PhD Position Broadband Semiconductor Photodetectors for Spectropolarimetric Imaging

Location: Delft, Netherlands; relocation to the Netherlands may be required.

Salary: €3,204–€4,051 gross per month, increasing from the first to the fourth year.

Company

hirify.global is an international technical university conducting education and research across engineering, technology, mathematics, and computer science.

What you will do

• Translate system requirements for compact spectropolarimetric cameras into semiconductor detector specifications.
• Design and model broadband photodetector structures covering the visible and short-wave infrared ranges.
• Develop CMOS-compatible fabrication and integration routes and fabricate experimental devices.
• Characterise spectral responsivity, quantum efficiency, dark current, noise, linearity, uniformity, and stability.
• Investigate photonic-crystal filter integration, alignment tolerances, optical crosstalk, electrical crosstalk, and calibration.
• Demonstrate and quantitatively benchmark a detector or detector array for space-based Earth observation.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering, microelectronics, applied physics, photonics, materials science, nanotechnology, or a related discipline.
• Strong foundation in semiconductor device physics, particularly photodetectors or image sensors.
• Experience with semiconductor processing, cleanroom fabrication, device modelling or TCAD, electrical characterisation, or optical detector characterisation.
• Ability to analyse experimental data and use Python, MATLAB, COMSOL, or equivalent scientific programming and simulation tools.
• Ability to plan experiments systematically, quantify uncertainty, and document results reproducibly.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

Nice to have

• Experience measuring spectral responsivity, quantum efficiency, dark current, or noise.
• Experience collaborating across device, optics, and system disciplines.

Culture & Benefits

• Four-year doctoral employment period in principle, structured as an initial 1.5-year contract and a subsequent 2.5-year contract subject to progress and performance.
• Enrollment in the hirify.global Graduate School and participation in a doctoral education programme.
• 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Customisable compensation package, health-insurance discounts, and a monthly work-cost contribution.
• Flexible work schedules and support for relocation and settling in the Netherlands.
• Access to international research collaboration with SRON and INTERPRETER project partners.

Hiring process

• Submit a CV, motivational letter, academic transcripts, and thesis or writing sample by 1 September 2026.
• A knowledge-security risk assessment is conducted during the final stages of recruitment.