Backplane & EPD Systems Research Engineer

E-Ink-Corporation; South Billerica (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

E Ink Corporation is the global leader in electronic paper technology, driving innovation across eReaders, labels, signage, and IoT displays. This Research Engineer role probes how backplane and drive schemes interact with electrophoretic materials to improve image quality, power efficiency, and reliability.

You will work on multidisciplinary projects, translating fundamental understanding into practical drive schemes, test methods, and product performance improvements.

Qualifications

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Physics, Materials Science, or a closely related field.
• Substantial experience with active-matrix displays, TFT backplanes, semiconductor devices, pixel circuits, mixed-signal electronics, display driving, or related physical systems.
• Strong understanding of device and circuit behavior, including transient response, parasitic effects, leakage, capacitive coupling, switching behavior, noise, and electrical measurement.
• Demonstrated ability to design experiments that isolate mechanisms in complex systems and to connect experimental observations with physical or electrical models.
• Hands-on proficiency with laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes, source-measure units, waveform generators, power supplies, data-acquisition systems, and high-impedance or low-current measurement techniques.
• Proficiency with scientific programming and data analysis using Python, MATLAB, or comparable tools.
• Ability to work effectively across electrical engineering, physics, materials science, software, and product-development disciplines.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Self-directed and comfortable defining a path forward when the underlying mechanism or solution is initially unclear.

Responsibilities

• Initiate, lead, and execute fundamental research into interactions among active-matrix backplanes, electrophoretic materials, drive electronics, and waveform operation.
• Investigate how pixel-circuit and backplane characteristics—including TFT behavior, storage capacitance, parasitic resistance and capacitance, leakage, charge injection, feedthrough, voltage retention, RC settling, device variation, hysteresis, and bias stress—affect display response.
• Study the impact of backplane operating conditions and addressing modes, including gate and source timing, line and frame timing, common-electrode behavior, hold and floating states, partial updates, power transitions, and nonideal or interrupted update sequences.
• Determine how electrical effects couple to particle motion, charge accumulation, electro-optical memory, residual voltage, optical state accuracy, ghosting, crosstalk, uniformity, color performance, and long-term display stability.
• Design controlled experiments and specialized test structures that isolate backplane, drive-electronics, waveform, and material contributions to observed display behavior.
• Develop electrical, circuit, statistical, or multiphysics models that connect measurable backplane behavior to electrophoretic and electro-optical response.
• Translate research findings into improved drive schemes, backplane requirements, controller behavior, diagnostic methods, design rules, and mitigation strategies.
• Develop or enhance instrumentation, automated test systems, and analysis software for synchronized electrical and electro-optical characterization.
• Apply rigorous data analysis and uncertainty assessment to distinguish fundamental mechanisms from sample variation, measurement artifacts, and system-level interactions.
• Lead root-cause investigations of complex display-performance and reliability issues that span multiple technical disciplines.
• Collaborate with global waveform, materials, TFT/backplane, electrical engineering, modeling, reliability, manufacturing, and product-development teams.
• Communicate results through technical reports, design reviews, presentations, and recommendations to technical and business leadership.
• Create and document intellectual property, including invention disclosures, patents, technical methods, and proprietary display knowledge.

Skills

Python programming

MATLAB

Oscilloscopes

Experiment design

Education

Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Waveform generators

Data acquisition

Job description

E Ink Corporation is the global leader in electronic paper technology, driving innovation across eReaders, labels, signage, and IoT displays. This Research Engineer role probes how backplane and drive schemes interact with electrophoretic materials to improve image quality, power efficiency, and reliability.

You will work on multidisciplinary projects, translating fundamental understanding into practical drive schemes, test methods, and product performance improvements.