Prof Schall-Giesecke's group is formed by researchers from the Department of Electronic Components and Circuits (EBS) and the Photonic Structure Integration group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS). The team is working together on the development of innovative photonic integrated circuits (PICs). This collaboration combines the expertise of both institutions to create pioneering solutions in photonics. The basic components for the circuit platform are simulated and characterised at EBS. This work forms the foundation for the integration of the technology at Fraunhofer IMS.

Start of employment

at the earliest possible date

Duration of employment

4 years

Your main tasks

Your tasks will include the active participation in our project S01 of the TRR 196 MARIE, which aims to characterize and localize even moving materials in our daily surroundings precisely and dynamically. The project S01 combines the expertise of UDE and RUB workgroups on wideband transmit beamforming and beamsteering concepts, as well as the expertise of Prof Schall-Giesecke's group on platforms and integration techniques for photonic integrated circuits. The aim of our project is the development of concepts for high-speed beamforming in the THz frequency range, whereby your task will be the development of photonic integrated circuits. The design will be carried out taking into account available technology modules and in close coordination with the process engineers at Fraunhofer IMS. To this end, you create simulations for integrated silicon nitride photonics and develop layouts for the fabrication of the components. In addition, your focus will be on the scalability of the concept(s) and the electronic-photonic co-integration utilizing and further developing our post-CMOS processes.

In addition, you will support the preparation and realization of courses, contribute to the preparation of research proposals and, together with your team, take on tasks for the chair.

Your profile

• Master or equivalent qualification in engineering (preferred electrical engineering) or physics with a focus on microelectronics, on telecommunication engineering, photonics, applied physics, quantum optics or comparable topics
• Initial experience in one of the following subject areas is desirable: integrated photonics (silicon photonics, nanophotonics) or optoelectronics or simulation of opto-electronic devices using relevant software tools (Python and/or Lumerical) or opto-electronic measurement techniques or communication/sensor technologies
• High motivation to solve scientific challenges creatively and independently
• Written and spoken German language skills are preferred

Professor Wöhrle's team includes researchers from the Department of Electronic Components and Circuits (EBS) and the Smart Embedded Systems group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS). The team is working together to develop innovative hardware and software architectures for future embedded systems using artificial intelligence methods, with an emphasis on medical systems. The collaboration brings together the expertise of both institutions to develop innovative solutions for domain-specific computer and accelerator architectures, as well as the appropriate algorithms and their implementation in software and hardware for applications such as neural implants, biosignal processing, sensor data processing and fusion, artificial intelligence and robotics. The fundamental technologies are developed, simulated and characterised in the EBS department, forming the basis for their transfer into applications and subsequent optimisation at Fraunhofer IMS.

Start of employment

at the earliest possible date

Duration of employment

4 years

Your main tasks

Your responsibilities will include active participation in a growing team that is involved in researching new domain-specific computer architectures and the underlying digital technology implementation in ASICs and FPGAs. Your tasks will include:

• Development and optimization of hardware architectures: You will design novel computer and accelerator architectures for embedded systems that are specifically designed for use in AI and signal processing applications.
• Digital design and verification: You will be responsible for the modelling, implementation and simulation of digital circuits (e.g. in VHDL, Verilog or SystemVerilog) as well as their verification at functional and system level.
• Integration of AI algorithms: You will work on the hardware implementation and optimization of machine learning techniques and algorithms to maximize their efficiency and performance for specific use cases.
• Hardware-software co-design: You will develop and optimize hardware-software interfaces and participate in co-design development in order to make the best possible use of the synergy between specialized hardware and associated software. This may include the modification, further development and partitioning of the algorithms to be used. The focus here is on analyzing and implementing the distribution of tasks between hardware and software in order to increase efficiency and performance.
• Technology transfer and prototyping: You will accompany the process from simulation to prototyping in FPGA or ASIC technologies, including adaptation to industrial standards and requirements.
• Publication and presentation: You will publish and present results in scientific journals and at conferences to actively contribute to the scientific discussion.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: You will work in close cooperation with internal and external partners from science and industry to drive technological breakthroughs in applications such as medical technology, artificial intelligence or autonomous robotics.

Your profile

• PhD or equivalent qualification in electrical engineering, electronics, biomedical engineering, computer engineering, technical computer science, physics or a similar subject.
• Experience in the design of complex digital circuits using hardware description languages (Verilog, SystemVerilog or VHDL) for ASICs and/or FPGAs using relevant toolchains like Cadence, AMD (Vivado), yosys/OpenROAD or similar.
• Experience in software development using C and/or Python.
• Knowledge in medical technology, compiler engineering, domain specific languages, Hardware/Algorithm-Codesign, machine learning, embedded operating systems and/or robotics are a plus.
• High motivation to solve scientific challenges creatively and independently
• Written and spoken German language skills are preferred
• Further academic qualification is expected and supported as part of the position.

Prof Schall-Giesecke's group is formed by researchers from the Department of Electronic Components and Circuits (EBS) and the Photonic Structure Integration group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS). The team is working together on the development of innovative photonic integrated circuits (PICs). This collaboration combines the expertise of both institutions to create pioneering solutions in photonics. The basic components for the circuit platform are simulated and characterised at EBS. This work forms the foundation for the integration of the technology at Fraunhofer IMS.

Start of employment

at the earliest possible date

Duration of employment

4 years

Your main tasks

Your tasks will include the active participation in a growing team focussing on research into new integrated photonic components and circuits for applications in e.g. (bio- or quantum) sensor technology and in the context of artificial intelligence. One of your core tasks is the development of passive and active integrated optical components, e.g. by integrating new materials into the Silicon Photonics technology platform. The design is carried out taking into account available technology modules and in close coordination with the process engineers at Fraunhofer IMS. To this end, you create simulations for integrated silicon (nitride) photonics and develop layouts for the fabrication of the components. The characterisation and optimisation of the manufactured components takes place in our laboratories. In this role, you will have the opportunity to play a key role in the further development of the team, doctoral candidates and students.

In addition, you will support the preparation and realisation of courses, contribute to the preparation of research proposals and, together with your team, take on tasks for the chair.

Your profile

• PhD or equivalent qualification in engineering (preferred electrical engineering) or physics with a focus on telecommunication engineering, photonics, applied physics, quantum optics or comparable topics
• Experience in integrated photonics (silicon photonics, nanophotonics) or optoelectronics or simulation of opto-electronic devices using relevant software tools (Python and/or Lumerical) or opto-electronic measurement techniques or communication/sensor technologies
• High motivation to solve scientific challenges creatively and independently
• Written and spoken German language skills are preferred
• Further academic qualification is expected and supported as part of the position.

In unmittelbarer Nähe (Luftlinie 1 km) zu unserem Fachgebiet EBS der Universität Duisburg-Essen liegt das Fraunhofer Institut für Mikroelektronische Schaltungen und Systeme (IMS) Duisburg. Zwischen beiden Institutionen gibt es eine enge Zusammenarbeit. Am IMS arbeiten ca. 250 Mitarbeiter (studentisch/ technisch/ wissenschaftlich). Eine Vielzahl der IMS-Projekte besitzen einen Forschungs- und Entwicklungscharakter, sodass sich hier für Doktoranden eine hervorragende Möglichkeit zur Promotion bildet.

Innerhalb dieser Zeit kann eine Entwicklung vom Konzept über die Fertigung bis zum Test und Montage verfolgt und dokumentiert werden. Bei Interesse schauen Sie sich bei der Personalabteilung des IMS unter dem Link.