Research Fellow - Integrated Magnetics Fabrication & Integration

Job Description

Tyndall National Institute is an international leader in semiconductors, photonics and deep-tech research and innovation. As a leading collaborative European research institute, Tyndall is a key actor and hosting partner in the delivery of the 'Chips for Europe Initiative' (EU Chips Act).

Tyndall is Ireland's leading research and innovation organisation and it is the national focal point for excellence in deep-tech research, development and graduate training at the convergence of nanotechnology, microelectronics, photonics, electronics and AI. Tyndall is recognised as an international research leader in semiconductor, chip and digital technologies, particularly as applied to the fields of Information & Communications, Health & Life Sciences, Agritech & Food Security, Energy and Climate Mitigation, emerging fields such as quantum, and novel computing paradigms.

The Institute's key objective is to see frontier research activities having a significant impact on economic development and societal challenges in Ireland, Europe and beyond. Central to Tyndall's mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence in partnership with industry and academia. With an annual turnover of more than ???50m, the Institute has a community of over 600 researchers, engineers, support staff, postgraduate students, interns and industry researchers-in-residence.

With significant committed Irish government support, Tyndall will grow to be 1,000 people by 2030, with approximately 750 researchers, including 250 PhD students. A new 17,000 m2 research building is under development adjacent to the Cork headquarters and there are developing plans to expand Tyndall's existing Dublin research labs and to establish other research sites within Ireland.

Tyndall's expansion is also supported by recent national and EU funding wins for significant (M???10's) additional research equipment across a range of areas such as semiconductor processing, microscopy, quantum technologies, heterogeneous integration, ultra-high speed optical communications and RF through THz characterisation.

About the Team

Tyndall's Integrated Power & Energy Systems (IPES) research programme participates in the European Chips JU FAMES Pilot Line, which is co-funded by the European Commission and Irish national funding agencies under the targeted initiative of the EU Chips Act. The FAMES Pilot Line represents a major European cross-border collaboration. The consortium is led by CEA-Leti and includes four hosting sites - CEA-Leti, Tyndall, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and Silicon Austria Labs - along with several other research and technology organisations across Europe.

With the objective of transferring advanced technologies to the EU semiconductor industry, the FAMES Pilot Line will develop two generations of FD-SOI technology at the 10 nm and 7 nm nodes to address the growing demand for FD-SOI platforms. This platform will incorporate integrated non-volatile memory, radio-frequency components, 3D integration options, and Power Management ICs (PMICs), together with Tyndall's flagship integrated magnetics components and deep-trench capacitor interposer from CEA-Leti. Within the FAMES project, Tyndall will deliver high-frequency PMICs and integrated magnetic devices and will demonstrate enhanced power management by combining its PMICs, on-silicon thin-film magnetics, and micro-transfer printing technologies with CEA-Leti's power management ICs and high-density silicon capacitors.

About the Role

The successful candidate will be a key member of Tyndall's MEMS Group under the IPES research programme, leading research on microfabrication, process integration, and heterogeneous integration of integrated magnetic devices for next-generation power management. The candidate will also contribute to the development of new research ideas and proposals for future projects related to microfabrication and advanced integration technologies for power management components. In addition, they will prepare and submit progress reports and project documentation to the Project Manager or Programme Manager throughout the project and will have the opportunity to publish high-quality research in international conferences and journals.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Hands-on microfabrication and process development

• Design, develop, execute, and optimise microfabrication processes for integrated magnetic devices on silicon - on-chip inductors and transformers - including thin-film soft-magnetic core deposition (e.g., CoZrTa, FeCoB, laminated stacks), Cu winding electroplating, dielectric deposition, planarization, lithography, and dry/wet etch modules, with direct ownership of wafer lots in the cleanroom.
• Develop, qualify, and optimise wafer- and die-level interconnection processes - including micro-transfer printing, flip-chip / solder-bump assembly, under-bump metallisation, redistribution layers (RDL), and through-silicon/through-glass via formation - to enable heterogeneous integration of Tyndall's magnetics with PMICs and other power passives on interposers within the FAMES Pilot Line.
• Plan and run structured design-of-experiment (DoE) campaigns to drive improvements in yield, uniformity, repeatability, and device reliability, working directly with tool owners and process engineers across Tyndall's MEMS fab lines

Device characterisation and design-fab-measurement loop

• Perform electrical, RF, magnetic, and structural characterisation of fabricated devices (impedance and S-parameter measurements, small- and large-signal power testing, SEM/FIB/TEM, XRD, AFM, optical/stylus profilometry) and correlate measured performance with process variables to guide iterative process refinement.
• Contribute to mask layout for test vehicles and product-level devices, and interface with Design team to close the design-fabrication-measurement loop.

Project delivery, collaboration, and reporting

• Deliver assigned FAMES Pilot Line technical milestones and deliverables on schedule; prepare technical progress reports, risk registers, and formal documentation for the Programme Manager and downstream submission to the Chips JU and national funding agencies.
• Collaborate actively with FAMES consortium partner and coordinator CEA-Leti, joint experiments, sample exchange, and on-site integration campaigns at partner facilities as required.
• Provide clear verbal and written technical updates to internal and external stakeholders, including Tyndall management, industrial partners, and project reviewers.

