Astera
Nanoelectronics & Device-Physics Engineer
About this role
Astera Institute seeks a nanoelectronics engineer to design and characterize an electrostatic nanoscale actuator, including its drive stack, field-effect position sensor, and full device integration. You'll direct cleanroom fabrication and conduct electrical and mechanical characterization to enable precise control of DNA-origami-based mechanisms.
What you'll do
- Design electrostatic drive stack (patterned electrode, high-k dielectric, compliant polymer) to achieve ~10 nm displacement and ~100 pN force at low voltage
- Design and develop field-effect sensor for electrical position readout with low-noise performance for nanometer-scale motion resolution
- Define complete device stack architecture and direct fabrication at cleanroom partners, including electron-beam lithography processes
- Perform electrical and mechanical characterization: voltage–displacement response, reversibility, hysteresis, and force measurement via AFM
- Validate dielectric long-term reliability under repeated actuation cycles
- Ensure measurement toolchain resolution matches device requirements
What they're looking for
- Semiconductor device physics and design
- High-k dielectrics and thin-film stack engineering
- FET and biosensor charge sensing
- Low-noise electrical measurement techniques
- Electron-beam lithography and cleanroom processes
- Nanoscale electromechanical characterization
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM)
- Cross-functional collaboration with molecular and controls teams
Benefits
- Competitive compensation commensurate with experience and Bay Area location
- Comprehensive benefits package (see benefits summary)
- On-site work at Emeryville headquarters with occasional travel
- High-impact research environment focused on scientific advancement
- Access to cutting-edge tools and AI-driven work infrastructure
- Collaborative startup-like culture within a mission-driven foundation
Opens the application — the Jobs AI extension fills it for you. Set up autofill
Opens the official application on the employer’s site. No login required.
Astera
Astera builds advanced infrastructure for large-scale distributed simulations, neuroscience research tools, and knowledge-sharing platforms aimed at accelerating scientific discovery. The company is hiring software engineers, ML researchers, and scientist-engineers to develop high-performance systems, specialized neuroscience instrumentation, and data-efficient machine learning approaches.
View all jobs at AsteraLikely interview questions
- Describe your experience designing and characterizing high-k dielectric stacks. What challenges did you encounter with reliability or performance?
- Walk us through a time you directed or managed a cleanroom fabrication process—what was your role in ensuring the design translated accurately?