Nanoscale Strain Measurement for Semiconductors and Advanced Materials
NIST is developing nanoscale strain measurement techniques and standards for semiconductors and advanced materials to improve performance and reliability.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: Base stipend approximately $82,764/year with $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship at NIST to develop and benchmark nanoscale strain measurement techniques for semiconductors and advanced materials with spatial resolution below 10 nm.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens holding a recent doctoral degree; research aligned with NIST's Materials Measurement Laboratory; flexible research goals within strain measurement and related advanced microscopy techniques.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on advancing nanoscale strain measurement techniques critical for semiconductor and advanced material performance. Strain engineering is essential in CMOS transistors to enhance carrier mobility and in quantum computing architectures to optimize band structures. However, residual and operational strains can cause mechanical failures or performance degradation.
The research aims to achieve accurate strain measurements with spatial resolution below 10 nanometers, a significant technical challenge. NIST collaborates with semiconductor manufacturers to benchmark commercial and in-house strain measurement methods on industrially relevant samples and develops reference materials to validate measurement accuracy.
Candidates may explore a variety of related topics, including but not limited to:
- Application of High-Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffraction (HR-EBSD) to different materials such as metals or ferroelectrics.
- In-situ strain measurements during mechanical loading (e.g., crack tip strain mapping).
- Comparative studies of strain measurement techniques like HR-EBSD of Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) patterns, Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction (CBED), Precession Electron Diffraction (PED), and 4D Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (4D-STEM).
The program offers flexibility in defining research goals in collaboration with NIST advisers.
Keywords
Strain Measurement, High-Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD), Semiconductors, Advanced Materials
