PREP0004276 Semiconductor Advanced Packaging Metrology Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0004276

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (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 must be the recipient 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.

APPLY ONLINE HERE

Semiconductor Advanced Packaging Metrology Researcher

Project Description:

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher to advance measurement science for next-generation hybrid advanced packaging. This role will contribute to the development of novel surface and materials metrology methods that enable predictive control of bonding processes and heterogeneous integration. The successful candidate will work within the Nanophotonics project to help establish the quantitative foundations needed for reliable, high-density microelectronic assembly, supporting national efforts to strengthen U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging technologies.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Fabricate Si, SiO2, and SiN chips for flip-chip fusion and hybrid bonding experiments
• Optimize and maintain fabrication processes, including chip handling and cleaning protocols  
• Perform surface and thin film characterization of chips used for flip-chip bonding experiments. Characterization techniques include AFM, optical inspection, IR transmission microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, SEM, and others   
• Closely coordinate with teams performing materials characterization, bond strength testing, and modeling

Required Qualifications: 

• U.S. citizenship preferred
• Ph.D. in physics, electrical engineering, materials science, or a related field
• Significant experience, including process development, in semiconductor device fabrication, including wafer cleaning and handling, lithography mask layout, optical or electron beam lithography, RIE, ICP RIE,  PVD, CVD, ALD, wet etching, as well as characterization techniques such as ellipsometry, profilometry, optical microscopy, SEM, and AFM
• Proficiency in programming languages, such as Python, Java, or MATLAB
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in a team 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Experience with flip-chip fusion and/or hybrid bonding processes
• Experience with XPS, UPS, FTIR, Raman, photoluminescence, and other relevant modalities of spectroscopy
• Familiarity with silicon electronic, photonic, or optoelectronic device processing
• Experience with custom infrared microscopy and optical measurement setups
• Experience with III-V compound semiconductor process development and device fabrication
• Experience with optoelectronic (e.g., semiconductor lasers, detectors, multi-functional photonic integrated circuits, etc) device characterization
• Experience with photonic and optoelectronic device simulation software, such as Lumerical, Tidy3d, or COMSOL

Other Details:

• Full-time: the participant is expected to work 40 hours a week
• Location: the participant will work at the NIST Gaithersburg Campus.
• Duration: this is expected to be a nine-month position. Extensions are sometimes granted depending on the availability of funds.
• For questions related to the research project or the nature of the work in this position, please contact Dr. Marcelo Davanco (marcelo.davanco@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

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

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

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