Job offer

Organisation/Company ENSICAEN Department CIMAP Research Field Chemistry » Structural chemistry Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Application Deadline 14 Feb 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Paris) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 2 Mar 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

A post‑doctoral contract, for a duration of 9 months, is available within the CIMAP laboratory. Transmission electron microscopy will be used for a structural, chemical, and electronic study of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) based on Niobium nitride (NbN) as part of this contract.

Project N POLAR: context and objectives

The N POLAR project aims at developing nitrogen‑polarity III nitrides on silicon substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The N‑polarity III nitrides will be obtained by polarity inversion using a thin epitaxial metal layer of NbN. The polarity inversion, more precisely from metal to nitrogen polarity, has recently been demonstrated by this approach (Niobium ANR project ANR‑21‑CE08‑007 ended in March 2025). The work in N POLAR will focus on the development and optimization of this innovative process (hybrid semiconductor/metal/semiconductor heterostructures) in order to study and understand the properties of III‑N with polarity N via a detailed understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of polarity inversion by a multi‑scale approach. Indeed, the objective of the N POLAR project is to obtain planar III‑N heterostructures with high structural quality and low impurity concentration, deposited on silicon substrates to develop HEMT devices for high frequency applications (> 40 GHz).

In this context, the N POLAR project aims in particular to use the latest instrumental advances in transmission electron microscopy techniques for structural, chemical and electronic studies at the sub‑angstrom scale of heterostructures based on NbN in order to quickly determine the optimal conditions for obtaining the best heterostructures, not only for interfacial relationships, but especially for the growth of optimized devices. For these atomic structural characterizations, the laboratory has a latest‑generation MET JEOL ARM200F Cold FEG corrected (Cs), equipped with ADF/ABF detectors, EDS and a continuum electron energy loss spectrometer EELS GIF equipped with a Gatan K3 camera, offering an extended range for the interface local electronic investigation (0-4000 eV).

The candidate must hold a PhD in physics or materials science; other fields with experience in nitride materials may be considered. However, skills and extensive practical experience in characterization by transmission electron microscopy are essential.

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Languages FRENCH Level Good

Additional Information

The position is funded for a duration of 9 months and can start on March 1, 2026. The selected candidate will conduct his research at the CIMAP Laboratory of Ensicaen – University of Caen Normandy, under the supervision of Magali Morales, project coordinator for the CIMAP laboratory.

Contact and deadline

Application deadline: February 15, 2026