Researcher Sustainable Microelectronics&Circular Electronics

Offer Description

This position is part of the LabEx Microelectronics initiative at the University of Grenoble Alpes (UGA), a center of excellence that brings together 12 laboratories (including one international laboratory) to address the technological, industrial, and environmental challenges of the next semiconductor revolution. Among other goals, this project aims to develop innovative solutions in micro- and nanoelectronics, with a particular focus on sustainability and circular electronics.

As part of this LabEx Microelectronics project, you will join a team comprising the TIMA (secure design and PUFs), CEA-Leti (FPGA/ASIC prototyping and reliability), and UCLouvain (aging modeling and economic models) to develop lightweight authentication and traceability mechanisms, enabling the reuse of integrated circuits within a circular electronics framework.

Activities

Lightweight Hardware Authentication and Traceability

• Design of lightweight hardware authentication primitives (PUFs, embedded sensors)
• Evaluation of robustness, uniqueness, reliability, and sensitivity to aging
• Modeling of aging mechanisms (BTI, HCI, etc.)
• Experimental validation on FPGAs and/or ASICs with accelerated aging campaigns
• Analysis of trade‑offs between security, surface area, power consumption, and cost
• Requalification, reconfiguration, and business models

Study of realistic second‑life scenarios for integrated circuits

• Analysis of economic barriers and incentives for manufacturers
• Identification of pragmatic models promoting the adoption of multi‑life electronics
• Frugal software, modularity, and obsolescence

Analysis of software obsolescence as an obstacle to circular electronics

• Definition of frugal software principles compatible with degraded performance
• Multi‑level approach combining multi‑life hardware design and long‑term software support

Publication of research articles related to these activities

• Integrated circuit design and hardware security
• Aging and reliability modeling
• FPGA prototyping and/or ASIC design
• Security analysis, traceability, and sustainability issues

Required Qualifications

• Required degree: Ph.D.