Nanoelectronics & Device-Physics Engineer
Astera Institute, Emeryville HQ
The role
The Astera Institute is seeking a Nanoelectronics & Device-Physics Engineer to design the electrostatic drive and the field-effect position sensor for a nanoscale actuator, and own its fabrication process and electrical characterization. This position reports to Dr. Jeremy Barton (Astera Institute Resident, Project Lead). This is a full-time position.
What you will do
- Design the electrostatic drive stack – the patterned electrode, insulating (high-k) dielectric, and compliant polymer that deflect the charged DNA-origami plate — to targets of roughly 10 nm of plate displacement and about 100 pN of force at low drive voltage, and validate the dielectric's long-term reliability.
- Design a field-effect (FET) sensor that reads the mechanism's position electrically, including the low-noise readout needed to resolve nanometer-scale motion for closed-loop control.