Job Title: Research Fellow (ALD Oxide Semiconductor & Short-Channel Transistors)
University-Level Unit: College of Design and Engineering
Faculty/Department-Level Unit: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Employee Category: Research Staff
Location_ONB: Kent Ridge Campus
Posting Start Date: 17/04/2026
Job Description
The Research Fellow will drive the development of atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) oxide semiconductor (OS) thin-film transistors and aggressively scaled short-channel OS devices for back-end-of-line (BEOL) integration with CMOS. Key responsibilities include:
- Develop and optimize ALD processes for oxide semiconductor channel materials (e.g., IGZO, ITO, IZO) and BEOL-compatible gate dielectrics, including recipe development, precursor evaluation, and post-deposition treatments.
- Design, fabricate, and characterize short-channel OS transistors targeting sub-100 nm channel lengths, with emphasis on contact engineering, access resistance reduction, and threshold voltage control.
- Execute full process flows in the NUS cleanroom, including lithography, etch, deposition, and metallization; develop BEOL-compatible integration modules.
- Perform electrical characterization (DC, pulsed I–V, low-frequency noise, TDDB/BTI reliability) and correlate device performance with process conditions and materials properties.
- Prepare manuscripts for top-tier venues (IEDM, VLSI, Nature journals) and present results at international conferences.
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate students, and assist with grant reporting and proposal preparation.
Qualifications
Essential:
- PhD in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Hands-on cleanroom fabrication experience with thin-film transistors or advanced CMOS/BEOL process modules.
- Demonstrated expertise in ALD process development, including familiarity with thermal and plasma-enhanced ALD tools, precursor chemistry, and in-situ/ex-situ film characterization.
- Strong background in semiconductor device physics, transistor electrostatics, and short-channel effects.
- Proficiency in electrical characterization of transistors (transfer/output curves, mobility extraction, subthreshold analysis, reliability testing).
- Track record of first-author publications in reputable device/materials venues.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Open to fixed-term contract
Desirable
- Direct experience with oxide semiconductor (IGZO / ITO / IZO / CAAC-IGZO) device fabrication or ALD.
- Experience with TCAD simulation (Sentaurus, Silvaco) or compact modeling.