Title: School of Physics & Astronomy - Industrial CASE PhD Studentship in silicon detector
development
Description: The Glasgow group has obtained full funding for a 3.5 year PhD studentship to work on
the development of silicon detectors in collaboration with Micron Semiconductor Ltd and the
Diamond Light source. The studentship will start October 2015. Micron semiconductor is a worldleading supplier of silicon detectors for a range of applications, including their sensors being used at
the LHC. The Diamond light source is the UK synchrotron source and supplies intense light beams for
the study of a vast range of materials from fossils to jet engines to viruses and vaccines.
The project is to develop silicon pixel sensors for the use in particle physics and synchrotron light
sources. The detectors will be based on the standard silicon diode array sensor connected to a
separate amplifier readout chip. The novelty, and main focus, of the research is the development of
an additional low gain region within the silicon sensor itself. This internal gain region will be based
on a high field region within the sensor, in a similar fashion as in an avalanche detector. However,
due to the device design the sensor will only have a gain of about 10 and will not experience excess
noise. This will allow the sensor to detect lower energy X-rays than is presently possible and extend
the radiation hardness compare to present pixel detectors. Additionally thin devices can be made to
allow ultra-fast silicon pixel detectors to be realized.
The successful student will work on the design, simulation, fabrication and testing of the silicon
sensor. The student will work in the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, (JWNC), of the University of
Glasgow for initial fabrication training and in the Particle Physics group’s Glasgow Laboratory of
Advanced Detector development, (GLADD), for device design, simulation and testing. A period of up
to 1 year will be spent on site at Micron Semiconductor where the devices will be fabricated. Final
testing of the detectors will take place at the Diamond Light Source for synchrotron applications and
CERN for particle physics applications.
This project represents an excellent opportunity to develop a new type of silicon detector in close
collaboration with a world leading device manufacture and the potential end user. The student will
lean both the necessary technical skills to become a semiconductor engineer and applied research
physicist.
Funding Notes: Funding is available to cover tuition fees for applicants, as well as paying a stipend
at the Research Council rate (£14,057 for Session 2015-16).
Eligibility: Funding is available to cover tuition fees for UK applicants, as well as paying a stipend at
the Research Council rate (£14,057 for Session 2015-16).
To be eligible for a full award a student must have:
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Settled status in the UK, meaning they have no restrictions on how long they can stay
Been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the studentship. This
means they must have been normally residing in the UK (apart from temporary or occasional
absences).
Not been residing in the UK wholly or mainly for the purpose of full-time education. (This
does not apply to UK or EU nationals). That is if you are an EU national who has just spent 34 years in the UK for an undergraduate degree then you qualify for funding.
2:1 or above in Physics or engineering degree, plus the above eligibility requirements.
Start Date: 1 October 2015
Deadline: 30 April 2015
Supervisor(s): Dr Richard Bates (Richard.Bates@glasgow.ac.uk
How to Apply: http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/