PREP0004384 Advanced Packaging Reliability Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0004384

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.

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Advanced Packaging Reliability Researcher

Project Description:

The Infrastructure Materials Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology seeks a researcher with extensive expertise in finite element analysis and knowledge of one or more of the following technical areas: instrumented mechanical testing, adhesion testing, polymer degradation characterization, and material damage analysis and modeling.

If selected, you will play a significant role in the projects related to modeling and reliability testing of advanced chip packaging and other electronics applications. This includes working with NIST staff and external partners on setting up models to predict the behavior and investigate possible points of failure during the service lifetime of heterogeneous multilayered polymeric, metal, and semiconductor structures, identify crucial material parameters, and plan and execute experimental research to evaluate changes of these material parameters after aging. The results will be used to understand the root causes of the multilayer failures, providing a scientific basis for test method development, material selection, and product quality assurance for the semiconductor industry.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Develop finite element models of thermomechanical behavior of heterogeneous multilayered systems
• Characterize the degradation of materials and interfaces before, during, and after exposure to accelerated laboratory aging
• Develop reliability models for complex advanced packaging systems
• Provide technical leadership on finite element modeling of failure mechanisms in multilayered polymeric structures
• Disseminate research results through presentations at conferences, publication of journal papers, and technical reports

Desired Qualifications: 

• U.S. citizenship is preferred
• Currently live in the United States
• Ph.D. in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering
• Experience in nano- and micro-scale mechanical testing and materials characterization 
• Experience in finite element modeling of heterogeneous systems
• Experience in advanced semiconductor packaging is preferred 
• Strong oral and written communication skills

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 one-year 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. Xiaohong Gu (xiaohong.gu@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

Privacy Act Statement

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.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use the information you submit for the purpose stated.