  • Bachelor's degree and transcripts
  • Master's degree and transcripts
    If you have not finished your master program yet, you can submit your degree when you graduate. Do submit your master examination results available at the time of application.
  • Proof of your English language proficiency (refer to the PhD Admission Requirements  for details)
  • GRE score (refer to the PhD Admission Requirements  for details)
  • Ask two referees to fill out the evaluation form  for you and have them send their input to [email protected]  before the deadline (15 April 2023 or 15 December 2023). The letters of recommendation are confidential and are an essential part of your application. We will not be able to process your application without the evaluation forms so it is important that you contact your referees in time.

Additional comments
General information

There are two application windows:

• From 15 March until 15 April
• From 15 October until 15 December

Imec itself is not giving PhD degrees but acts as a host research institute for PhD and postdoc research in collaboration with 5 Flemish universities: KU Leuven, UGent, VUBrussel, UAntwerpen, UHasselt. Imec has also signed dual degree PhD agreements with Flemish and international universities. Both engineers and scientists can apply because of the multidisciplinary character of our research. PhDs get supported by professors of both national and international universities, all of them experts in their domains.
Imec has a dual degree agreement with different universities.

If you have more questions after reading the information below, contact [email protected] .

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

imec

Country

Belgium

City

Leuven

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.imec-int.com/en/work-at-imec/job-opportunities/exploring-2d-materia…

Contact

City

Leuven

Website

http://www.imec-int.com

Street

Kapeldreef 75

Postal Code

3001

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED