PhD position: Stable Perovskite Solar Cells by Controlling Ion Migration

Work Activities
Since their invention, nearly all solar cells have utilized silicon as the active semiconductor. Recently, perovskite semiconductors have emerged as a new material that can be deposited from an ink, enabling the printing of highly efficient solar cells on foil. Perovskite solar cells offer the potential for faster scaling, reduced costs, and easier integration compared to silicon solar cells. Additionally, they can enhance the efficiency of silicon solar cells when used in tandem configurations. However, their limited stability currently remains the primary barrier to large-scale commercialization.

The stability of perovskite solar cells is limited because within the materials we can see the migration of charged atoms, ions. These ions can move through the solar cell and thereby reduce the electrical current extracted from sunlight. In this project you will investigate how the ions reduce the current, and how their ion motion can be reduced. You will test the following hypotheses for the loss in solar cell efficiency: (1) mobile ions cause an interfacial barrier to charge extraction; (2) mobile ions deplete the charge carrier density in the charge transport layers, leading to slow charge extraction; and (3) mobile ions reduce charge transport through the perovskite bulk. You will combine measurements of ion motion in the frequency and time domain with a variation of device and material paramters and exterrnal pressure. At the same time, you will use drift-diffusion simulations to understand on the microscopic level how the ions move. With this knowledge we can predict new materials with reduced ion migration, that should lead to much more stable solar cells.

Perovskite crystal structure

The project is part of a large national initiative, SolarNL, aimed at supporting the Dutch solar photovoltaic industry. For more information, visit SolarNL.eu. SolarNL is a consortium comprising several companies, the Dutch government, and both applied and fundamental research institutions. This collaborative effort focuses on developing an industry capable of producing solar cells, solar modules, and integrated solar PV solutions.

You will join 40 other PhD students from across the Netherlands to tackle fundamental research challenges that underpin these industrial activities. This team of PhD students will participate in workshops together and closely collaborate with industrial and applied research partners to ensure that research outcomes are swiftly implemented in the solar PV industry.

Qualifications
We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a strong background in physics, chemistry, materials science, or engineering, and a keen interest in solar cells. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Prospective PhD candidates must hold an MSc degree or equivalent qualification.

Work environment
The Hybrid Solar Cell Group focuses on ion migration in perovskite solar cells and related devices. Our research seeks to understand the unique characteristics of metal halide perovskite materials, which combine efficient ion motion with excellent semiconductor properties. In solar cells, we aim to control ion migration, while in other devices, such as those for neuromorphic computing, we seek to leverage their unique properties.

We offer a highly collaborative and supportive environment, fostering strong connections both within the group and with our national and international partners. PhD students benefit from a variety of courses designed to enhance their research skills.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly non-Dutch employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.781 Euros gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Bruno Ehrler: b.ehrler@amolf.nl

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

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PhD: Imaging Spectroscopy for Broadband EUV Source Size Characterization

Work Activities
This fully funded PhD position is part of a Holland High Tech (TKI HTSM) grant titled “Imaging Spectroscopy for Broadband EUV Source Size Characterization (ImSpec)”, a collaboration between the Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) and University of Twente (UT).

Background
Laser-produced tin plasmas are the sources of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation at 13.5-nm wavelength powering state-of-the-art lithography. Ever higher EUV powers are required, to produce ever smarter semiconductor devices. Changing the conditions in the EUV light source results in changes in emitted radiation that must be studied and understood. Besides the required EUV light, radiation is produced in a broad wavelength band, which may be harmful in the lithography process. At the same time this radiation provides a diagnostic window into the plasma itself.

This project continues a highly successful ARCNL/UT collaboration to further develop and employ novel, compact (time-resolved) imaging spectroscopy capabilities to diagnose plasma. As part of a team, you will develop new techniques and employ these to understand and optimize promising alternative laser-produced plasma sources of EUV light as currently being developed at ARCNL.

Project goal
The aim is to develop a compact imaging spectroscopy tool based on a combination of nanofabricated grating and dispersion-matched zone plate and to use this tool to unravel the radiative power partitioning over the various relevant wavelength bands and their spatial origins.

Figure 1 First results of imaging spectroscopy from the ARCNL/UT collaboration: Panel (a) spectrum only and (b) combining imaging and spectroscopy. Figure modified from Y. Mostafa et al., Opt. Lett. 48, 4316 (2023).

You will join an interdisciplinary team of several PhD students and postdocs and work at location ARCNL and UT, starting out being based in Amsterdam at ARCNL – with frequent travel between the two locations. Medium and long term stays at UT may be part of the project. You will have as an objective to simulate & design bespoke zone plates, to be fabricated in state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities at UT, and commission them in plasma experiments at ARCNL. You (and the rest of the team) will be responsible for the setup, execution, analysis, and interpretation of the experiments.

Qualifications
You have (or soon will have) a MSc physics or applied physics. Programming skills (Python) are welcomed. Good verbal and written communication skills (in English) are required.

Work environment
About ARCNL and the EUV Plasma Processes group
The Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) focuses on the fundamental physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. ARCNL is a public-private partnership between the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the University of Amsterdam (UvA), the VU University Amsterdam (VU), and associate partner the University of Groningen (UG), and the semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML. ARCNL is located at the Amsterdam Science Park, The Netherlands, and has a size of approximately 100 scientists and support staff. See also www.arcnl.nl

The research activities of the EUV Plasma Processes group aim at the atomic- and molecular-level understanding of the fundamental dynamics in the operation of contemporary and future plasma-based sources of extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) light for nanolithography.

About University of Twente and the XUV Optics group
The University of Twente (UT) is a public technical university located in Enschede, Netherlands. At UT’s MESA+ institute, we believe in realising grand solutions with the extremely small. We contribute to solving current and future societal challenges. We do this by using our fascination with the extremely small. We bring societal challenges inside and use our fascination to work on innovative and sustainable solutions.

The XUV Optics Group, part of MESA+, is an enthusiastic team of academic and engineering specialists focusing on advanced thin film research with atomic scale physics and chemistry topics for the future XUV and soft X-ray optics. We are proud of a track record of transferring know-how to industry and society.

Working conditions
The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 2.781 per month and a range of employment benefits. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at University of Twente. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. A favorable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. ARCNL assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses. We envision the project to start early in the Fall of 2024.

ARCNL offers also:

• Responsibility over a dedicated setup, laser systems, and plasma diagnostic tools at ARCNL.
• Learn how to simulate how electromagnetic waves propagate, and design custom zone plates to be fabricated in state-of-the-art cleanroom facilities at the MESA+ institute at University of Twente.
• The ability to improve your experimental skills in extensive experimental campaigns that can be designed with a lot of freedom.
• To be the linking pin between two leading groups in research related to nanolithography in The Netherlands.
• Cooperation within a large team of PhD students and postdoc and with a large industrial partner.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact :

Dr. Oscar Versolato and Dr. Muharrem Bayraktar
E-mail: versolato@arcnl.nl and m.bayraktar@utwente.nl
Phone: +31 (0)20-851 7100

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please send your:

• Resume
• Motivation letter on why you want to join the project (max. 1 page).

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD: Computational imaging and metrology through a multimode fiber

Work Activities
Optical metrology is a key ingredient of nanolithography, as it enables the characterization of critical features of nanostructures printed on wafers. High-resolution imaging is an essential part of optical metrology: We need to perform fast imaging with the highest spatial resolution through a simple and compact imaging probe.

Computational imaging is a promising new approach for microscopy, as it has the potential to increase the performance of any imaging system beyond the limitations introduced by optical components. Compressive multimode fiber imaging is a novel imaging paradigm that uses a hair-thin multimode fiber and the fact that natural images are sparse on some basis to recover sub-wavelength information.

