Semiconductor Characterization Engineer

NIST is seeking a Semiconductor Characterization Engineer to advance the development of cutting-edge characterization tools used to improve the development and fabrication of advanced chips in the US semiconductor industry. This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

About the Role

NIST's Material Measurement Laboratory conducts measurement science research to benefit industries based in the chemical, biological, and material sciences, and contributes technical expertise to the development of standards. Within this division, the Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Group conducts research and develops metrology to advance, promote, and ensure robust and quantitative microscopy and microanalysis.

Responsibilities

• Plan research on APT (Atom Probe Tomography) applied to semiconductor metrology
• Produce specimens for analysis
• Perform APT measurements
• Communicate APT methods, standards, and results

Requirements

Basic Requirements

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must:

• Lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; or
• Include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics:
  • statics, dynamics;
  • strength of materials (stress-strain relationships);
  • fluid mechanics, hydraulics;
  • thermodynamics;
  • electrical fields and circuits;
  • nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and
  • any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience: College-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished:

• A thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and
• A good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering.

The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

• Professional registration or licensure: Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration.
• Written Test: Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
• Specified academic courses: Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
• Related curriculum: Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance.

Additional Requirements

In addition to the basic requirements, you must also meet one of the following:

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-9 (ZP-II at NIST). Specialized experience is defined as:
  • Experience in the atomic scale characterization of semiconductor materials with atom probe tomography
  • Experience in the preparation of specimens for atom probe tomography with ion milling techniques
  • Experience in the design and analysis of physical standards for improving the accuracy of atom probe tomography measurements on semiconductor materials
• Master's or equivalent graduate degree
• A combination of graduate education and specialized experience

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.