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# Postdoctoral Appointee - Superconducting Single-Photon Devices for Quantum Information Science

- **Company:** Argonne National Laboratory
- **Location:** Lemont, IL, United States
- **Salary:** $72,879.0 - $121,465.0
- **Contract:** Temporary contract
- **Skills:** Data Analysis, Multiplexing, Python (Programming Language), Hfss, Ansys
- **Published:** September 22, 2026
- **Apply:** https://argonne.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Argonne_Careers/job/Lemont-IL-USA/Postdoctoral-Appointee---Superconducting-Single-Photon-Devices-for-Quantum-Information-Science_423429

## About the Role

* Recent or soon-to-be-completed PhD (within the last 0-5 years) in field of physics, electrical engineering, materials science, or a related field
 * Demonstrated experience with superconducting devices or related quantum or low-temperature technologies, particularly in device design, fabrication, and/or measurement
 * Proficiency in low-noise cryogenic measurement techniques spanning millikelvin to few-kelvin temperatures
 * Ability to model Argonne's core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity, and teamwork

Preferred Qualifications

 * Experience with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), transition-edge sensors (TESs), or kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs)
 * Experience with cleanroom microfabrication processes, including thin-film deposition (e.g., magnetron sputtering), electron-beam or optical lithography, and dry/wet etching

 * Familiarity with microwave resonator design, characterization, and RF/microwave measurement techniques
 * Experience with electromagnetic simulation tools such as Sonnet, Ansys HFSS, Lumerical, or similar platforms

 * Experience with data acquisition, instrument control, and data analysis in Python or similar languages
 * Knowledge of quantum optics measurements such as photon correlation functions or photon-number-resolved detection
 * Familiarity with aspects of condensed matter and BCS superconductivity theory applicable to high kinetic inductance superconducting materials

## Description

* Design and fabricate superconducting devices that leverage the nonlinear kinetic inductance of thin superconducting films, including microwave resonators for frequency-domain multiplexed readout of single-photon detectors using kinetic inductance current sensors
 * Develop and characterize superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) using high kinetic inductance materials such as NbN, TiN, and NbTiN, with the goal of achieving high detection efficiency from visible to telecom wavelengths
 * Implement and evaluate scalable readout architectures for nanowire arrays, including multiplexing approaches based on superconducting cryogenic switches such as hTron and fTron
 * Perform low-noise cryogenic measurements to assess device performance, including timing jitter, dark count rate, detection efficiency, and resonator quality factors
 * Rapidly refine fabrication processes and readout circuit designs based on device characterization results and electromagnetic simulations
 * Contribute to the development of integrated instrument systems for the characterization of solid-state single-photon emitters, including photon correlation and spectroscopy measurements

About the Team

You will become part of a highly collaborative team of physicists and engineers from Argonne's High Energy Physics (HEP), X-ray Science (XSD), and Materials Science (MSD) divisions. Together, the team brings expertise in:

 * Superconducting detector arrays
 * Thin-film materials development
 * Nanofabrication
 * Cryogenic instrumentation
 * Quantum communications
 * Solid-state quantum emitter systems

This project benefits from Argonne's world-class research infrastructure, including:

 * Dilution refrigerators
 * Adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators
 * Low-noise DC and RF measurement systems
 * Advanced cleanroom fabrication facilities, including the Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)

Why Join Argonne

This is an opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of superconducting devices, quantum photonics, and advanced instrumentation. You will work in a collaborative national laboratory environment with access to exceptional facilities, expert colleagues, and the chance to help shape technologies with broad relevance to future quantum systems.


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