Research outputs and future growth

• Generate intellectual property by identifying novel technical contributions, supporting invention disclosures and patent drafting, and ensuring appropriate protection of outcomes prior to public disclosure.
• Publish high-quality peer-reviewed journal articles and present research outcomes at leading international conferences (e.g., IEEE IEDM, ECTC, ESTC, Transducers, IFCS, PwrSoC, APEC).
• Contribute to the preparation of new research proposals (Horizon Europe, Chips JU follow-on calls, SFI, Enterprise Ireland, and bilateral industry-funded programmes) aligned with microfabrication and advanced integration technologies for power management.

Mentoring, facility stewardship, and compliance

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance, support and mentoring to PhD students, masters students, and junior researchers contributing to the project, including training on relevant processes and characterisation tools.
• Ensure full compliance with Tyndall's cleanroom, laboratory, and health & safety protocols; maintain accurate process records in the institute's electronic systems; and contribute to continuous improvement of standard operating procedures and process documentation.

Other responsibilities:

• Participate in Education and Public Engagement activities.
• Ensure compliance with Tyndall's Quality Management Systems, Health and Safety standards, and other regulations.
• To carry out any additional duties that may reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post.

Essential Criteria

• PhD in a relevant Science or Engineering discipline (Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or equivalent), with specialisation in MEMS, microsystems, or semiconductor device fabrication.
• 4+ years of post-PhD research experience in a university, research institute, or industrial R&D environment, with demonstrable hands-on ownership of multi-step microfabrication process flows (i.e., not purely design, modelling, or supervisory experience).
• Minimum of three years of cumulative hands-on cleanroom experience (inclusive of PhD), covering independent execution of wafer-level process modules and lot tracking.
• Proven expertise in device characterisation and/or process metrology in at least two of the following: electrical (DC/RF/impedance), structural (SEM / FIB / AFM / XRD / profilometry), or material analysis (optical, magnetic, mechanical).
• Strong research track record evidenced by a minimum of four peer-reviewed international journal/conference publications, of which at least three as first or corresponding author in reputable venues, complemented by presentations at leading international conferences.
• Evidence of the ability to plan and deliver technical work packages against defined milestones, including contributing to technical reporting, risk tracking, and project documentation.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with demonstrated experience preparing peer-reviewed manuscripts, technical deliverables, and conference presentations to an international audience.

Desirable Criteria

Technical (process and metrology)

• Hands-on experience across multiple unit-process modules: photolithography and pattern transfer, physical vapour deposition (sputtering, evaporation), CVD/PECVD/ALD, wet and dry etching (RIE/ICP, DRIE), CMP, and electroplating (particularly Cu and magnetic alloys).
• Hands-on experience with in-line and end-of-line process metrology and failure analysis using SEM, FIB, AFM, XRD, stylus/optical profilometry, ellipsometry, vector network analyser, impedance analyser, and RF/DC probe stations.
• Experience in micro-assembly, wafer-/die-level heterogeneous integration, and advanced packaging of microdevices - e.g., micro-transfer printing, flip-chip and solder-bump assembly, under-bump metallisation, redistribution layers, TSV/TGV, wafer bonding.
• Working knowledge of end-to-end process integration for MEMS or semiconductor devices, including CMOS-compatible back-end-of-line constraints, thermal budget management, and topography/planarization considerations.

Methodological

• Experience applying structured process optimisation methodologies: Design of Experiments (DoE), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and Run-to-Run (R2R) control.
• Familiarity with statistical process control (SPC) and cleanroom quality/traceability systems.

Professional and collaborative

• Experience contributing to large collaborative research programmes, particularly EU-funded projects (Horizon Europe, Chips JU, Horizon 2020 etc.).
• Track record of intellectual property generation - invention disclosures, patent filings, or granted patents.
• Experience co-supervising postgraduate students, interns, or junior researchers.
• Experience contributing to competitive research proposal writing.

What We Offer

Apart from offering a position in a very successful and positive research environment, with a collaborative ethos full of diverse competencies to boost your career, we offer the following:

• Impactful Work: Opportunities to contribute to ground-breaking research and innovation that shape Ireland's economy and the society at large.
• Continuous Learning: Strong support for formal training, further study and professional development.
• Interdisciplinary Environment: Where academia, industry, and innovation intersect - supported by cutting-edge infrastructure and expert knowledge.
• Blended Working: Flexibility to work remotely and on-site, where the role allows.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Access to UCC pension, long-term illness benefit, life assurance, and more.
• Generous Leave: Competitive annual leave entitlements.
• Equity & Inclusion: Athena Swan Bronze award holder, with ongoing initiatives led by a dedicated People and Culture team to ensure equity for all.
• Core Values: A culture grounded in Ambition, Collaboration, Diversity, Excellence, and Integrity.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovation-driven environment that welcomes entrepreneurial and creative thinkers, including those with start-up experience.
• Supportive Onboarding: Structured induction and mentoring to help new hires integrate and thrive.
• Vibrant Culture: A collaborative, people-first workplace with a strong sense of community.

Terms of Employment

Contract Category: Full-Time
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Contract Duration: Approximately 2 years

Appointment may be made on the Research Fellow scale ???66,548 - ???72,514 per annum. Salary placement on appointment will be in accordance with the public sector pay policy.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Sambuddha Khan.