Missions

This postdoctoral research aims to provide new insights into the physical mechanisms involved in the reliability of GaN chips, in order to assess their criticality and thereby better define and understand safe operating domains that ensure the required reliability for mission success.

Indeed, the physical mechanisms related to the reliability of GaN power components are only partially understood and therefore require a much deeper understanding. Moreover, technological evolutions are relatively rapid and highly competitive. Each new generation of components attempts to address the limitations of the previous generation, including those related to reliability, but may introduce new mechanisms that must be mastered before these new technologies can be deployed in applications requiring high robustness and reliability, such as automotive, aerospace, and space applications.

Activities

The candidate will be responsible for the physical analysis of degradations observed in power components using the tools available at the laboratory or in partnership with other laboratories. They will be able to rely on physical simulation in order to understand the failure mechanisms involved.

Skills

- Knowledge of microelectronics technologies.
- Experience working in clean room environments.
- Experience using electron microscopy and optionally FIB (Focused Ion Beam).
- Experience in TCAD (Technology Computer Aided Design) simulation desirable.
- Experience in power electronics desirable

Work Context

This postdoc is part of a European Union Public Interest Project (IPCEI) led by the company Schaeffler.
The postdoctoral work will be conducted within the ISGE team at LAAS, whose researchers cover a wide range of competencies, from clean room technologies to electrical energy management systems, thus providing extensive expertise. For example, the technology researchers and power chip designers specializing in GaN, some of which are manufactured in the LAAS clean room, will be able to provide neutral and highly advanced expertise on the technologies studied in the project (which are commercial).
Furthermore, the post-doc will indeed rely on the LAAS PROOF platform (https://www.laas.fr/projects/proof/) which was established primarily through funding from the Occitanie region (80%) and is dedicated to understanding the physical mechanisms related to the reliability of wide-bandgap technologies.
This platform has been equipped with state-of-the-art analysis techniques (https://www.laas.fr/projects/proof/mécanismes-de-défaillances), including innovative test benches based on ultra-violet optics, necessary for studying wide-bandgap components and still very uncommon in the world.
The capabilities of the LAAS Clean Room will also be leveraged.

The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.