KTH in Stockholm is the largest and oldest technical university in Sweden. More than one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education capacity at university level is provided by KTH. Education and research spans from natural sciences to all branches of engineering and includes architecture, industrial management and urban planning. There are a total of over 15,000 first and second level students and more than 1,600 doctoral students. KTH has almost 4,300 employees.
The school of Information and Communication Technology, ICT, conducts research and education at leading international level in material physics, photonics/optics, electronic systems, integrated devices and circuits, as well as communication systems. Our research activity encompasses both basic and applied level. We offer a wide spectrum of educational programs at undergraduate, masters and doctoral level. The ICT School fosters close collaboration with Swedish and international companies and research institutes as well as surrounding associations such as Kista Science City.
The research unit Photonics under ICT carries out researches on both active and passive photonic devices, including integrated waveguides, semiconductor lasers, high-speed modulators, light absorbers etc., for information transfer, sensing, photovoltaic, and other interdisciplinary applications. The unit has also an ambition for bringing photonics and electronics together to meet future high-capacity network requirements.
Description
We are looking for a PhD student to work in the area of nanostructured plasmonic surfaces for advanced light manipulation.
Metals make perfect household mirrors since early human civilization. Soon people realized that a structured metal surface can do more to an incident light apart from just total reflection. In 1888, Heinrich Hertz demonstrated that a film made of parallel metallic wires, a device which is now known as a Hertz polarizer, is able to reflect only one linear polarization state of the incoming electromagnetic wave while letting the other pass through. The advent of nanofabrication technology now allows us to take a bold re-examination of what is possible with nanostructured metal surfaces. These surfaces are sometimes referred to as metamaterial surfaces or simply meta-surfaces.
The student will perform extensive numerical simulations to design and optimize metallic nanostructures for achieving a desired function. The metal concerned will be primarily gold or silver. Nano-fabrication facilities located in the Electrum Laboratory will be used to fabricate the samples, either by the student him-/herself or through collaboration with another group member. The student will also be involved in characterization of the fabricated samples, as well as in the setup of new systems for making measurements.
Among all possible applications, meta-surfaces can be used to efficiently absorb light at visible and near-infrared wavelength regions owing to the lossy nature of metals. This has a broad range of potential applications. One immediate application is in solar-energy harvesting. The candidate is highly encouraged to carry out further exploration towards final application prototypes.
Study can also be broadened to interaction between meta-surfaces and other types of light sources, rather than a plane-wave incidence. One example is to examine possible modification in emission of a point source (quantum dots) embedded in or adjacent to a meta-surface.
Qualifications
The applicant should have a master degree in a related area. He or she should have basic background knowledge about optics, Maxwell equations, and key photonic devices. Experience in plasmonics, numerical simulation, nanofabrication, or optical characterization will be an advantage.
The applicant must be strongly motivated, able to work independently and perform critical thinking and analysis. The applicant must have a good command of English, in writing and speaking, so that he/she is able to present research results.
Employment
Form of employment: Time limited, following the recommendations for PhD program employment in the Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen)
Start: According to the agreement, but preferably the 1st of September 2012
The salary: Follows "KTH:s student salary agreement”
Application
The application should include the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae
- University grade transcripts
- Master thesis report (full text or a downloadable link) and other publications (in reference form, i.e. no full text needed), if applicable
- Brief description of your motivation for pursuing a doctoral degree in photonics
- Description about a past project/task which you are most proud of or a hobby which you think you can do better than an average player. Explain what helped to the achievement.
- Name and contact information (email and phone number) of two referees
Please observe that all the documents above should be in English, except documents which are originally in Swedish. The documents shall be sent as PDF attachments if the application is sent in electronically. Please do not send any compressed files.
Deadline for application is 2012-03-17
Please refer to the reference number I-2012-0006 in the subject line of your application.
Applications via e-mail are to be sent to registrator@ict.kth.se .
We also accept applications via ordinary post sent to:
KTH – ICT, Registrator
Forum 105
S-164 40 Kista, Sweden
Contact(s)
For enquiries about Ph.D. studies and employment conditions please contact:
Gun Hjertsson
Phone: +46 (0)8 790 4411
Email: gun@kth.se
For enquiries about the project please contact:
Min Yan, Assistant Professor
Phone: +46 (0) 8 790 4064
Email: miya@kth.se
Union representative:
Lars Abrahamsson, SACO
Phone: +46 (0)8 790 7058
Email: lars.abrahamsson@ee.kth.se