Postdoctoral Associate, Plasma Etching – One Year Term
Position Overview
This Postdoctoral Associate in Plasma Etching (PDPE) will help the broader MIT.nano research community better understand the complexity of plasma etching and contribute to new trends, methods, and knowledge in the lab. The PDPE will, in collaboration with MIT.nano staff, identify current and emerging etch process challenges, prioritize them and find solution approaches. The PDPE will aggregate and disseminate this knowledge across MIT.nano. This will be done by identifying knowledge bottlenecks, reviewing the literature, designing experiments to understand and improve tool performance, and – most importantly – by summarizing findings in white papers and application notes for the MIT.nano user community.
Responsibilities
The main deliverable of the PDPE is to produce solutions to widely applicable plasma etching process challenges at MIT.nano, as well as to aggregate knowledge and insights into the MIT.nano’s plasma etch tools (with an equipment focus). The result of these explorations will be white papers or application notes, which we expect the PDPE to create on a 3-month interval. Self-motivation, technological curiosity and ability to focus on details yet maintain a balanced view of the broader goals are vital to meet the schedule and create impactful publications for the user community. Topics for the 3-months explorations are set through discussion with MIT.nano staff, leadership, and industry mentors. MIT.nano’s postdoctoral program is meant to provide a path for postdocs into the semiconductor industry by allowing individuals to deepen their knowledge of the interplay of nanofabrication equipment, lab management, process development, and vendor and industry interactions – while solving problems in research with broad applicability. This experience is therefore not designed for one specific narrow research topic or device type and is not suitable for those seeking tenure track positions.
Minimum Requirements
Recent PhD (received within the last 24 months) in an engineering or science discipline related to micro/nano-fabrication. Excellent research and publication record. Proven ability to independently design, execute, and optimize a broad range of fabrication processes. Practical and theoretical familiarity with many process categories (e.g. lithography, ICP etching, PECVD deposition, diffusion, etc.), but in-depth knowledge of plasma etching is required. Expertise in data management and processing, and associated programming experience (e.g. Python, MATLAB, etc.). Must be methodical, detail-oriented, and a critical thinker that is willing to learn and perform a wide range of tasks with minimal supervision. Enthusiasm for educating students about processing, fabrication solutions and approaches. Must have excellent interpersonal, planning, organizational, presentation, analytical, and written and oral communication skills; attention to detail, accuracy, quality, and time sensitivity; interest in delving into complex problems.
*As part of the application, candidates are expected to provide a well-written one-page statement outlining their nanofabrication background, interests, and future career goals.