Industrial PhD position in millimetre-wave electronics for climate and

Low Noise Factory AB and Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, offer an industrial PhD student position for a joint project on 100+ GHz high-frequency electronic amplifiers aimed for climate and environment applications. The position offering is for an employment at Low Noise Factory combined with a PhD student education at Chalmers.

The PhD student project
183 GHz is the frequency line of water vapor, one of the key atmospheric gases governing weather and climate on earth. By deploying remote sensing instrumentation from satellites in space, the water vapor profile in the Earth’s atmosphere can be measured providing significant data for meteorology and climate.

We are searching for an industrial PhD candidate to design and demonstrate a transistor circuit detecting at 183 GHz targeted for instrumentation in meteorology and climate. Your aim is to design, fabricate, and measure a microwave integrated circuit on a chip based on the semiconducting indium phosphide transistor, amplifying with highest gain and lowest noise. Scientifically, you will contribute to improved understanding in the physics limiting the reduction in transistor noise at high frequencies. For this purpose, you will study devices and circuits at cryogenic temperatures down to 4 K. Our vision is to have the electronic hardware emanating from your project one day launched in space for future climate and environmental missions.

The industrial PhD student project will be carried out between Low Noise Factory (supervisor Adj. Prof. Peter Sobis) and Chalmers (supervisor Prof. Jan Grahn). Low Noise Factory is a world-leading provider of the lowest noise microwave amplifiers in radio astronomy and quantum computing. Chalmers has an international reputation in very low-noise microwave transistors based on indium phosphide. We have international research collaborations with Korea and USA.

Major responsibilities
As an industrial PhD student, you must be strongly motivated in design, fabrication, modelling, and measurement of high-frequency semiconductor components. You are expected to perform advanced courses (60 credits) and publish scientific papers eventually making up a PhD thesis according to the graduate school requirements at Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience. You must be able to take full advantage of supervision and research infrastructure from both Chalmers and Low Noise Factory. The five-year PhD programme is divided between research and courses at Chalmers (80%) and engineering at Low Noise Factory (20%). There will also be some teaching for undergraduate programmes at Chalmers.

Qualifications
Your background is Master of Science in Physics (F) with courses in microelectronic devices and microwave technology alternatively Electrical Engineering (E) with courses in physics/microwave engineering. It is essential to have a strong inner driving force for pushing a project as well as excellent collaboration skills in an academic-industrial research team. If you are doing your diploma work with planned MSc degree spring/summer 2023, you are also welcomed to apply for this position.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
This is an industrial PhD student project during five years partly financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. The industrial PhD student will have a full-time permanent position at Low Noise Factory AB (www.lownoisefactory.com). This recruitment is carried out jointly between Low Noise Factory and Chalmers.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220682 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: January 22, 2023

For questions, please contact:
Professor Jan Grahn, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Terahertz and Millimetre Wave Laboratory.
Email: jan.grahn@chalmers.se 
Tel: 0730-34 62 99

Adjunct Professor Peter Sobis, Low Noise Factory AB 
Email: sobis@lownoisefactory.com 
Tel: 070-851 55 50



*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. *** 
   



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!