www.micro.mavt.ethz.ch
Micro and Nanosystems
Prof. Dr. Christofer Hierold
ETH Zurich
Tannenstrasse 3, CLA G9
CH-8092 Zürich
Switzerland
Job Advertisement
PhD Students for Zero Power Sensors
Phone.: 0041-44-63 23143
Fax:
0041-44-63 21462
hierold@micro.mavt.ethz.ch
Zürich, 03.02.2016
Job description:
The Chair of Micro and Nanosystems pursues research – among others - on the
fields of carbon nanotube sensors and thermoelectric devices:
www.micro.mavt.ethz.ch
We are looking for prospective PhD students on both research areas.
The objective of the project on carbon nanotube (CNT) sensors is the integration of
CNTs in a ultra low-power sensor system for environmental monitoring. The research
shall focus signal evaluation, signal processing and noise reduction of suspended
single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) field effect transistor devices that exploit
substantial changes in the electronic transport properties of the carbon nanotube
manifested upon exposure to specific chemical analytes (e.g. NO2). Device
fabrication and integration in sensor arrays, analog circuit design and concepts of
multivariate data analysis are aspects of the research.
The objective of the project on thermoelectric (TE) devices is the integration of
nanostructured TE materials for the generation of electric power from temperature
differences around ambient temperature. Starting from conventional concepts of
thermocouples, the project shall explore the potential of nanostructured materials w/r
to large area integration and reproducible performance indicators.
The combination of ultra low-power CNT sensors and new TE devices may yield zero
power sensor systems, i.e. sensors, which harvest energy from the environment and
do not need batteries or power supplies.
The research requires working in semiconductor clean rooms, e.g. in the Binning and
Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC), a joint cleanroom of ETH Zurich and IBM
Research. The PhD applicants should have experience in semiconductor processing,
circuit design and system integration. Additionally it is expected that the PhD student
contributes to teaching, administrative and operational tasks of the Chair.
Admission and acceptance of an applicant as a PhD student or doctoral candidate at
ETH Zurich depends on the fulfillment of all pre-requisites and regulations of ETH
Zurich https://www.ethz.ch/en/doctorate.html.
Education, experience and skills:
The candidate holds a Diploma or Master of Science degree in electrical or
mechanical engineering, physics or material science. She or he has substantial
experience in micro or nanosystems, semiconductor process technology, circuit
design and electrical / thermal characterization, based on minimum a student thesis
-2-
in the field. The candidate’s scientific record demonstrates already excellence by a
minimum of one first author journal publication or a conference contribution. She or
he should have very good English knowledge (spoken and written), experience in
presenting scientific results and excellent communication skills. The candidate is a
team player and acts on her/his own initiative.
Entrance and duration:
Entrance upon availability, limited contract
ETH Zurich rules apply
Please send your complete application documents, incl. your diploma /
master’s thesis (pdf), by using ETH Zurich’s online application platform.