PhD position in diamond semiconductor physics Full-time

PhD Position in Diamond Semiconductor Physics

PhD student in diamond semiconductor physics.

Uppsala University, Department of Electrical Engineering.

Electrification and digitalisation are among the major areas for the future transition to sustainable societies. The Department of Electrical Engineering conducts successful research and education in these areas – including renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, industrial IoT, 6G communication, and wireless sensor networks, as well as research and education in Life Science, health technology, smart electronic sensors, and medical systems. The Department of Electrical Engineering is an international environment with around 170 employees who contribute to important technological energy and health at the Ångström Laboratory.

Come and join us! The position is placed at the Division of Electricity, within the Department of Electrical Engineering. Here you will find a welcoming working environment with an active doctoral student network and a variety of experimental projects. The division collaborates with Swedish companies – both public and private – as well as other stakeholders within the various research areas. We look forward to receiving your application. Join us in building the future!

Project description: The position is within the field of solid-state physics and electronic and spintronic properties of CVD diamond. Diamond possesses extreme material properties and in particular many extreme properties as a semiconductor. It is now possible to manufacture films of high purity single crystalline diamond, which opens the possibility to utilize these properties in future electronic and spintronic devices.

The attractive material properties of diamond such as high band gap, high carrier mobilities, high thermal conductivity, high breakdown field strength, radiation hardness, etc., make it a very interesting semiconductor material. Recently, diamond has received great attention for applications in spintronics and valleytronics. This is because of the unique quantum mechanical properties of diamond, as well as the presence of defects, e.g. the N-V center, with extremely long spin coherence time. Especially, understanding the nature of the color-centers (impurities such as N-V, Si-V, Sn-V etc.) in diamond requires further investigation.

Diamond has emerged as a leading platform for quantum technologies. However, designs and fabrication techniques different from conventional methods must be employed to realize electronic devices based on thin film single crystalline chemical vapor deposited (SC-CVD) diamond. Diamond also has a huge potential to be used as detectors in power semiconductors, high energy physics, detectors for UV and far UV radiation, radiation sensors for radiotherapy, neutron detectors etc.

Duties: The proposed work consists of:

• Introduce defects and impurities, mainly by ion-implantation.
• Fabricate test devices suitable for color center characterization with different techniques (e.g. ODMR).
• Develop methods for electrical characterisation of color centers and study charge transport properties.
• Modelling and computer simulations of devices.

Teaching and other departmental duties may be part of the position, to a maximum of 20% of the working hours.

Qualifications required: To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master's (second-cycle) degree in Physics, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education with at least 60 credits at Master's level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

We are looking for a strong candidate with a Master´s degree in engineering physics or material physics with some experience in one or more of:

• Solid state physics.
• Quantum materials & Quantum information.
• Semiconductor material characterization.

We place great emphasis on personal qualities such as curiosity, perseverance, and the ability to work independently. You should have a critical mindset, good collaboration skills, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly. Being able to organize and structure your work efficiently is also key to succeeding in the role.

The candidate must have excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing.

Qualifications desired: Previous experience working with synthetic diamond and various quantum defects in the material is considered an asset.

About the employment: Fixed term position 48 months, in accordance with Chapter 5, Section 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance. Full-time. Start date 2026-10-01 or as agreed. Location: Uppsala.

Rules governing doctoral students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, Sections 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

For further information about the position, please contact Prof. Jan Isberg, phone +46 18 471 5821, email Jan.Isberg@angstrom.uu.se or Associate Prof. Saman Majdi, phone +46 18 471 5854, email Saman Majdi Saman.Majdi@angstrom.uu.se.

Application instructions: The application should include 1) a cover letter describing yourself, your research interests and why you wish to pursue doctoral studies, 2) your CV, 3) a brief description of your education, 4) a copy of your Master's degree certificate and course transcripts, as well as a copy of your Master's thesis, 5) any other documents you wish to refer to, 6) the names and contact details of referees (email address and telephone number), and 7) any publications. The application should be written in English.

You are welcome to submit your application no later than 2026-05-21. UFV-PA 2026/1427.