3 Postdoctoral Positions, University of Eastern Finland, Finland (2019)

The rationale of PREIN is to merge the leading-edge Finnish activities in photonics through the whole innovation value chain. Its four partners (UEF, Tampere University, Aalto University, and VTT) share the vision that future breakthroughs in photonics depend on deep understanding of light-matter interactions, materials and nanostructures with tailored response, advanced laser sources, and photonic integration. Through rapid transfer of advances in these fields to potential applications, PREIN aims at producing disruptive innovations for a variety of application areas and markets, including portable and disposable sensors, ultra-precise LIDAR systems, and smart photovoltaic modules. PREIN will benefit ICT, environmental and industrial monitoring and quantum technologies.

Post 1: Spatial, temporal, spectral, and polarization control of light

The person to be appointed to this position will work at UEF, in a research group coordinated by professors Ari T. Friberg, Tero Setälä, and Jari Turunen, which focuses on fundamental aspects of light and its interaction with micro- and nanostructured matter. In particular, coherence and polarization properties of both stationary and pulsed light are in the groups focus, including novel light sources that will be developed in the framework of PREIN. Diffraction of light and its control by customized quasi-planar photonic structures including diffraction gratings, subwavelength-scale metamaterials, and arrangements of nanoparticles are among the central themes. Both linear and nonlinear effects in light-matter interaction, theory of light generation in nanostructured media, coupling of light in nanostructures, and epsilon-near-zero materials are in focus.

A successful applicant will have a solid theoretical background in photonics and an ability to perform numerical modelling. Previous experience in every aspect mentioned above is not expected, as this can be achieved during the postdoctoral work in the group. The applicant is, however, expected to work in close collaboration with other PREIN partners (including at least short-term visits to other sites of research) and to have an ability to communicate with the other representatives of PREIN to ensure a successful transfer of his/her theoretical results into experimental, and ultimately into societally significant realisations.

Key qualification requirements/prerequisites:

Post 2: Fabrication of nanomaterials and nanostructures

The person to be appointed to this position will work in a group focusing on micro- and nanofabrication, coordinated by professors Markku Kuittinen, Tommi Hakala, and Matthieu Roussey. The focus will be on the realisation of advanced nanomaterials platforms and integrated photonic devices. This includes the structuration at the nanoscale of different materials (oxides, ceramics, polymers, metals), the deposition and process development of new materials to be used for monolithic integration for photonics integrated circuits, the inclusion of sources within waveguides, and other platforms. The objective is to enable new technology platforms for the theoretical research done in other work packages of PREIN.

A successful applicant will have a strong experience in clean room working and he/she should already be trained in the use of several key-equipment (reactive ion etching, e-beam, atomic layer deposition). However, a high level of competence in all of them is not required, as these can be learned during the postdoctoral work. In addition to experimental skills, the applicant must have a good understanding of photonics at the nanoscale, of integrated optics, and of the fundamentals of optics.

The work will be driven by collaboration with all the other PREIN partners. This implies travel within Finland, understanding of clean room facilities in other research institutes and the ability to process further already processed chips. The link with the other work packages is strong and the postdoctoral researcher must communicate with other WP leaders, understand their goals, and adapt either the fabrication or the design to make the devices feasible.

Key qualification requirements/prerequisites

Post 3: Characterization of nanostructured light sources and materials

The person to be appointed to this position will use characterization facilities at UEF to explore photonic and plasmonic nanostructures, light sources, planar waveguides, detectors and other materials, components and devices. Characterization issues are the focus of a group coordinated by professors Yuri Svirko, Matthieu Roussey, and Tommi Hakala. One important aspect of the position is the ability to work with the diversity of the in-plane and out-of-plane characterization techniques including ellipsometry, SEM, micro-Raman spectroscopy and other methods capable of providing in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that can limit device functionalities.

A successful applicant will have a strong track record in working in a free space optical laboratory environment, be familiar with end-fiber and grating couplers, planar and channel waveguides and nanostructures. This also includes also mastering lasers and various measurement techniques, including those with ultrafast lasers, good command in relevant software packages (e.g. Labview), and a solid background in nanophotonics and nonlinear optics.

In addition to performing measurements, the postdoctoral researcher will have to share his/her results with other PREIN partners and give clear feedback on the characterized devices so that the designs can be improved, for instance. This implies excellent communication skills, excellent data processing and presentation of the results. Being the last step before the components are implemented in consumer applications, the work is crucial for the success of the project. The selected person will have to visit the other PREIN partners and may have to conduct experiments in other institutions.

A very good collaboration with the persons in charge of the fabrication and the design in the PREIN project is vital in this postdoctoral work.

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3 Postdoctoral Positions, University of Eastern Finland, Finland (2019)