Associate Research Scientist (PREP0003538) Johns Hopkins University

Salary: $86,000-$95,000 a year

PREP Research Associate
CHIPS Funded Project

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, and thus requires that such institutions be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title:

Reliability Testing and Failure Analysis for Advanced Packaging of CHIPS

The work will entail:

The Infrastructure Materials Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology seeks a researcher with knowledge of reliability testing and modeling for advanced semiconductor packaging and extensive expertise in one or more of the following technical areas: polymer degradation, thermal and mechanical analysis, failure analysis using microscopy, spectroscopy, or scattering based techniques, accelerated laboratory testing and thin film characterization.

If selected, you will play a significant role in the projects related to reliability testing and modeling for advanced packaging in semiconductors. This includes working with NIST staff and external partners on planning and executing experimental research to evaluate changes in mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of polymeric materials used in advanced packaging in CHIPS after aging under environmental stresses. The results will be used to understand the failure mechanism, develop more accurate prediction models for long-term reliability of advanced packaging reliability and provide a scientific basis for test method development, material selection, and product quality assurance for the semiconductor industry.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

- Characterizing the degradation of materials and interfaces before, during, and after exposure to accelerated laboratory aging.

- Developing thermal conductivity/thermal resistance and specific thermal analyzers for samples used in CHIPS advanced packaging.

- Conducting in-situ mechanical property (elastic modulus, storage modulus, material creep, relaxation, adhesion) measurements at different temperatures

- Developing test protocol for X-ray computed tomography for analysis of packaged samples before and after multi-stress testing

- Developing microscopic and spectroscopic analytical methods for complex advanced packaging systems.

- Developing robust datasets of materials and interface properties before and after aging for reliability models.

- Disseminating research results through presentations at conferences, publication of journal papers, and technical reports.

Qualifications

- U.S. Citizen

- Ph.D. in Materials Science / Mechanical Engineering / Electrical Engineering /Physics/Chemical Engineering/Chemistry

- Strong oral and written communication skills

- Experience in:

- X-ray scattering or computed tomography

- Nano- and micro-scale materials characterization

- Degradation or failure analysis of polymeric materials

- Experience in advanced semiconductor packaging is preferred

Please upload the following with your application:

- CV/Resume

*Please limit C.V to 3 pages only and ONLY include a valid email address for your contact info. Please DO NOT include telephone numbers, home address or photos on your resume.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. A 278g-1(e)(1) and (e)(3) and 15 U.S.C. A 272(b) and (c)

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor's degree holders, graduate students, master's degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate administrative functions of the PREP Program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated. By applying to a CHIPS-funded PREP opportunity, you also acknowledge that participation in the project requires signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning any work.