The postdoc position is available in the Mechanics of Materials section, led by Prof. Marc Geers, and is part of a large-scale collaborative European project Moore4Medical, coordinated by Philips Research. The postdoc will be supervised by Dr. Olaf van der Sluis and Dr. Johan Hoefnagels (
https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-groups/mechanics-of-materials/).
Research goals The performance, and in particular the frequency response and output pressure, of MEMS-based ultra-sound transducers critically relies on the residual stresses within the ultrathin multilayer membranes that generate the ultrasonic waves. These stresses arise during thin film manufacturing processes in a cleanroom environment (e.g., PECVD, ALD), and might even result in premature cracking. The aim of this Postdoc project is to establish the relation between thin film manufacturing processes and the residual stress in the thin film stack, with an emphasis on intrinsic/growth stresses. To this end, the thin film deposition processes, including relevant atomistic film growth mechanisms, will be modelled by means of discrete particle simulation techniques.
Job requirementsWe are looking for a highly experienced candidate with a PhD degree in mechanical engineering, physics, materials science, applied mathematics or similar. The candidate should have thorough knowledge of continuum mechanics, materials science, discrete particle simulation techniques such as (Coarse Grained) Molecular Dynamics, the (Extended) Discrete Element Method, and/or Monte Carlo methods, and thin film deposition processes, combined with strong programming (preferably in LAMMPS) and mathematical skills and a good physics intuition. The ideal candidate has excellent scientific skills as well as outstanding verbal and written communication skills.