Thin Film Materials Scientist

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research

Geneva, Switzerland

What you'll do

As part of this group, you will join the Surface Coating and Chemistry (SCC) section, which provides CERN-wide expertise and services in wet surface treatments, surface and chemical analysis, and surface coating using physical vapour deposition techniques. In this role, you will contribute to the development of coating systems, thin-film materials and plasma-based surface treatments, with a particular focus on applications related to superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities and adjacent technologies.

Your responsibilities

• Deposit superconductive (thin) films onto various copper substrates (1.3 GHz, 400 MHz, 800 MHz cavities) via HiPIMS.
• Perform plasma-based surface treatment for cleaning and surface passivation/functionalisation.
• Perform in situ plasma diagnostics for process R&D (e.g. mass spectrometry, OES, Langmuir probe).
• Perform materials characterisation and data analysis (e.g. SEM, XRD, XRF, profilometry).
• Investigate the use of a dielectric barrier as a method for suppressing thermoelectric currents.
• Commission and operate a movable cathode sputtering system for 1.3 GHz cavities.
• Contribute to the design of new sputtering systems.
• Prepare coating systems within a cleanroom environment.

Your profile

• Practical laboratory experience in plasma-based thin film deposition, particularly HiPIMS.
• Practical experience working with UHV systems.
• Planning and executing experimental work, troubleshooting equipment or process issues, and analysing characterisation data to support coating development and optimisation.
• Preparing technical procedures, documenting experimental methods and results, and contributing to safe, reproducible laboratory practices.
• Working in a dynamic technical environment.
• Participating in technical meetings, seminars, and project discussions, sharing findings and communicating technical information within and outside the organisation.
• Using plasma diagnostic techniques in the context of thin film fabrication would be an advantage.
• Experience working in a cleanroom would be an advantage.
• Experience performing Rietveld refinement would be an advantage.
• Your studies focused on Materials Science or related fields.

Your skills

• Understanding the mechanisms behind plasma-based thin film deposition techniques particularly HiPIMS and film characterisation techniques, particularly X-ray diffraction analysis.
• Knowledge of diagnostic techniques in the context of thin film fabrication.
• Knowledge in plasma-based surface treatment methods, including cleaning, passivation, and functionalisation.
• Analyse characterisation data and apply results to coating development and optimisation.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments independently.
• Good communication skills with the ability to share technical information in meetings, seminars and conferences.
• Be confident working independently.
• Be open to learning new techniques.
• Spoken and written English or French, with a commitment to learn the basics of the other language.