Postdoctoral Fellow (PREP0004333) Full-time

Postdoctoral Fellow

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research.

Research Title: HR-EBSD/HR-TKD Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices (U.S. Citizen Preferred)

The work will entail: The Materials Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified persons (U.S. Citizens Preferred) to join a multi-disciplinary team of scientists working to advance the current state-of-the-art in strain measurement methods for semiconductor devices and packages. The candidate will operate a first-of-its-kind Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) detector, create samples using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) instruments, and perform innovative data processing using both commercial and custom developed tools. Collaboration externally with semiconductor entities, detector manufacturers, and analysis software vendors, as well as internally at NIST with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) aspects of the project are critical to success.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Operating a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to collect EBSD data for HR-EBSD analysis.
• Analyzing HR-EBSD data with commercial, open source, and custom developed software.
• Performing assessments of precision and accuracy of strain measurements using NIST developed reference materials and customized samples.
• Using commercial and open-source codes to generate simulated EBSD patterns for comparison with experimental patterns and for assessing performance of new HR-EBSD analysis tools.
• Operating a state-of-the-art automated FIB to create electron transparent samples from blanket films and leading node semiconductor devices for strain measurements via TKD and 4D-STEM.
• Collaborating with the Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices and Packages team within NIST, as well as with external stakeholders.
• Publishing results in peer reviewed scientific journals and present results at scientific conferences.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in materials science, physics, chemistry, chemical engineering or related field.
• Hands-on expertise operating scanning electron microscopes with EBSD detectors.
• Experience with developing custom data analysis workflows including image processing using programming environments like python, C++, Mathematica, Matlab, or similar.
• Comprehension of the mechanics of materials including stress, strain, and deformation. Mathematical formalizations of single crystal elasticity are required, as well as basic understanding of crystalline defects that influence strain.
• Basic understanding of the finite element analysis (FEA) method for simulation of the mechanical behavior of complex geometries like transistors.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• U.S. Citizen Preferred.