"Research Scholar"

Research Scholar

Company: North Carolina State University

Job Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

Category: Electrical Engineering

Type: Full-Time

Join the Pack! A community with nearly 8,000 faculty and staff, and 30,000 students. NC State is one of the largest employers in North Carolina, offering a large range of career opportunities. Visit us at https://jobs.hr.ncsu.edu/.

Location: Raleigh, NC

Essential Job Duties:

Photonic links are well-established for handling high data bandwidths and various signal types. However, their integration within microsystems remains limited due to planar optical routing constraints. The candidate will help lead advancements in unprecedented link efficiency and density performance. The focus will be on the use of novel fabrication techniques to create advanced photonic chips. The program will enable new microsystem architectures for future applications such as interconnect communications, AI infrastructure, optical phased arrays, quantum sensing, etc.

As a research scholar, you will be at the forefront of our efforts to develop key enabling integrated photonic technologies to make this a reality. You will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, researchers, and faculty during full development cycles from conceptual device design to running application demonstrations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fabrication of various chip-scale photonic devices (e.g., Stepper, contact, and E-beam lithography, wet etching, RIE, ICP-RIE, wafer-bonding, PECVD, metal sputter/evaporation, ALD, lapping/polishing, dicing, etc.).
• Utilize SEM, AFM, ellipsometry, and image processing tools for nanofabrication characterization.
• Documenting all technical work and reporting to team leads.
• Perform measurements of photonic integrated circuits and be able to automate fiber alignment systems with custom scripts (e.g., Python).
• Exhibit strong judgment and proactive decision-making to resolve key issues and ensure project and product deadlines are met.
• Plan and conduct experiments efficiently, analyze metrology results, and generate reports to inform design and process decisions.
• Mentor Ph.D., Master, and Undergraduate student researchers.
• Prepare manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals and peer-reviewed academic conferences.

Join us to be part of a team that shapes the future of photonic interconnects! You Belong Here - NC State University offers a multitude of career prospects that align with the university's Employee Value Proposition. NC State University has prepared a Candidate Guide which contains valuable information on our childcare partnerships, tuition waiver program, relocation services, wellness and recreation memberships, employer subsidized health coverage, and much more.

Discover the possibilities at NC State University and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for your professional and personal growth.

Minimum Experience/Education:

• PhD in electrical engineering, photonics, physics, or any closely related engineering field.

Required Qualifications:

• Proven hands-on experience in micro/nanofabrication within an academic or industrial cleanroom setting.
• Experience with photolithography, contact lithography, e-beam lithography, ICP-RIE, PECVD, ALD, SEM, AFM, wafer-bonding, RTA.
• Mask layout (GDSFactory, Luceda, L-Edit, Synopsys OptoDesigner, etc.).
• Strong organizational and planning abilities.
• Detail-oriented, capable of following standard procedures, and able to work both independently and collaboratively with the current team and others.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential. Our group values effective collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with simulations of active/passive photonic devices such as waveguides, couplers, meta-lenses constructed of various materials. Be able to conduct performance/tolerance trade-offs for manufacturability and high-temperature environments to meet program goals. (e.g., Lumerical, Zemax).
• Inverse or AI/ML-aided photonic design experience.
• Experience re-iterating the design/fabrication/characterization life cycle.
• Laboratory and measurement automation (e.g. Python)
• Experience with statistical analysis for quality control (QC) and process optimization.
• Expertise in process development and troubleshooting, proficiency with device layout software, computer programming skills, and data analysis capabilities.

Required License or Certification: N/A