PhD position | Innovative process strategies to deposit high permittivity dielectrics on two-dimensional (2D) materials.

• Two-dimensional (2D) materials present exciting and disruptive properties in many scientific domains [1]. The semiconductor industry roadmap envisions 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) channels for ultra scaled complementary metal oxide field effects transistors (CMOSFET) [2].

• The use of atomic thick material comes with new challenges. The bond free surfaces challenge the gate dielectric deposition process with classical techniques. Also, the specific nature of the channel to dielectric interface impacts electron transport in modes at variance with silicon technology [3].

• The PhD research topic focuses on investigating new innovative deposition strategies using various precursor chemistries to enable the formation of high permittivity gate dielectrics on top of 2D channels. You will participate to the precursor selection by means of a comprehensive overview of the existing literature, analytical assessment and through collaboration with the atomistic simulation team at imec. You will then study the nucleation and growth behavior in atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactors in the lab and in our state-of-the-art 300mm clean room.

• The samples will be characterized by a selection of complementary characterization techniques to reveal insight in the very initial nucleation stages. You will also study the gate dielectric properties and interact with the device team to characterize the materials and the interfaces properties in devices.

• You will be part of our research team and benefit from our vast experience on thin film deposition and characterization in the 2D realm [4].

• In addition to the diffusion of the learning through publications, you will have the opportunity to present your studies to the community of imec industrial partners. The topic potentially includes collaborations with foreign academic groups.

• Finally, you will further enrich your competences and skills through the PhD trajectory at KUL and the imec academy development center.

[1] K. S. Novoselov et al., “2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures,” Science, vol. 353, no. 6298, p. aac9439, Jul. 2016,

[2] K. P. O’Brien et al., “Advancing 2D Monolayer CMOS Through Contact, Channel and Interface Engineering,” in 2021 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), San Francisco, CA, USA: IEEE, Dec. 2021, p. 7.1.1-7.1.4.

[3] Y. Yu. Illarionov et al., “Insulators for 2D nanoelectronics: the gap to bridge,” Nat Commun, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 3385, Dec. 2020

[4] B. Groven et al., (2018). Two-Dimensional Crystal Grain Size Tuning in WS₂ Atomic Layer Deposition: An Insight in the Nucleation Mechanism. Chemistry of materials, 30 (21), 7648-7663

Required background: Material sciences, Material engineering, chemistry, nanotechnologies

Type of work: 40% experimental, 30% characterizations, 20% data analysis, 10% literature

Supervisor: Annelies Delabie

Daily advisor: Pierre Morin, Daire Cott

The reference code for this position is 2024-016. Mention this reference code on your application form.

Find all the information on doing a PhD at imec, as well as all required documents for your application file, here: Imec - PhD at imec (Belgium) (imec-int.com)