M2 Internship: Research in Nonlinear Optics Applied to the Characterization of Neuromorphic Electronic Devices - 6 Months

Mines Saint-Etienne is a School of the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT), the leading public group of engineering and management schools in France. IMT is an EPSCP (grand établissement) under the supervision of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.

The École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint-Étienne (Mines Saint-Etienne) is responsible for training, research and innovation, industrial transfer, and scientific, technical, and industrial culture missions.

Mines Saint-Etienne represents: 2,400 engineering students and researchers in training, 480 staff members (150 Researchers and Teacher-Researchers), a consolidated budget of €46 million, 3 campuses dedicated to industry in Saint-Etienne and Lyon (AURA region), to microelectronics and connected objects in Gardanne (Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolis, SUD region), and to health engineering in Saint-Etienne; 6 research units; 5 training and research centers; a leading scientific, technical, and industrial culture center in France, "La Rotonde" (> 50,000 visitors/year).

Scientific Context and Internship Objectives:

Ultra-flexible, conformable, and implantable organic electronic devices incorporating artificial intelligence promise to revolutionize the real-time monitoring and treatment of chronic diseases [1]. Such systems could be based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), utilizing ion-electron mixed conducting polymers (PMIECs) as active layers. Indeed, PMIECs have emerged as an excellent material platform for interfacing biology with conventional electronics; identified as the field of "organic or plastic bioelectronics." The OECT is considered the key element for achieving such an interface [2]. Its efficiency is evaluated using figures of merit (FoMs) such as i) transconductance (gm), and/or ii) switching times (ionic vs. electronic) in the device. Beyond transduction applications, in the short term, the OECT is also interesting for creating emerging applications in bioelectronic neuromorphic circuits [3].

The realization of such circuits is hampered by a lack of understanding and optimization of mixed conduction processes in these polymeric materials; particularly an asymmetry in transistor switching times during doping (i.e., "ON") vs. dedoping (i.e., "OFF") sequences in the OECT channel. In-situ & operando characterization tools that quantify and map electronic and electrochemical transduction parameters within the OECT channel are proving indispensable for understanding the current performance limitations of PMIECs and/or for building optimal PMIECs in such neuromorphic circuits.

In this scientific context, the intern will develop a new nonlinear optical spectroscopy measurement and instrumentation, called time-resolved second-harmonic generation microscopy, to record the spatio-temporal movement of charged species, ions and electrons (or holes), and thus map electronic mobilities in-situ & operando within the OECT channel.

The intern will fabricate these OECT devices in a microelectronics cleanroom, and will benefit from technical support for their realization. They will record and analyze key FoMs using the developed nonlinear optical experimentation and electrical and electrochemical characterizations to establish, more globally, engineering rules for these PMIECs that will serve as an essential knowledge base for the future, for implementing and applying OECT-based neuromorphic circuits, as the first building block of organic electronic artificial intelligence.

To Learn More:

[1] https://iconic.mines-stetienne.fr/

[2] https://doi.org/10.1038/ s43586-021-00065-8

[3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41578-023-00622-5

🎯 What We Expect From You

The candidate should be pursuing a Master 2 degree or a 3rd year engineering degree in Optical and Instrumentation Techniques. The candidate should have a solid background in Physics/Materials Science/(Opto)Electronics through their initial education and/or professional experience.

This M2 Research internship topic is intended to be continued with a doctoral program. Therefore, only a student interested in pursuing a doctorate will be selected for this internship.

🔍 What We Are Looking For

The main evaluation criteria for the candidate will be the following (non-exhaustive list):

• Technical and scientific proficiency in Optics. Previous internship experience in nonlinear optics and/or microscopy, image analysis using scientific cameras will be considered advantageous,

• Proficiency in electronic instrumentation (sCMOS camera, oscilloscope, signal and delay generator, SMU, etc.) and computer-based image analysis (Python, etc.),

• Aptitude for interdisciplinary work and multidisciplinary collaborations.

• Autonomy, initiative,

• Interest in teamwork and the ability to build a research project in this context,

• Proficiency in written and spoken English; quality of oral and written communication.

📩 Apply Now!

·         Application deadline: 12/15/2026

·         Internship duration: 6 months

·         Internship start date: between January 1st and March 1st, 2027

·         Internship location: Gardanne (13) - France

·         Allowance: at the hourly rate of: €4.50 per hour of actual presence

Application Procedures:

Applications must be submitted on the RECRUITEE platform, no later than December 15, 2026 (CV, cover letter):

https://institutminestelecom.recruitee.com/o/stage-recherche-en-optique-non-lineaire-appliquee-a-la-caracterisation-de-dispositifs-electroniques-neuromorphique

The position is open to all, with accommodations available upon request for candidates with disabilities. As part of its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy, Mines Saint Etienne is an employer committed to fair treatment of all applications.

Candidates selected for an interview will be informed as soon as possible. Some of the discussions will be conducted in English.

For more information:

On the content / expectations of the internship, please contact:

Prof. Sébastien Sanaur, Teacher-Researcher

Tel +33 (0)4 42 61 67 48

Email: ———————————————————

For administrative information, please contact:

Servane ARRES - HR Manager

Email:

Useful links:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/

https://www.imt.fr/

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