Photonics is widely regarded as the key enabling technology of the 21st century and its application and use in many scientific and industrial fields is accelerated though Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), which combine many optical components into a miniaturized chip format. Similar to electronic ICs, PICs are revolutionizing areas such as healthcare, communication and sensing and have the potential to be disruptive to the whole society. These technologies are receiving major investments in Eindhoven. For the EU-funded project INPHOMIR, a collaboration with industrial and academic partners from six EU countries, we have open positions at the electrical engineering department of TU Eindhoven. We consider applicants for PhD research and post-doctoral research.

Research Position



Innovative ground-breaking technologies such as nano-satellite-based space navigation and autonomous navigation are currently hindered by the lack of compact, efficient sensing devices. The adoption of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for these applications has been restrained by the difficulty of integrating complete photonic sensors without optical interface within the same chip. Our aim in this project is to provide monolithic Indium-Phosphide-based PIC building-blocks, operating at near-infrared wavelengths. This involves the design of the semiconductor layer stack and the design and fabrication of ultralow-loss waveguide circuits resulting in a fully integrated optical gyroscope with unprecedented accuracy.

You will be working to create innovative components that form the ultralow-loss platform. First the passive components are developed and experimentally tested and then they will be combined with active components such as low-noise optical amplifiers and efficient detectors. Both passive and active components require dedicated epitaxial growth, which is foreseen to be mostly the task of the postdoc. That position will involve hands-on process development using recently installed, state of the art 4" (100 mm) indium phosphide manufacturing line, including high reproducibility epitaxy, deep ultra-violet scanner lithography and industry-grade etch and deposition equipment. These facilities and the associated expertise are considered to be unique in an academic research environment. The projects are supported with the infrastructure at the TU/e nanolab.

We are looking for PhD students and postdoctoral candidates interested in these positions. They are welcome to ask for additional technical background information from Xaveer Leijtens x.j.m.leijtens@tue.nl or Kevin Williams k.a.williams@tue.nl.  

Environment

The position is in the Photonic Integration Research Group, www.tue.nl/phi which is a part of the Eindhoven Hendrik Casimir Institute (EHCI) www.tue.nl/ehci. Our strong supporting infrastructure of laboratories, clean room infrastructure www.tue.nl/nanolab and technology know-how allows you to focus on your research and generate new opportunities for collaboration and growth. We believe we can only be world class if our researchers are doing well and feeling good.

The Eindhoven Brainport region, where we are located, is recognized as one of the most important regions in Europe for high-tech developments by the EU. Regional focus on specific technologies creates specific ecosystems to cooperate and commercialize technologies such as integrated photonics, high-tech systems and quantum technology.

We believe that professional development comes hand-in-hand with personal development. Therefore, you will also have access to high-quality training programs on general skills and topics related to research and valorization.

PhD

• A master's degree (or an equivalent university degree) in electrical engineering, or (applied) physics,  with a genuine interest in pursuing a PhD.
• A team player able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level). There is no Dutch language requirement.

PostDoc

• PhD in electrical engineering, physics, or similar field, and a demonstrated capability to perform leading-edge research in photonic integration.
• Ability to conduct high quality academic research, demonstrated by a relevant PhD thesis and/or publication(s).
• A team player able to work in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level), good communication and leadership skills. There is no Dutch language requirement.

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

PhD

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,872 max. €3,670).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.

Postdoc

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for a limited period.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale 10 (min. €4,020 max. €5,278.
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs on general skills, didactics and topics related to research and valorization.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A TU/e Postdoc Association that helps you to build a stronger and broader academic and personal network, and offers tailored support, training and workshops.
• A Staff Immigration Team is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and a compensation for moving expenses.