PhD Research Fellow in Multi-Level Resistive Memory Cells for Ternary Computing

Steven Bos; Horten; On-site; NOK 540,000 - 650,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary according to Norwegian State Ph

Norwegian language courses

Inclusive working environment

Job summary

University of South‑Eastern Norway (USN) invites applications for a 3-year PhD Research Fellow position in fabrication and characterization of multi-level resistive memory technology. The role is based at Campus Vestfold with access to USN’s MST fab and NorFab infrastructure, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Steven Bos and Assoc.

Prof. Henning Gundersen. The PhD programme includes coursework, an article-based thesis, and active participation in national and international research

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required in a relevant field.
• Strong background in electronics, chip design, microfabrication or materials science.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Fabricate and characterize ternary ReRAM cells in USN’s MST fab.
• Design a ternary ReRAM controller with mixed-signal, mixed-radix circuitry.
• Support admission to USN’s doctoral programme and participate in collaborative research.
• Contribute to dissemination of research results and mentoring of MSc/PhD students.

Skills

Electronics and chip design

Microfabrication experience

English proficiency

Education

Master’s degree in Micro/Nanoelectronics, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Nanotechnology, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics or related fields

Tools

Cadence Virtuoso

HSPICE

EDA tools

Job description

Welcome to USN

The University of Senior Norway (USN) ranks as the country's fourth largest higher education institution. We are a vibrant community of approximately 18,000 students and 1,900 employees.

Video: https://vimeo.com/898549899/60305e2540

About the position

The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences invites applications for a 100% PhD Research Fellow position in fabrication and characterization of multi-level resistive memory technology. The position is a three-year, full-time research appointment with no teaching obligations.

The doctoral programme in Technology comprises approximately six months (30 ECTS) of coursework, an article-based thesis demonstrating independent research, active participation in national and international research environments, research dissemination, a trial lecture, and public defence. Read more in our PhD handbook . Admission to the Faculty's doctoral programme in Technology must be applied for and granted within three months of starting the position.

The place of work is at Campus Vestfold (Raveien 215, Borre, Norway. Located on campus is the MST-lab, part of the national NorFab infrastructure for fabrication and characterization. Your personnel manager will be Marius Tannum (Head of department, Microsystems, Campus Vestfold).

About the doctoral project

Resistive memory (ReRAM, also known as memristors) has matured rapidly. It offers fast writes at lower power, has high endurance and non-volatile retention. Recently Nordic Semiconductor released the nRF54L microcontroller series which feature binary ReRAM to replace flash memory at scale. Multi-level operation, however, remains challenging with device-to-device and cycle-to-cycle variation, state drift, read disturbs and non-linear multi-state programming. This PhD project aims to address these issues by fabricating and characterizing ReRAM cells optimized for balanced ternary (symbols -1, 0 and 1), storing ~58% more information per cell than binary. This enables exciting applications like ternary neural networks, ultra-efficient event-based cameras, high-density storage and mixed-radix 3D SoCs.

Building on our preliminary work with 3-level ReRAM devices you will mainly work on task 1, with a possibility to work on task 2 in parallel.

Task 1: Fabrication of ternary ReRAM cells. ReRAM cells are metal-insulator-metal (MIM) stacks that can be deposited by sputtering or atomic layer deposition. Making a functional multi-level device that is reliable with three (or powers of three) well separated resistance levels and is reproducible at wafer scale is the main challenge. You will fabricate and characterize the devices in USN’s MST fab in Vestfold and can use other Norfab cleanroom infrastructure if necessary. Extensive characterization activities (pulsed and DC I‑V, retention, endurance, device-to-device variability, etc.) are expected using automated measurements setups and with carefully designed experiments to turn the raw data into publishable insights.

Task 2: Design of an on/off-chip ternary ReRAM controller. You will design mixed-signal, mixed-radix circuitry for writing and reading radix‑3 states on commercially available ReRAM devices with the devices from task 1 as the long‑term target. The digital control logic for radix‑3 states can be written in ternary HDL using our group’s EDA tools (MRCS Studio) and ternary RTL‑to‑GDS synthesis flows. For this task you will use commercial foundries to tape‑out and validate correct operation for a selection of suitable ReRAM devices.

You will join USN’s Ternary Research Group , founded in 2019 by Assoc. Prof. Steven Bos and Assoc. Prof. Henning Gundersen. The research group provides an active research environment which includes MSc students and PhD research fellows working on carbon nanotube‑based (CNTFET) switching devices and sensors compatible with ternary logic.

Qualifications

Eligibility Requirements:

• A Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent higher education qualifications in Micro/Nanoelectronics, Electronic/Electrical Engineering, Nanotechnology, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics or related fields.
• The master’s degree must have been obtained by the application deadline for the position.
• Strong background in electronics, chip design, microfabrication and / or material science.
• Weighted average grade of B or higher on the master’s degree and thesis.
• Excellent written and spoken English with documented proficiency.

