Participating Lab: Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (AFRL RX)

Cleanroom Device Engineering Intern

Research Opportunity Location:
WPAFB, OH

Research Opportunity Description:
The successful cleanroom device engineering intern will contribute to the fabrication of electronic devices in a cleanroom environment by developing and maturing processes for thin film growth, etching, and/or lithography. Additional opportunities will be available to perform materials characterization and electronic measurements.

Advanced Crystal Growth and Characterization of Complex Oxide and Nitride Materials for Next Generation Frequency Agile RF Devices

Research Opportunity Location:
WPAFB, OH

Research Opportunity Description:
The Agile Electronic Materials & Processing Group in the US Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate (RX) is seeking a highly motivated researcher to investigate high power, high frequency, and reconfigurable RF materials for advanced aerospace applications. The team focuses on crystal growth, characterization, and multiferroic materials physics, including magnetic, ferroelectric, and strongly correlated systems, aiming to enable next generation reconfigurable RF device technologies. Research priorities include advancing in house crystal growth capabilities for complex oxide and nitride based materials, and developing novel materials for reconfigurable RF devices. Target materials include magnetic compounds such as Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) and Barium Ferrite; ferroelectric systems such as Barium Titanate (BTO) and Aluminum Scandium Nitride (AlScN); and Mott insulators such as Samarium Nickel Oxide (SmNiO₃). The research will emphasize optimizing crystal growth conditions combined with detailed structural, electrical, magnetic, and thermal characterization. Facilities include Liquid Phase Epitaxy, Pulsed Laser Deposition, RF Sputtering with Pulsed DC and HiPIMS, XRD, FMR, BLS, MOKE, a PPMS system, an MPMS SQUID system, and access to a wide range of shared materials analysis tools, as well as a clean room.

Design for Manufacturing using Machine Learning

Research Opportunity Location:
WPAFB, OH

Research Opportunity Description:
Recent advances in machine learning (ML) have shown great promise for improving automated mechanical design techniques such as topology optimization, usually by demonstrating improved computational efficiency or superior mechanical performance. However, such research often focuses on design novelty and performance, while treating manufacturability as a secondary rather than coequal consideration. This helps perpetuate the proverbial wall between mechanical designers and manufacturing engineers. The present research opportunity will investigate how ML-guided design optimization can best incorporate manufacturability. Cutting-edge ML approaches including generative modeling will be studied through training, evaluation, and comparison efforts. Experience writing Python code and at least some past exposure to modern ML techniques will facilitate timely onboarding, efficient progress, and demonstrable results by the end of the effort.