Developing the process for in situ fabrication of large area 2D material heterostructures to realise new optical and electronic devices

We are aiming to recruit an outward-looking and enthusiastic PhD student to help in the development of the process for in situ fabrication of large area 2D material heterostructures to realise new optical and electronic devices. The project is a collaboration between the Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics (CDT-CMP) which is run jointly by the Universities of Bristol and Bath, and Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (OIPT) in Yatton; a world-leading supplier of systems for nanolayer deposition, controlled nanostructure growth and etching of nanometre-sized features. The student will be a full member of the Bristol-Bath Centre for Doctoral Training in Condensed Matter Physics and will benefit from all the training opportunities offered by it.

Your role will be to develop the process for in situ growth of large area 2D material heterostructures composed of e.g., hBN/WSe2 and MoS2/WSe2 etc, for optical and electronic device applications. The developed heterostructures will be fully characterised by optical spectroscopy, transport and nano-ARPES measurements, and fabricated into demonstrator photodetector and tunnelling diode/transistor device structures. Data obtained from working devices will be fed back to optimise the growth process as well as to inform the design of novel heterostructure-based valleytronic device concepts.

The studentship will be jointly sponsored by Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology and the Bristol-Bath CDT in Condensed Matter Physics. This funding will cover UK/EU tuition fees and will provide a stipend (equivalent to the UK Research Council rate) for a period of 4 years. Applications should be submitted via the CDT-CMP website. The successful candidate will be based at the University of Bath for the duration of their PhD and, after undertaking year one of the CDT-CMP training programme, will spend years 2-4 working on their full PhD project. An aggregate of approximately 12 months from years 2-4 will be spent at OIPT, providing an opportunity to experience research in both university and industrial environments. For informal enquiries please contact Simon Bending ([Email Address Removed]) or Ravi Sundaram ([Email Address Removed]).
The starting date for the PhD programme will be in September 2017.
Applications for this position will close on 1st August 2017.

Eligibility and application process
Eligibility: UK and EU students. Academic entry requirements: at least a 2.1 (or above) classification BSc/MSci/MPhys (or equivalent) degree in Physics or a related subject.