Dear colleagues,

Imec is opening a permanent position for a researcher in ab initio and multiscale material modeling. Please, find more information in what follows.

About imec:

Imec is located in Leuven/Belgium and is Europe’s largest independent research institute in nano-electronics and nanotechnologies. Imec is staffed with about 3500 people, including 800 PhD. students, 550 industrial residents and guest researchers from all over the word and relies on joint research programs with more than 600 industrial partners. Imec hosts two state of the art research clean-rooms, has a long list of inhouse physical and electrical characterization tools, and maintains its own super computing infrastructure.

Job description

Sustaining the growth of the performance of future logic and memory technologies requires the development of new materials and material stacks of an ever-increasing complexity and decreasing dimensions. Therefore, being able to understand, predict, and engineer the properties of materials and their interfaces at the nanometer scale becomes of prominent importance since they start dominating the device properties in terms of electronic structure, mobility, thermal dissipation, mechanical integrity, etc.

In the nanoscale dimensions, most of the classical modelling approaches, which rely on macroscopic continuum formalisms, such as finite element modelling or classical transport, need at best to be re-parametrized or at worst reformulated/improved to grasp the complexity of the material interfaces. Ab initio/atomistic modelling approaches are, in contrast, capable to model both bulk and interfacial electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties accurately at the nanoscale dimensions. However, due to the significant computational resources needed, the complexity of the approach and the simulation time required, the scope of these techniques is limited to systems that are much smaller than the dimensions required for module, and certainly, device level simulations. Therefore, there is a gap of several orders of magnitude between the nanoscale approach and the continuum one, which prevents the accurate modelling of the entire range of physical dimensions needed in the development and the design of the coming logic and memory technology nodes.

In this framework, the physics, modelling and simulation team in imec is looking to fill a permanent payroll position combining atomistic simulations with multiscale material modelling techniques. The opening will contribute to strengthen the on-going efforts within imec to screen, understand and predict intrinsic material and interface properties of nanoelectronic devices using atomistic simulations and to link them with macroscopic module, device, and system level continuum modelling techniques to enable the development of full-scale analysis from materials to system levels.

This multiscale modelling approach will be used to enable a holistic system design, allowing the engineering and the optimization of nanoscale devices from material to chip level and to sustain the development of fundamental insights in the factors that drive the performances of devices in memory and logic applications; where electronic, mechanical (stress), spectroscopic and thermal properties are key challenges to be met.

In this position, you will:

• Help to develop, implement, and automate innovative approaches to model electronic, mechanical, spectroscopic and thermal properties of material and interfaces using atomistic modelling techniques.
• Model the bulk and interfacial properties of crystalline and amorphous materials relevant for the imec research domains using atomistic and ab initio modelling techniques.
• Interact with other device, thermal and mechanical modelling teams within imec to help building bridges between large scale atomistic simulations and other modelling approaches.
• Interact with the physical characterization teams at imec, improving the interpretation of a broad variety of spectroscopic techniques.
• Support with your modelling work, the different material deposition, integration and electrical characterization teams within imec to provide fundamental insights in the material selection process and in the understanding of interfacial properties.
• Contribute to the management of the computing infrastructure.

Profile:

• You have a PhD. in Physics or Engineering (in a field like, but not restricted to: electronic structure theory, material science, solid state physics, etc.).
• You have at least two years of experience in post-doctoral research in an international institution.
• You have a proven track-record of quality scientific publications in international journals.
• You have a strong background in modelling and simulation including ab initio molecular dynamics.
• You have advanced experience in coding (at least python or C++, preferably both) and a strong background in managing unix/linux environments.
• You interact efficiently with both experimental researchers, theoreticians and device engineers.
• You speak fluent English and are a team player.

We offer

We offer a challenging payroll position in an advanced high-tech environment and in an international, interdisciplinary team. Our flexible, progressive and informal working environment offers you a range of possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. This is your opportunity to contribute to the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow. Imec supports and guides you in this process, not only with words but with concrete actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we offer various training possibilities. Your valuable contribution and that of your colleagues make imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of an attractive and competitive salary.

Interested?

Please, apply online at https://www.imec-int.com/en/work-at-imec/job-opportunities/researcher-in-ab-initio-and-multiscale-material-modelling. Note that only applications through the web site of imec will be reviewed.