As a PhD student, you will develop new approaches to sparsity-based subwavelength imaging through optical fibers. New techniques will connect several modern and dynamic research areas that are still unconnected to date: computational imaging, complex wavefront shaping, compressive sensing and metrology. This will enable fast and accurate characterization of 3D multi-layer nanostructures and pave the way for better metrology tools for tomorrow’s nanolithography.

Qualifications
You have a PhD in physics and a strong affinity for experiments combined with an interest in computational imaging algorithms with metrology applications. Knowledge of (computational) imaging technology, experimental optics, advanced programming methods and/or semiconductor metrology is considered an advantage. Good verbal and written communication skills in English are required.

Work environment
ARCNL performs fundamental research, focusing on the physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. While the academic setting and research style are geared towards establishing scientific excellence, the topics in ARCNL’s research program are intimately connected with the interests of the industrial partner ASML. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 100 persons of which 65 are ambitious (young) researchers from all over the globe. www.arcnl.nl

Working conditions
The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years, with a starting salary of gross € 2,781 per month and a range of employment benefits. After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University. Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students. ARCNL assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Lyuba Amitonova: l.amitonova@arcnl.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

PhD - position: Metasurfaces for energy-efficient wave-based computing

Work Activities
Are you fascinated by the idea of using light for all-optical information processing? Are you motivated to contribute to new technologies that realize radical improvements in the energy efficiency of information and communication technology? As part of the Dutch consortium NL-ECO on energy-efficient computing, AMOLF is seeking a talented and motivated candidate for an open PhD position on Wave-based computing with programmable optical metasurfaces.

Metasurfaces are ultra-flat and compact nanophotonic elements that are pursued worldwide to replace conventional bulky optical elements like mirrors, lenses, and prisms. Going beyond simple optics replacements, metasurfaces can also perform data processing on optical signals, with particular relevance to image processing like edge detection, feature recognition, or operations that resolve wavelength or polarization information. We have an open PhD position aimed at performing experiments addressing the following questions:

• Suppose optical signals are encoded in space like an image, in wavelength and polarization. How do you then design metasurfaces to perform common image processing steps, nowadays done on a PC, optimally in the optical domain? Can you use metasurfaces for all-optical feature extraction? What are the limits to stacking metasurfaces for more complicated algorithms? You will perform electromagnetic design and optimization, and demonstrate concepts in optical experiments
• Can we realize programmable, trainable and dynamically reconfigurable metasurfaces? Can you switch between metasurface functions by incorporating suitable materials? If so, what are the limits in energy and speed? Can you train such active metasurfaces to realize all-optical neural network functions? We envision using novel materials as metasurface constituents, such as phase change materials that show strong and reversible changes in their linear and nonlinear optical response.

Qualifications
We seek an excellent candidate with a master’s degree in physics, photonics, materials science, or a related field. You are enthusiastic about doing experiments, but also interested in the theoretical underpinnings of those experiments. You have strong social, organizational and communication skills, and are eager to engage with colleagues in your own field, and with the larger Dutch community working on energy-efficient computing. You like to work both independently and in a collaborative team. We strongly believe in the benefits of an inclusive and diverse environment and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

Work environment
The positions are part of a collaborative effort involving the groups of dr. S. Rodriguez, Prof. F. Koenderink, and Prof. E. Verhagen. The successful candidate will have their home base in the group of dr. Said Rodriguez, but is expected to collaborate with all involved partners.

Interacting photons group In the Interacting Photons group we search for new physics emerging from photon-photon interactions and noise in optical resonators. We are fascinated by emergent phenomena and novel functionalities of optical systems. Most of our group members enjoy both experiment and theory.

