Postdoctoral Researcher in In-Operando Photoemission for Semiconductor Technologies

Imec

Leuven, Belgium

Join imec at the forefront of semiconductor innovation and help develop next-generation photoemission methods for understanding materials, interfaces and devices at the atomic scale.

What you will do

As device dimensions continue to shrink, surfaces and buried interfaces increasingly define performance, reliability and long-term stability. This postdoctoral position offers the opportunity to turn advanced photoemission into a routine, high-impact capability for probing the chemistry and electronic structure that govern tomorrow’s semiconductor technologies.

Today, electrical measurements such as capacitance-voltage analysis are widely used to extract parameters including effective work function, flat-band voltage, effective oxide thickness, and charge or dipole distributions in gate stacks. In-operando photoemission can add a powerful complementary perspective: by following energy-level shifts under applied bias and across different device architectures, it can reveal how materials, processing choices and stack design shape device behaviour. At the same time, this approach raises exciting scientific and technical challenges, including the need to understand and control probe-induced charging and energy shifts so that the true band structure can be measured with confidence.

In this role, you will contribute to the development, validation and application of in-operando photoemission as a breakthrough characterisation approach for advanced semiconductor research.

You will join the Chemical and Surface Analysis team within imec’s Materials and Component Analysis department, a highly collaborative environment providing imec-wide expertise in photoemission techniques including XPS, HAXPES and ARPES. Your mission will be to develop and mature in-operando XPS and HAXPES capabilities, transforming them from advanced experimental concepts into robust, reliable and broadly accessible measurement workflows for imec researchers, engineers and partners.

Your work will combine hands-on experimental development, advanced data analysis, interpretation of complex spectra and close interaction with process, integration and device experts. You will connect photoemission results with complementary characterisation methods available within the MCA department and imec’s advanced fab environment, building a deeper understanding of how materials and interfaces influence device performance. You will also follow the scientific literature, identify new opportunities, and help position in-operando photoemission as a key capability for semiconductor technology development.

Who you are

• You hold a PhD in Materials Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline, or you have equivalent research experience;
• You bring strong hands-on experience with photoemission techniques such as XPS, HAXPES, gained in an academic or industrial R&D environment;
• You are motivated by experimental method development and enjoy turning complex measurements into reliable, insightful workflows;
• Knowledge of electrical characterisation techniques, gate-stack physics or semiconductor device physics is a strong asset;
• You combine analytical depth with creativity, curiosity and a strong drive to solve challenging scientific and technological problems;
• You communicate clearly, document your work rigorously and enjoy collaborating with researchers, engineers and partners from different technical backgrounds;
• You thrive in an international research environment and are fluent in English.