Mid-Level
CIFRE - Cosmic rays robustness - H/F
At STMicroelectronics, we believe in the power of technology to drive innovation and make a positive impact on people, businesses, and society. As a global semiconductor company, our advanced technologies and chips form the hidden foundation of the world we live in today.
When you join ST, you will be part of a global business with more than 115 nationalities, present in 40 countries, and comprising over 50,000 diverse and dedicated creators and makers of technology around the world.
Developing technologies takes more than talent: it takes amazing people who understand collaboration and respect. People with passion and the desire to disrupt the status quo, drive innovation, and unlock their own potential.
Embark on a journey with us, where you can innovate for a future that we want to make smarter and greener, in a responsible and sustainable way. Our technology starts with you.
YOUR ROLE
Since 2000, wide-bandgap materials, especially silicon carbide, have been progressively introduced into power electronic circuits. Owing to their higher critical electric field compared with silicon, high-voltage unipolar devices such as Schottky diodes and MOS transistors have been developed, replacing silicon bipolar devices, including fast bipolar diodes and IGBTs, with significantly reduced switching losses.
The resulting improvement in power efficiency reduces cooling requirements and enables a smaller overall system footprint, making the adoption of wide-bandgap devices particularly advantageous in applications with stringent constraints on size and weight, such as spacecraft and avionics. For these applications, high tolerance to cosmic rays is obviously expected.
On the ground, higher power efficiency is also crucial for electrical vehicle deployment as it increases driving range, and for smart-grid applications that require very high voltage devices (> 2000V). Here again, cosmic ray robustness, especially neutrons, is essential to meet the very low failure rates expected in the automotive sector and to avoid complex maintenance in smart-grid applications.
Since 2004, cosmic rays impact on silicon carbide devices has been extensively studied. In addition to the well-known single event burnout (SEB), also observed in silicon power devices, silicon carbide devices have been shown to exhibit a new cumulative degradation mechanism reported as single-event leakage current (SELC). No consensus has yet been reached within the scientific community regarding its cause.
In this context, you'll be responsible for :
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Defining models to be implemented in cosmic-ray simulations for silicon carbide devices.
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Performing simulations on existing diode structures to validate the simulation setup. This activity will benefit from an ongoing study engaged with the french national center for space studies (CNES), which will provide with heavy-ion robustness results from different diode structures.
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Studying the reverse characteristics of damaged diodes and request analyses (either electrical or structural ones) to understand the mechanisms involved.
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Simulating new diode structures to improve cosmic-ray robustness.
YOUR SKILLS & EXPERIENCES
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Master degree in semiconductor physics, condensed-matter physics, or particle-matter interaction,
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B2 English level and finite-elements simulation experience would be appreciated.
ST is proud to be one of the 17 companies certified as a 2025 Global Top Employer and the first and only semiconductor company to achieve this distinction. ST was recognized in this ranking thanks to its continuous improvement approach and stands out particularly in the areas of ethics & integrity, purpose & values, organization & change, business strategy, and performance.
At ST, we endeavor to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we do not tolerate discrimination. We aim to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the societies around us. We strive for equity in career development, career opportunities, and equal remuneration. We encourage candidates who may not meet every single requirement to apply, as we appreciate diverse perspectives and provide opportunities for growth and learning. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is woven into our company culture.
To discover more, visit st.com/careers.
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