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As semiconductor devices relentlessly shrink to the atomicscale, the complexities of their surfaces and interfaces take on a decisiverole in determining performance, reliability, and longevity. In this landscape,understanding the intricate interactions between materials and electricalbehaviour at the most fundamental level becomes essential for progress. Amongthe array of analytical tools available to researchers, photoemission standsout as a powerful technique, offering unparalleled sensitivity to the chemistryand electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces.
Photoemission techniques, rooted in the principles of thephotoelectric effect, enable to probe the binding energies of core levels andvalence bands. The connection between these material properties and actualdevice performance is, however, complex. Traditional electricalmeasurements-such as capacitance-voltage (CV)-have long been used to extractkey parameters like effective work function (WFeff), flat bandvoltage (VFB), effective oxide thickness (EOT), and the distribution of chargesand dipoles within the gate stack. However, these approaches often requirefabricating multiple test devices and rely heavily on prior assumptions aboutdevice structure and processing conditions. Such practices can betime-consuming and may obscure subtle, process-dependent effects that directlyinfluence device behaviour.
Photoemission, especially when performed in-operando,promises a more direct and versatile approach to device characterisation. Byanalysing changes in energy levels as a function of applied bias and devicearchitecture, researchers can discern the impact of process variations,material selection, and stack engineering on the fundamental electronicproperties governing device operation. Yet, measuring these properties is notwithout challenges. The act of probing itself can induce changes in the device'scharge state, leading to energy shifts and potential misrepresentation of thetrue band structure. Grounding both the device gate and the silicon substratecan mitigate these effects to some extent, but more refined strategies-such asapplying a controlled, non-zero bias to achieve flatband conditions-arenecessary for accurate and reproducible results across different gate stackconfigurations.
The focus of this internship is to participate in thedevelopment of in-operando photoemission for advancing our understanding ofsemiconductor technologies. For this purpose, we have been recently acquiring abiasing system to be combined with our high-energy photoemission system(Ulvac-PHI Quantes) and to apply it to high-k metal gate development, acornerstone for modern complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices.
Type of internship: PhD internship
Duration: 3 to 6 months
Required educational background: Physics
University promotor: Claudia Fleischmann (KU Leuven)
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Thierry Conard (< email deleted for security reasons >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-036. Mention this reference code in your application.
Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.
Applications should include the following information:
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Photoemission techniques, rooted in the principles of thephotoelectric effect, enable to probe the binding energies of core levels andvalence bands. The connection between these material properties and actualdevice performance is, however, complex. Traditional electricalmeasurements-such as capacitance-voltage (CV)-have long been used to extractkey parameters like effective work function (WFeff), flat bandvoltage (VFB), effective oxide thickness (EOT), and the distribution of chargesand dipoles within the gate stack. However, these approaches often requirefabricating multiple test devices and rely heavily on prior assumptions aboutdevice structure and processing conditions. Such practices can betime-consuming and may obscure subtle, process-dependent effects that directlyinfluence device behaviour.
Photoemission, especially when performed in-operando,promises a more direct and versatile approach to device characterisation. Byanalysing changes in energy levels as a function of applied bias and devicearchitecture, researchers can discern the impact of process variations,material selection, and stack engineering on the fundamental electronicproperties governing device operation. Yet, measuring these properties is notwithout challenges. The act of probing itself can induce changes in the device'scharge state, leading to energy shifts and potential misrepresentation of thetrue band structure. Grounding both the device gate and the silicon substratecan mitigate these effects to some extent, but more refined strategies-such asapplying a controlled, non-zero bias to achieve flatband conditions-arenecessary for accurate and reproducible results across different gate stackconfigurations.
The focus of this internship is to participate in thedevelopment of in-operando photoemission for advancing our understanding ofsemiconductor technologies. For this purpose, we have been recently acquiring abiasing system to be combined with our high-energy photoemission system(Ulvac-PHI Quantes) and to apply it to high-k metal gate development, acornerstone for modern complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices.
Type of internship: PhD internship
Duration: 3 to 6 months
Required educational background: Physics
University promotor: Claudia Fleischmann (KU Leuven)
Supervising scientist(s): For further information or for application, please contact Thierry Conard (< email deleted for security reasons >)
The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-036. Mention this reference code in your application.
Imec allowance will be provided for students studying at a non-Belgian university.
Applications should include the following information:
- resume
- motivation
- current study
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
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