The Department of Physics at the University of Liverpool is one of the worldwide construction sites for the upgrade of the Inner Tracker (ITk) for the high-luminosity upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at CERN¿s Large Hadron Collider. The ITk upgrade is a new detector for measuring the momentum and origin of charged particles emanating from the proton-proton collisions in the centre of the experiment.

You will be based in the Liverpool Semi-conductor Detector Centre cleanroom complex within the Department of Physics at Liverpool. You will join a team of 15 physicists and engineers working together on the manufacture and quality-control testing of silicon detectors for the endcap pixel tracker and the barrel strip tracker. You will participate in the gluing of components to form modules and be required to follow written instructions reliably and to enter data into the construction database. You will then be responsible for making the electrical connections between the readout chips and detectors using ultrasonic-wedge wire-bonding on state-of-the-art machines. You will check the quality of wire-bonding through optical inspection and wire-pull tests using industry-standard equipment. You will have to monitor and report yields, machine problems and the usage of consumables. You will be expected to attend technical meetings at Liverpool and occasionally off-site as the project proceeds.

This role requires the highest standard of cleanroom working disciplines to be applied. You will be required to work from formal engineering drawings and specifications. Good sensory and physical co-ordination is essential given the small scale and delicate nature of the detectors. Past experience of working in a clean room environment and on wire-bonding are highly desirable. You will have good communication skills and the ability to instruct others (e.g. students) in the production procedures.

This post coincides with the production phase of the ATLAS ITk upgrade. Subject to funding availability, there could be future possibilities of employment within the Department on other projects requiring similar skills and experience.

You should be educated to higher BTEC or degree level in Electrical Engineering (or have equivalent professional experience). You will be required to work from formal engineering drawings and specifications. Good sensory and physical co-ordination is essential given the small scale and delicate nature of the detectors. You will have good communication skills and the ability to instruct others (e.g. students) in the production procedures.

The ATLAS Upgrade project at Liverpool is led by Dr Helen Hayward. Her team comprises about 15 physicists, engineers and technicians working on a programme to replace the charged particle tracker of the ATLAS experiment by 2027. The new detector will allow ATLAS to continue taking physics data until the late-2030¿s securing future physics output and leadership for Liverpools academics and research students. The team will assemble silicon detector modules and mechanical support structures for the barrel strip and endcap pixel tracking systems. The Liverpool groups contribution is the largest within the UK with several staff occupying major positions of leadership and responsibility. The project will culminate in the delivery of a completely assembled and tested pixel endcap tracking system to CERN by 2026.

Subject to funding availability, there could be future possibilities of employment within the Department on other projects requiring similar skills and experience.

This post is available on a fixed term basis until 31 March 2026 

More information: Job Specification (corehr.com)