PhD Student in Cyber-Physical Systems

Are you ready to take the next step in your academic journey? As a doctoral student with us, you will work closely with leading researchers in a strong, international research environment, with access to advanced laboratory equipment and solid funding opportunities. You will be offered secure employment, high-quality supervision, and room to grow, both as a researcher and as a person.

Do you want to build the next generation of electronics?

Europe is racing to regain ground in semiconductor technology, and chiplets – several small dies packaged together into one working system – are one of the keys. The hard part is not the dies, but the interconnects between them.

We are looking for a PhD student to create those interconnects in a fully additive way: laser micromachining, selective metallisation and new photosensitive materials, without high-temperature sintering and with minimal material waste. The work is experimental, carried out in our own laboratories together with European industry.

The EISLAB division at Luleå University of Technology conducts research in electronic systems design, sensor systems, cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things and machine learning, and works on electronics from material and process to a finished, verified component.

We work in close cooperation with companies such as Bosch, Ericsson, Volvo, Infineon, Boliden, LKAB and SKF, with leading international universities, and in large European research programmes such as Arrowhead Tools, coordinated by LTU.

This position belongs to our growing work on additive manufacturing for chiplet packaging, where EISLAB is responsible for the packaging part within a European consortium.

Subject description

Cyber-Physical Systems focuses on integrated software and application architectures with implementations of massively distributed embedded systems that interact with each other and their environment to enable secure, goal-driven, autonomous and evolvable solutions.

Project description

E2PACKMAN is a €93.7 million European flagship project building the next generation of semiconductor packaging – the part of chip making that decides how small, fast and powerful electronics can get. You will join a team that works with 60 partners from 13 countries, including Europe's leading semiconductor manufacturers and research institutes, to develop new materials, equipment and processes and prove them out on real industrial use cases. EISLAB is responsible for the packaging technology developed here.

Duties

Your main tasks are to:

develop additive techniques for patterning micro- and nanoscale metal interconnects in multilayer devices

identify and optimise polymers and photosensitive materials for additive manufacturing

establish femtosecond or picosecond laser micro-drilling and selective metallisation for high-aspect-ratio vertical interconnects

characterise the results (SEM, AFM, XCT, optical microscopy) for geometric accuracy, durability and interfacial strength

validate scalability and sustainability: less material waste, better energy efficiency, no high-temperature sintering, compatibility with industrial HDI packaging

You will publish in scientific journals, present at international conferences and collaborate with academic and industrial partners across Europe as well as with researchers and PhD students at LTU. The work is largely independent, but you will receive continuous supervision.

As a PhD student you work towards a doctoral degree in accordance with the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance: most of your time is devoted to research, and you also take doctoral courses. Both are planned and documented in your individual study plan.

Qualifications

We are looking for an analytical and motivated colleague who can drive experimental research both independently and in a team.

Requirements

A master's degree (or equivalent) in electrical engineering, electronics, materials science, nanotechnology, microelectronics, engineering physics or a related field

Experience of experimental laboratory work in micro- or nanofabrication, materials processing or electronics manufacturing

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams

Excellent spoken and written English

Desirable:

Micro- and nanofabrication techniques such as laser direct writing, electroless plating, photolithography or additive manufacturing

Characterisation tools such as XCT, SEM or AFM

CAD and simulation tools such as CLEWIN, ANSYS or COMSOL

Electronics packaging, HDI substrates or chiplet architectures

Cleanroom experience

Do you not meet every desirable point? Apply anyway. We do not expect anyone to tick every box – much of this expertise is built during the doctoral studies themselves.

For further information about a specific subject see

Further information

Employment as a PhD student is limited to 4 years, teaching and other department duties may be added with max 20%. Placement: Luleå. Starting: by arrangement.

For each position, a preliminary is provided based on the requirements, responsibilities, and market conditions associated with the role.

For further information about the position, please contact Dr. Shailesh Singh Chouhan, +46 920-49 2165, mailto:shailesh.chouhan@ltu.se

In case of different interpretations of the English and Swedish versions of this announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

Application

We prefer that you apply for this position by clicking on the apply button below. The application should include a CV, personal letter and copies of verified diplomas from high school and universities. Mark your application with the reference number below. Your application, inclu