Researcher Chemical Mechanical Polishing

As a Researcher Chemical Mechanical Polishing you will support CMP and Wafer Grinding research activities

Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) is an enabling technology for the nanoelectronics industry. CMP uses a chemical formulation that contains abrasive nanoparticles to polish wafers to remove unwanted dielectric or metallic material and planarize its surface. As feature scaling in IC manufacturing continues, chemical and design-related device failure phenomena like corrosion are becoming a challenging topic in many CMP processes. Wafer grinding – mainly used in 3D applications – thins down the wafer and can leave post-grinding defects that negatively impact device performance. The aim of this position is to strengthen these specific research activities in CMP and wafer grinding towards fundamental understanding and as such be able to implement solutions at design and processing level. 

What you will do

You will be a member of the CMP and Wafer Grinding team at imec that is responsible for developing processes that help build devices for imec’s Logic, Memory, Interconnect, Life Sciences... program activities. The team currently consists of ~14 people with whom you interact on a daily basis. However, you will also work in a dynamic multidisciplinary environment in close cooperation with other researchers, scientists, hardware engineers, device and process experts, equipment vendors, industrial assignees and operators. 
As a specialist in your field, you will be responsible for developing, optimizing, maintaining and documenting high-end CMP and grinding processes on state-of-the-art equipment. In this position, you are the first point of contact for customers for collecting documentation and transferring information, besides setting up dedicated experiments. 

More specifically, your tasks include:  

• Design, conduct and analyse your experiments. 
• Actively contribute to the research and joint development programs with external partners. You will drive and define these activities for the new tool sets, new materials, new metrology tools and methodologies. 
• Work cross-functionally with the integration/process support/hardware teams and industrial partners. 
• Report about your work to internal and external partners, and via conference / journal publications. 
• Identify potential intellectual property (IP) opportunities. 
• Monitor industry trends and innovations, applying scientific knowledge and adapting to imec research programs and activities. 
• Interface with device engineers and researchers to identify the future needs and trends. 
• Coordinate and implement the non-standard work in IMEC’s 300mm fab organization together with fab process engineers and the pilot line. This includes coordination of the transfer of developed processes and tools to support and operational teams. 

You will be coached on-the-job by senior colleagues and the CMP team supervisor. 

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth. 

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits. 

Who you are

• You have a PhD degree in Physics, Chemistry, Physical Chemistry or Material Engineering.  
• You have a strong interest in CMP process modeling and studying design-related corrosion phenomena in CMP. Background with hands-on experience in the field of CMP is an asset. 
• You will require a strong capability to work without supervision with a high focus on quality. 
• You will actively participate in cross-functional teams, utilizing scientific and engineering skills to enhance the team’s capability. 
• You have good communication skills since you will work with a multicultural mix of imec researchers, partners and customers. Prior experience in customer relations in an asset. 
• You are a team player with good networking skills. You also have good reporting skills.  
• Since your job consists of a variety of activities, depending on the interactions with imec’s research programs and customers, a flexible attitude towards your tasks is required. 
• Given the international character of imec, good knowledge of (spoken and written) English is a must.