Postdoc Position in Integrated Photonic-spintronic Devices

Postdoc Position in Integrated Photonic-spintronic Devices

EPFL - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland

You will research hybrid photonic-spintronic chips on silicon nitride, an offering integrated photonic platform providing ultra low-loss, negligible two-photon absorption, high optical nonlinearity, possibilities to engineer both positive and negative group velocity dispersion through waveguide design and high-Finesse optical resonators, with the aim to develop compact and efficient sources of pulsed and continuous wave terahertz radiation in the band from 100 GHz to 10 THz.

As a successful candidate of a dynamic team, you will shape the future of photonics-based millimeterwave-optical technology in our young and dynamic lab. You will develop first-of-their kind hybrid platforms that enable complex high-frequency operations directly inside miniaturized photonic chips.

You will kick off diverse aspects of the experimental effort: technical (setting up an optical measurement setup design, including design of high-frequency electronics and custom-tailored mechanical components) and conceptual (develop the theory of millimeterwave/terahertz generation inside photonic chips). In the lab, you will learn about integrated and free-space quantum optical technologies and engineering, and nonlinear optics.

You will contribute to the automatisation of measurement routines, comprehensive characterisation of fabricated samples and to bridging the area of microwave/terahertz-optical science and technology with the most modern integrated photonic techniques.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Develop miniaturised millimeterwave/terahertz oscillator and apply them to photonic circuits, together with their driving software/hardware, automatize measurement procedures.
• Simulate optical and mmW/THz properties using simulations software such as COMSOL or CST.
• Characterize samples in the lab.
• Model experimental data from first principles using Matlab/Python codes.
• Write scientific publications, file patents, disseminate work at national and international conferences.
• Maintain collaborations and deliver periodic reports that describe your progress within the project.

Profile

• PhD in Physics or related fields, strong interest in high-frequency electronics and integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, high-frequency electronics, metrology and/or electro-optic transduction are mandatory.
• Prior experience in spintronic emitters is desirable.
• Knowledgeable in Python, Matlab, Labview, Inventor, Illustrator, CST Microwave studio and Comsol.
• Enjoy thinking about difficult problems and solving them step by step.
• Hands-on attitude and an interest for taking on new challenges are mandatory for this group. In return, you get to witness setting up experiments from scratch!
• Enjoy collaborations with various other scientific groups, take on a leading junior role in international teams.
• Interested in applying for individual funding through Marie Curie fellowships or others.