Research Assistant/Associate - PhD position (f/m/d) PhD position at the Chair of Micro- and Nanosystems and Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering within the Collaborative Research Center/Transregio (TRR404)

Weitere Informationen

The successful candidate will be employed under a regular employment contract.
The position is to be filled by 4/1/2025 and offered for a fixed term until 31st March 2028.
The fixed-term employment is possible as it constitutes one of the fixed-term options of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German Act on Fixed-term Scientific Contracts).
This is a full-time position.
The successful candidate has the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in this position.
The salary is based on the German public service salary scale (TV-L).
The position corresponds to a pay grade of EG 13 TV-L.

Unser Profil

The Chair of Micro- and Nanosystems in the Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering (IWE1) is part of the "Micro- and Nanoelectronics" competence area within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at RWTH Aachen University. The research activities of IWE1 focus on nanoelectronics, nanotechnology, and the development of micro- and nanosystems for applications in biomedicine, environmental sensors, and industry 4.0. The IWE1 is one of the main users and founding members of the Central Laboratory for Micro- and Nanotechnology (ZMNT), a shared research cleanroom with related technological laboratories for sample preparation and characterization.

The IWE1 is member of a new Collaborative Research Center/Transregio (TRR404) between TU Dresden University of Technology (TUD) and RWTH Aachen University funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The TRR404 aims at exploring a completely new approach for microelectronics technology and therefore teams up materialists, electrical engineers, and computer scientists of TUD, RWTH Aachen, Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mikro- und Optoelektronik mbH (AMO) in Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics Halle (MPI-MSP), Nanoelectronic Materials Laboratory gGmbH (NaMLab) in Dresden, and Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB).

For the initial funding phase (April 2025 – December 2028), we are seeking a PhD candidate (f/m/d) to carry our research on 3D integration of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in a large array with active logic devices, facilitating advancements in memory storage, in-memory computing, and neuromorphic functions. Please note that the TRR404 offers several PhD and Postdoc positions with starting dates from 1 April 2025 onwards to carry out challenging research at the forefront of microelectronics research and technology, embedded in a friendly, inclusive and supportive team of the TRR’s Principal Investigators (i.e., project leaders and supervisors). We maintain an open and cooperative work attitude with maximum personal responsibility, mutual support with a solution oriented approach. As a doctoral researcher, you will be integrated into the TRR’s Graduate School. It will offer you a tailored educational program and an individual dissertation supervision agreement. The TRR404 strives to attract more women to microelectronics research. We therefore expressly encourage women to apply. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities. All TRR vacancies can be found here: https://cfaed.tu-dresden.de/trr-vacancies [https://cfaed.tu-dresden.de/trr-vacancies].

Ihr Profil

• above-average university degree (master or equivalent) in electrical engineering, materials science, physics or related subject, achieved in a short study period,
• willingness and ability to think beyond the boundaries of your field, to act in an international and diverse environment and to live an open and constructive communication,
• strong experimental skills; experience in working in a cleanroom and/or related technologies, on nanotechnology and semiconductor device characterization are a plus,
• strong analytic and problem-solving skills, creativity,
• independent, target- and solution-driven work attitude,
• fluency in English, knowledge of German would be a plus.

Ihre Aufgaben

Within the framework of TRR404, the task of this subproject is to develop integrable 3D devices made of phase change materials that are customized and optimized for the respective tasks and that can be used for data storage and in-memory computing. This includes the design and development of a manufacturing process for BEOL-compatible crossbar array phase change memory (PCM) in the institute's clean room. You will then characterize the performance of the PCM in a large array by investigating the effects of contact resistance on the performance of the PCM devices within the entire array. In doing so, you will evaluate the interactions on neighbouring devices and perform reliability tests. Finally, you will develop process steps for circuit integration to combine PCM with other active devices, such as 2D transistors.

Über uns

RWTH is a certified family-friendly University. We support our employees in maintaining a good work-life balance with a wide range of health, advising, and prevention services, for example university sports. Employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements and civil servants have access to an extensive range of further training courses and the opportunity to purchase a job ticket.
RWTH is an equal opportunities employer. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates, particularly from groups that are underrepresented at the University. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability or age. RWTH is strongly committed to encouraging women in their careers. Female applicants are given preference if they are equally suitable, competent, and professionally qualified, unless a fellow candidate is favored for a specific reason.
As RWTH is committed to equality of opportunity, we ask you not to include a photo in your application.
You can find information on the personal data we collect from applicants in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at http://www.rwth-aachen.de/dsgvo-information-bewerbung.

Besoldung / Entgelt

EG 13 TV-L