Ideal applicants have:

• Hands‑on experience in cleanroom environment for microfabrication or comprehensive knowledge of microfabrication fundamentals.
• Good understanding of CMOS chip design flows, or proficiency in relevant EDA tools such as Cadence Virtuoso, (H)SPICE simulation
• Experience in electrical characterization (probe station, DC and pulsed I‑V, retention and endurance testing, instrument automation)
• Experience writing Verilog‑A and/or RTL in (System)Verilog or VHDL
• Relevant master’s thesis or major projects aligned with the PhD project, for example in memristive devices, emerging non‑volatile memory, mixed‑signal design or microfabrication

Applicants should document which of these qualifications they possess. Any experience with multiple valued logic and/or AI tools for chip design and verification is counted as positive.

It is a requirement that the successful applicant is granted admission to the university’s doctoral programme in technology within three months of accession in the position. For admission to the Programme the weighted average grade is B or higher is usually required.

The applicant must have the ability to work independently and at the same time have the motivation to share knowledge and take part in teamwork. Personal suitability for the post will be emphasized.

Co‑operation between staff members is an integrated part of the working atmosphere at the University of South‑Eastern Norway. The applicant must be motivated and demonstrate a proven ability to work effectively within a team and in a collegiate manner to formulate and realize common objectives.

Personal qualities

• Strongly motivated and ambitious.
• Be structured, targeted and solution oriented.
• The successful applicant should be creative and actively contribute to the team he/she will be part of.
• Have good dissemination skills.
• Personal skills like a positive and friendly attitude and contributing to a sustainable social environment will also be valued.

When assessing applications, particular importance will be attached to

• Formal qualifications
• The scientific quality, research relevance and degree of innovation of the project
• The relevance of the project to the profile of the doctoral programme
• The personal qualities mentioned above

Requirements for proficiency in English

This position requires good English language skills. International applicants must document this with a valid certificate from one of the following tests. Specific requirements regarding grades can be found on our webpage English requirement for programmes and subjects taught in English at USN .

• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet‑Based Test (IBT)
• IELTS – International English Language Testing Service
• Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge
• PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic

The following applicants are exempt from the requirements listed above:

• Applicants with one year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USA
• Applicants who have completed a master’s degree with English as the language of instruction in an EU or EEA country
• Applicants who are exempt based on the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)’s GSU list (Higher Education Entrance Qualification for foreign applicants)

Applicants from Norway can confirm their English language skills by submitting their upper secondary school diploma.

What we offer

• A stimulating and growing research environment
• Careers advice and guidance throughout the entire doctoral programme. Together we will draw up a career plan that includes the skills and knowledge you will acquire
• An inclusive working environment with ambitious colleagues
• The opportunity to take Norwegian language courses
• Salary in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale for PhD research fellows (position code 1017) NOK 550,800. Any further increases in pay grade will be based on length of service in the position
• Deductions will be made from your salary in order to make statutory contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund on your behalf
• Membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund , ensuring favourable pension, insurance and loan schemes

Diversity

We believe diversity is a strength in our work and learning environment. Different experiences and backgrounds contribute to better solutions for the challenges we aim to solve.

We are committed to respecting individual differences and accommodating employees with disabilities. We consider your needs and situation during different stages of life.

If this position interests you, we encourage you to apply regardless of gender, disability, cultural background, or whether you have had a career break.

Qualified candidates with disabilities, employment gaps, or immigrant backgrounds will be invited to an interview. If you identify with one of these groups, you may indicate this in our job portal.

General information

The Appointment Committee for Fellowship Positions (TUS) is the appointing authority for this position. Your competence for the position will be assessed by an expert committee. The expert committee will assess your competence for the position based on the documentation you have registered in Jobbnorge.

Based on the expert committee’s assessment, relevant applicants will be invited to an interview and to hold a trial lecture. References will also be obtained for relevant applicants.

Employment at USN is carried out in accordance with the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Service Act , and the legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services. If your application is considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter legislation, it will be rejected without further consideration.

The University’s Guidelines for recruitment positions at the University of South‑Eastern Norway( Guidelines for recruitment positions ) provide a more detailed description of the criteria for appointment as a PhD research fellow.

As an employee of USN, you must at all times adapt to changes in the field and all organisational changes that are adopted.

Requirements regarding export licence

For the position, an export license is required, and the applicant must meet the requirements for this. You can read more about export licenses on DEKSA's website .

Contact information

For more information about the position, please contact:
Head of Department Marius Stian Tannum + 31 00 90 19 / [e-mail]

or Ass.Professor/Main Supervisor Steven Bos + 47 35 02 65 02/ [e-mail]

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact:
Adviser Stine Knudseth, [e-mail]

About the Faculty and Department

The Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences (TNM) offers education and research across technology, engineering, natural sciences, and maritime disciplines.

The Department of Microsystems is located on the Vestfold campus. The academic and research environment here is surrounded by a wide variety of businesses, providing exciting career opportunities.We offer education, commissions and collaboration within mechanical engineering, data engineering, electrical engineering and microtechnology and nanotechnology Department of Microsystems - Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge