Two postdocs in fabrication and characterisation of Josephson field-effect transistors for quantum computing - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Electrification, digitalisation and health technology are among the largest areas for the future in the conversion to sustainable societies. The Department of Electrical Engineering at Uppsala University in Sweden, conducts successful research and education in the areas – 
renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, industrial IoT, 5G communication and wireless sensor networks, and smart electronic sensors and medical systems. The Department is an 
international workplace with around 140 employees that all contribute to important technical energy and health challenges at the Ångström Laboratory.

The positions will be placed at the Division of Solid-State Electronics, the Department of Electrical Engineering. Each position is planned for two year, with the possibility to extend for one year.

The research at the Division has three major focus areas: Electronics for Life Science, 
Electronics for Healthcare Technology and Electronics for Next-Generation Computing. The technological base for our research is thin-film technology, semiconductor processing and semiconductor device technology using the in-house state-of-art cleanroom facilities, 
supported by device and process simulation as well as advanced electrical and optical characterisation. The purpose of our research within life science is to develop technological solutions, from devices to small systems for comprehensive analysis of biomolecules at 
different levels in an individual, thereby enabling AI assisted predictive diagnosis and 
preemptive therapy. As to healthcare technology, we strive for innovations such as nearbody-network systems, flexible and wearable self-powered systems including electronic skin and prosthetics, and medical systems for continuous and real-time health monitoring. Finally, for next-generation computing we harness novel materials and electronic device solutions 
towards a new computing paradigm wherein quantum and neuromorphic electronics play a crucial role.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University

Project description
Quantum technology for quantum computing builds on a deep 
understanding of the fundamental phenomena underlying the quantum properties as well as of the phenomena limiting the qubit performance. The chosen materials and integration 
technology need to offer a real potential of scalability and reproducibility, as in the case of CMOS compatible materials including silicon and CMOS process technology. The aim of our new collaborative European QuantEra project (with partner groups at Leti/CEA Grenoble in France, at Université Paris Saclay in France, and at Energy Research Centre Budapest in Hungary) is to realise and study a Si gatemon qubit, a gate tuneable transmon qubit composed of a Si Josephson field-effect transistor (JoFET) coupled to a microwave resonator. It represents a valid integrable and scalable alternative to fully metallic superconducting qubits.

The project at Uppsala University will focus on the Si JoFET, i.e., a Si transistor with 
superconducting source and drain (S&D) contacts, whose non-dissipative supercurrent can be modulated by an electrostatic gate. Various superconductors including metal silicides will be used as the superconducting S&D contacts. A comprehensive investigation of the 
superconductor/Si (S/Sm) interface by means of structural, chemical and low-temperature electronic transport characterisation will be performed.

Duties

• Design and fabrication of test circuits for study of the S/Sm interface based on
  standard silicon technology in the cleanroom laboratory of Myfab-Uppsala.
• Design and fabrication of JoFETs by integrating the optimised S/Sm contact structure.
• Characterisation of the test circuits and JoFETs by both physical means such as SEM, TEM, and electrical methods down to liquid helium temperature (4.2 K).
• Collaboration with partner groups in electrical characterisation down to mK, quantum physics, simulation and TEM characterisation.
• Simulation, based on commercial software packages, for assistance in device design as well as in interpretation of characterisation results.

Requirements

• The applicant must hold a Doctoral degree in Technical Physics, Electrical
  Engineering and / or Materials Science with a focus on semiconductor processing and electronics, or a foreign degree that is deemed to correspond to such degrees.
• The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.
• Experience, supported by scientific publications, in silicon technology, device
  fabrication and characterisation, modelling/simulation.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• We put an emphasis on your personal qualities such as good collaboration and 
  communication skills with other researchers. You should be purposeful, structured and able to work effectively both individually and in groups.

Application
Please send your application materials to Prof. Shi-Li Zhang (see below for contact info). You should include a brief description of your research interests and relevant experience, a CV, copies of diplomas and certificates, thesis (or a draft thereof) and other 
relevant documents. You are encouraged to provide contact information to reference.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala 

For further information about the position, please contact: Professor Shi-Li Zhang, shili.zhang@angstrom.uu.se

Please submit your application by 1st February 2023, UFV-PA 2022/5022.

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