Post-Doctoral Fellow in Digital Twins for Atomic Layer Deposition and Semiconductor Manufacturing National Institute of Standards and Technology in United States

George Washington University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are seeking a Post-Doctoral Fellow for a high-impact project on digital twins for atomic layer deposition (ALD) and semiconductor manufacturing. The role is based at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and is part of a CHIPS Act initiative focused on improving the modeling and optimization of deposition processes for oxides, metals, and sulfides.

The project combines chemistry, physics, and materials science with advanced optical metrology, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and machine learning (ML). The selected fellow will help develop in-situ metrology tools to quantify mass transport during thermal ALD, generate experimental ground-truth data, and validate models that predict surface reactions and film growth with high accuracy.

Responsibilities include operating and maintaining research-grade ALD reactors and custom optical setups, performing temporally and spatially resolved measurements from UV to mid-IR during active deposition, validating transport and surface-reaction models with process data, collaborating with experts in MEMS design, numerical modeling, and vapor-phase chemistry, and publishing/presenting research findings.

Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, or a related field. Strong hands-on experience with ALD reactor design, assembly, and maintenance is required, along with expertise in in-situ diagnostics, custom laboratory instrumentation, vapor transport mechanisms, precursor chemistry, and process optimization.

This is a postdoctoral opening; the post does not specify salary, stipend, or deadline. Interested candidates should use the application link provided in the post to apply.