Postdoctoral position: milliKelvin thermometry at low temperatures (M/F)

CNRS; France; Sur place; EUR 35 000 - 45 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A leading research institute in France is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to design and microfabricate NbN thermometers within the CRYONEXT project. This role involves close collaboration with various labs and focuses on developing technologies essential for quantum research. Ideal candidates should have a PhD in physics and experience in experimental development and low-temperature physics.

Qualifications

• Several years' experience in experimental development and measurement.
• Expertise in low temperature thermometry will be a plus.
• Hands-on person who is at ease with experimental physics.

Responsabilités

• Design and microfabricate unique NbN thermometers.
• Oversee technological development of NbN material.
• Establish collaborations with CEA, CNAM, and IJC Lab.

Connaissances

Microelectronic technologies

Deposition of sensitive materials

Experience in cryogenics

Setting up electrical measurements

Formation

PhD in physics

Description du poste

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Institut NEEL Research Field Physics » Condensed matter properties Physics » Solid state physics Physics » Surface physics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Country France Application Deadline 9 Dec 2025 - 23:59 (UTC) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Feb 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The hiring is part of the CRYONEXT project. This program is part of the national strategy for quantum technologies. The aim of the CRYONEXT program is to secure France's supply of high-performance cryogenics systems for quantum technologies developed by national industrial and research players. It covers research into the high-performance cryogenics technologies needed for quantum technology research and development, as well as specific studies in this field. Cryogenic systems enable the study of matter at very low temperatures, as is the case for a number of quantum phenomena and processes. The temperature ranges required cover a broad spectrum, from a few hundred milli to a hundred Kelvin.

Your mission as a postdoctoral researcher is to design and microfabricate unique NbN thermometers, as mastered by CNRS. The technological development of ultra-low-temperature thermometers is at the heart of CRYONEXT's Project P7.

These thermometers will be manufactured in-house in our cleanrooms, in collaboration with Nanofab. They will then be tested by the TPS team and the cryogenics group in the dilution refrigerators at the NEEL Institute (calibration, drift testing, thermal cycling, annealing, etc.).
A new piece of equipment (a 100 mm-compatible sputtering system) will need to be installed, and the first test deposits will be carried out. You will oversee the technological development of the NbN material in this new system, a material that is the foundation of thermometers designed for measurements down to temperatures close to absolute zero (10 mK).
Within the CRYONEXT project, close collaborations with CEA for electronics, CNAM for calibration lines, and IJC Lab for mass characterization are to be established.

The Institut NÉEL is a CNRS unit (UPR 2940) under agreement with the University Grenoble Alpes. The laboratory is related to the CNRS Physique. It is located in Grenoble, in the heart of a unique scientific, industrial and cultural environment. It is one of the largest French national research institutes for fundamental research in condensed matter physics enriched by interdisciplinary activities at the interfaces with chemistry, engineering and biology. It consists of 450 employees, including 175 researchers.
CNRS is a public, scientific and technological organisation.
The core mandate is to identify, carry out ou have carried out, either alone or with partners, all research that advances science or contributes to the country's economic, social, and cultural progress. Internationally recognised for the excellence of its scientific research, the CNRS is a reference in the world of research and development, as well as for the general public.

The postdoc researcher will be integrated in the "Thermodynamics and biophysics of small systems" team (16 members, including permanent and non-permanent staff) of the Condensed Matter – Low Temperatures (MCBT) department.

You will work at l'Institut NEEL-CNRS 25 avenue des Martyrs on an innovative project selected and financially supported by the CRYONEXT project; a collaborative project between fundamental physics lab and industrial partners. Potential application will result from the research pursued here. Publications and/or patents will be at the core of the valorization of the results of the project with the different partners.

Expected Skills

• Microelectronic technologies (lithography, etching, material deposition, etc.)
• Deposition of sensitive materials (superconductors, metal-insulator transitions, oxides, etc.)
• Experience in cryogenics, particularly with dilution refrigerators (a plus)
• Experience in setting up electrical and electrothermal measurements

PhD in physics (low-noise electrical measurements, nanoscale thermal measurements, microelectronics techniques, nanofabrication), you have several years' experience in experimental development and measurement, as well as in micro and nanofabrication; experience in low-temperature cryogenics (dilution refrigerator) is quasi-essential, expertise in low temperature thermometry will be a plus. Curious and open-minded, you are a hands-on person, at ease with experimental physics, you have knowledge of materials, lithography (optical and electronic) and you like disruptive nanotechnologies. Last but not least, you are fluent in English, rigorous and motivated by risk-taking.