This scholarship has been extracted from the BEST GRANTS WEB: Grant 2016 - 2016 =)
We invite applications for two funded Ph.D. positions in computational chemistry or computational materials science in the Thin Film Simulation activity at Tyndall National Institute, starting before October 2010.
This project provides a unique opportunity to use computational chemistry to develop new chemical processes that are of interest for the electronics industry. As electronics components get smaller and faster, we are reaching the limit of what can be manufactured with current techniques. Some of the greatest challenges in chip fabrication are posed by mundane metals like copper and iron. Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a chemical processing technique that has the potential to grow nanometer-thin layers in demanding geometries. While lab-scale processes for these metals have been reported, serious deficiencies prevent high-volume production, and so new technologies are being delayed. Achieving the ALD of copper would allow more complex wiring within a chip, while thin films of iron-nickel alloys would enable a new generation of electronics based on atomic-scale magnetism. This project, funded by?Science Foundation Ireland, aims to design new chemistries for depositing these metals, supported by semiconductor companies in Ireland (Intel and Seagate) and a multi-national chemical company (Sigma Aldrich). Our findings will also be of importance in catalysis, corrosion and the synthesis of nanoscale objects.
The project goal is the rational design of new growth chemistries for copper, iron, nickel and cobalt. This requires us to look at what is known about the chemistry of these metals – as organometallics, catalysts, enzymes etc. – in an imaginative new way. We will also model the way film microstructure builds up during growth. The aim is to invent a new deposition process that can be tested experimentally and used in the electronics industry. Therefore, although the project is purely computational, there will be close interaction with experimental groups and industrial partners within Tyndall and around Europe. A student working on this project will be as much an innovator as a scientist.
We will develop atomic-scale models of molecules, surfaces and reactions mechanisms that are important for ALD and will investigate them with quantum mechanical calculations, using Density Functional Theory in both cluster and periodic models. This is a powerful approach to simulating all kinds of molecules and materials, and the expertise gained as a student in this area will therefore be valuable for a variety of future research directions.
Tyndall National Institute is one of Europe’s leading research centres, addressing the scientific advances that are needed for the information technology of the future. In Tyndall, over 350 researchers, engineers, students and support staff work together in the areas of micro/nanoelectronics, photonics, microsystems and theory/modelling. The Institute is located on a high-tech campus in Cork city, Ireland, close to University College Cork. This is a stimulating place to learn and do research, with no boundaries between subjects and specialised tuition in research techniques. Tyndall currently hosts more than 100 postgraduate students, comprising over twenty nationalities and backgrounds in electronics, physics, chemistry and life sciences, mostly registered with?University College Cork. Over 50 staff and students are active in theoretical and computational research, of which the?Thin Film Simulation activity is part. We share the Tyndall computing cluster (circa 1000 cpu’s) and also make heavy use of high performance computing at national and international level. Our students participate in postgraduate courses in theory and computation delivered jointly by Irish universities.
Applications are invited from excellent scientists who have obtained (or expect to obtain before October 2010) a first class bachelor’s or master’s degree (or equivalent) in chemistry, materials science or physics. You should have good communications skills and if English is not your first language, you should be able to demonstrate competence at the level of IELTS 6. You must have some prior experience of simulation and computation. You should explain why you are enthusiastic about this field of research and why you can deliver what is needed for this project.
To apply for this role please send an email about yourself and your interest in this area, and a curriculum vitae with the names of two referees who can be contacted quoting reference number (Ref. No. SE 08) to?careers@tyndall.ie.
For further information on this position please contact, Dr Simon Elliott, Activity Leader – Thin Film Simulation, Tyndall National Institute (simon.elliott -at- tyndall.ie).
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