PHD Position Design and Fabrication
of Modular Actuator-Sensor Units for Over-Actuation (Delft, NL, 2628 CD) Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Design Posted on Sep 3, 2026
Design and fabrication of modular actuator-sensor units for over-actuation Job description
As chip demand grows and traditional scaling slows down, manufacturers need faster, more precise machines. However, unwanted vibrations in high-speed systems limit how quickly and accurately chips can be made. Current solutions can't handle these complex vibrations. ETCH develops a new approach called over-actuation: placing many tiny sensors and actuators inside machine parts to control vibrations exactly where they happen. This PhD position will be developing methods for design and fabrication of modular actuator-sensor units, including shaping of the transducers, interfacing to the target system, embedding of the drive and sense solutions and connections into communication topologies for control. Job requirements
A suitable candidate is strongly motivated about the research content and has a suitable preparation to conduct research that consists of both theoretical and experimental tasks:
- Strong interest and curiosity in:
- a) Piezoelectric actuators and sensors;
- b) Precision manufacturing processes;
- c) Mechanical interfacing of structures;
- d) System design and embedded circuits;
- MSc (or equivalent) degree in an *engineering* or *natural sciences* discipline:
Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Applied Physics, or similar;
- Experience in *one* (or more) of the following fields:
- a) Piezoelectric actuators and sensors: design, manufacturing and experimental evaluation of piezoelectric-enabled sensing and/or actuation systems;
- b) Precision manufacturing methods: micromachining methods, subractive manufacturing methods, multi-material additive manufacturing, or similar;
- c) Physics of materials adhesion...