All projects in the groups involve the use and development of advanced optical measurement techniques and nanofabrication, with extensive support from the group leader and AMOLF technical staff. The groups span the entire research cycle from developing advanced nanophotonic concepts, to theory and numerical design, to realization in the lab. Within the group as well as among the different groups at AMOLF, we have a strong focus on stimulating development of students in all professional aspects, as well as collaborations with other researchers at AMOLF and beyond. We value an inclusive and diverse environment. You will have access to state-of-the-art experimental systems that will uniquely enable you to reach the goals of this project.

AMOLF performs leading research on the fundamental physics and design principles of natural and man-made complex matter. AMOLF leverages these insights to create novel functional materials, and to find solutions to societal challenges in renewable energy, green ICT, and health care. The research projects will be embedded in the interdisciplinary Information in Matter department, and benefits from the strong AMOLF expertise in nanophotonics, spectroscopy, and nanomaterials. AMOLF is one of the NWO-I national research institutes located at the Amsterdam Science Park, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It has approximately 140 scientist and a total size of ca. 220 employees. Furthermore it hosts the NanoLab Amsterdam clean room, which is part of the national NanoLabNL cleanroom network. See also www.amolf.nl (http://www.amolf.nl/).

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of four years
• The starting salary is 2.781 Euro’s gross per month and a range of employment benefits.
• After successful completion of the PhD research a PhD degree will be granted at a Dutch University.
• Several courses are offered, specially developed for PhD-students.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign PhD-student with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact:

dr. Said R. K. Rodriguez Group leader Interacting Photons
E-mail: s.rodriguez@amolf.nl Phone: +31 (0)20-754 7100

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Please annex your:

• Resume;
• Motivation on why you want to join the group (max. 1 page).

It is important to us to know why you want to join our team. This means that we will only consider your application if it entails your motivation letter.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as soon as an excellent match is made, the position will be filled.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.

Postdoc: Optical methods for operando investigation in liquid reactors

Work Activities
The 3DPV group at NWO-Institute AMOLF is looking for a Postdoc candidate on operando characterisation inside a novel plasmonic-based photo-reactor. The project is part of the European ReaCtor consortium, which aims at designing and fabricating a novel micro reactor for sustainable flow chemistry. The consortium combines expertise in optical fiber design and fabrication (Institute of Quantum Optics at Leibniz University Hannover in Germany and Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics in Poland), laser structuring of glass materials (Light-Matter interactions and Extreme-Applications Photonics Lab at University of La Laguna on Tenerife in Spain) and flow chemistry (Noël research group at the University of Amsterdam).

This PD project contributes to the novel micro reactor by investigating the effect of plasmonic metal nanoparticles in enhancing photocatalysis inside optical fiber reactors. Different operando techniques will be pursued to monitor the chemical reactions in space and time, including scanning probe and spectroscopic (i.e. fluorescence and Raman). The goal is to probe the reaction kinetics from the single particle to the ensamble, and determine the ideal plasmonic particle density inside the reactor. In doing so, you will contribute to a novel type of light-driven chemical reactor, which will significantly reduce the energy consumption of catalytic processes in combination with an enormous scale-up potential.

This project will be in close collaboration with the other consortium partners, including consortium researchers at Dr. Albercht’s group at AMOLF and Prof. Noël’s group at the UvA, and you will be part of all consortium activities such as symposia, workshops, and mutual visits.

Qualifications
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD in physics, chemistry or similar, with good organizational and communication skills. Prior experience in photo-chemistry, operando spectroscopy, and/or plasmonics is preferred. Excellent verbal and written English skills are essential.

Work environment
AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiate and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of XX years
• Salary is in scale 10 (CAO-OI) which starts at 4.065 Euro’s gross per month, and a range of employment benefits.
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Esther Alarcon Llado: e.alarconllado@amolf.nl and .

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

AMOLF has won the NNV Diversity Award 2022, which is awarded every two years by the Netherlands Physical Society for demonstrating the most successful implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Commercial activities in response to this ad are not appreciated.