Nanoelectronics & Device-Physics Engineer

Astera Institute•Emeryville, CA

1d•$200,000 - $230,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Astera Institute is seeking a Nanoelectronics & Device-Physics Engineer to design the electrostatic drive and the field-effect position sensor for a nanoscale actuator, and own its fabrication process and electrical characterization. This position reports to Dr. Jeremy Barton (Astera Institute Resident, Project Lead). This is a full-time position.

Requirements

PhD or MS in electrical engineering, applied physics, materials science, or a related field, grounded in semiconductor device physics.
Experience with high-k dielectrics and thin-film stacks, FET or biosensor charge sensing, and low-noise electrical measurement.
Cleanroom process design and working familiarity with electron-beam lithography (running or directing fabrication).
Comfort at the bench with nanoscale electromechanical characterization; AFM experience is a plus.
Ability to partner closely with molecular-design and controls colleagues on a tightly integrated device.

Nice To Haves

AFM experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Design the electrostatic drive stack — the patterned electrode, insulating (high-k) dielectric, and compliant polymer that deflect the charged DNA-origami plate — to targets of roughly 10 nm of plate displacement and about 100 pN of force at low drive voltage, and validate the dielectric's long-term reliability.
Design a field-effect (FET) sensor that reads the mechanism's position electrically, including the low-noise readout needed to resolve nanometer-scale motion for closed-loop control.
Define the full device stack — patterned electrode, high-k dielectric, compliant polymer, and the DNA-origami actuator — and direct its fabrication (including electron-beam lithography) at cleanroom partners.
Characterize the finished device on the bench: voltage–displacement response, reversibility and hysteresis over many actuation cycles, and force/displacement by single-molecule AFM.
Ensure the measurement toolchain can actually resolve the quantities being measured.