Research Fellow (Semiconductor Advanced Packaging)

Nanyang Technological University; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

NTU Singapore's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering invites a Research Fellow to advance low-temperature Cu/dielectric hybrid bonding for fine-pitch 3D integration. You will develop and validate a new flow, select materials, and demonstrate reliability to enable manufacturable solutions.

The role requires a PhD in a relevant field, hands-on cleanroom experience with Cu interconnect and wafer bonding, and strong data analysis.

Qualifications

• PhD in Materials/Microelectronics/EEE or related.
• Hands-on semiconductor process development in cleanroom.
• Cu interconnect/wafer or hybrid bonding experience.
• Lithography/etch/CMP/plasma/anneal experience.
• Characterization: optical/profilometry, SEM/TEM, XPS/AFM, electrical probing.
• DoE and statistics; Python/ Matlab a plus.
• Strong documentation and clear communication in English.
• Process integration and optimization; root-cause/failure analysis.
• Reliability mindset; thermal and electrical stress testing.
• Collaboration with tool vendors and industry partners.

Responsibilities

• Develop and run a Cu–Cu hybrid bonding flow for fine-pitch 3D integration.
• Optimize process windows (pressure/temperature/anneal/surface activation) to minimize contact resistance and voids; maintain cleanroom/tool best practices.
• Characterize materials and interfaces using optical/profilometry, SEM/TEM, surface chemistry, and electrical IV; translate data into process improvements.
• Validate reliability and scalability via thermal cycling/HTS/electrical stress on test vehicles; build prototype stacks to evidence manufacturability.
• Report and collaborate: produce clear technical reports/presentations, coordinate with partners, and maintain rigorous documentation.

Education

PhD in Materials/Microelectronics/EEE or related

Tools

Cu interconnect

Hybrid bonding

Process development

Cleanroom

Characterization

DoE stats

Python Matlab

SEM TEM

XPS AFM

Communication

Collaboration

Job description

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is one of the founding Schools of the Nanyang Technological University. Built on a culture of excellence, the School is renowned for its high academic standards and research. With over 3,000 undergraduates students and 2,000 graduate students it is one of the largest EEE schools in the world and ranks 4th in the field of Electrical & Electronic Engineering in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subjects. Today, the School has become one of the world’s largest engineering schools that nurtures competent engineers and researchers. Each year, the School graduates over a thousand students who are ready to take on great ambitions and challenges. For more details, please view: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/eee

We seek a Research Fellow to advance low-temperature Cu/dielectric hybrid bonding for fine-pitch, high-density interconnects by developing and validating a new flow with reliable dielectric sealing under ≤200 °C. The role integrates materials selection, wafer-level process development, and reliability demonstration to deliver a manufacturable 3D-integration solution that supports NTU’s leadership in industry-relevant advanced packaging research.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and run a Cu–Cu hybrid bonding flow for fine-pitch 3D integration.
• Optimize process windows (pressure/temperature/anneal/surface activation) to minimize contact resistance and voids; maintain cleanroom/tool best practices.
• Characterize materials and interfaces using optical/profilometry, SEM/TEM, surface chemistry, and electrical IV; translate data into process improvements.
• Validate reliability and scalability via thermal cycling/HTS/electrical stress on test vehicles; build prototype stacks (e.g., interposer/test-chip) to evidence manufacturability.
• Report and collaborate: produce clear technical reports/presentations, coordinate with partners, and maintain rigorous documentation, version control, and safety compliance.

Job Requirements:

• PhD in Materials/ Microelectronics/ EEE/ or related.
• Hands-on semiconductor process development in cleanroom (Cu interconnect/wafer or hybrid bonding; litho/etch/CMP/plasma/anneal).
• Characterization: optical/profilometry, SEM/TEM, XPS/AFM, electrical probing; DoE/statistics (Python/Matlab a plus).
• Strong documentation, safety discipline, and clear communication in English.
• Process integration & optimization; root-cause/failure analysis.
• Reliability mindset (design/interpret thermal & electrical stress tests).
• Collaboration with tool vendors/industry partners; concise reporting; ownership.

We regret to inform you that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Hiring Institution: NTU A research-intensive public university, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Engineering, Business, Science, Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, and Graduate colleges. It also has a medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, established jointly with Imperial College London. NTU is also home to world-class autonomous institutes – the National Institute of Education, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Earth Observatory of Singapore, and Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering – and various leading research centres such as the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute (NEWRI) and Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N). Ranked amongst the world’s top universities by QS, NTU has also been named the world’s top young university for the past seven years. The University’s main campus is frequently listed among the Top 15 most beautiful university campuses in the world and has 57 Green Mark-certified (equivalent to LEED-certified) buildings, of which 95% are certified Green Mark Platinum. Apart from its main campus, NTU also has a campus in Novena, Singapore’s healthcare district. Under the NTU Smart Campus vision, the University harnesses the power of digital technology and tech-enabled solutions to support better learning and living experiences, the discovery of new knowledge, and the sustainability of resources.

For more information, visit www.ntu.edu.sg

About NIE About RSIS About LKCMedicine About NTUItive