VACANT POST-DOC POSITIONS (status: November 2011)

The department has a number of post-doc positions. As a rule all research projects of the department allow the involvement of a post-doc. You should feel free to contact Mittemeijer directly if you consider one of the projects as described at our website. At the moment the following projects especially allow occupation of a post-doc:

Hydrogen-induced and metal-catalyzed crystallization of amorphous silicon

In this project, the fundamentals of low-temperature crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) catalyzed by the presence of atomic hydrogen and/or metals will be investigated. The focus will be particularly on the crucial role of atomic hydrogen in the low-temperature a-Si crystallization process. The research will be carried out in a unique multi-chamber UHV system which comprises a MBE system, a STM system, a XPS system, an in situ spectroscopic ellipsometer, and an in situ film stress monitor. The research will further involve the application of in-house TEM facilities including, in particular, in-situ heating HRTEM and energy-filtered TEM microscopes. The aim of this project is to disclose experimentally the atomic mechanisms accounting for hydrogen-induced and metal-catalyzed low-temperature crystallization of a-Si, which is of great technological importance, for example, in thin-film solar cells and flat-panel displays.

Requirements: PhD degree in materials science, condensed-matter physics or chemistry, or a related field. Experience in thin film growth methods (e.g. MBE, sputtering, CVD), surface analyses (e.g. XPS, STM), and microstructural characterizations (e.g. TEM, XRD). Experience with STM and plasma-enhanced CVD is desirable.

The duration of the position will be for two years. The position is to be filled as soon as possible.

For interested applicants, please send your application (CV, List of publications, and Research summary) to Dr. Zumin Wang or Prof. Eric Mittemeijer

Key references of the project:

Metal-induced crystallization of amorphous semiconductors

1. Z.M. Wang, J.Y. Wang, L.P.H. Jeurgens and E.J. Mittemeijer, "Tailoring the Ultrathin Al-Induced Crystallization Temperature of Amorphous Si by Application of Interface Thermodynamics", Physical Review Letters 100 (2008) 125503.
2. Z.M. Wang, J.Y. Wang, L.P.H. Jeurgens and E.J. Mittemeijer, "Thermodynamics and Mechanism of Metal-Induced Crystallization in Immiscible Alloy Systems: Experiments and Calculations on Al/a-Ge and Al/a-Si Bilayers", Physical Review B 77 (2008) 045424.
3. Z.M. Wang, L. Gu, F. Phillipp, J.Y. Wang, L.P.H. Jeurgens and E.J. Mittemeijer, "Metal-catalyzed growth of semiconductor nanostructures without solubility and diffusivity constraints", Advanced Materials 23 (2011) 854-859.