We are seeking a highly motivated R&D Engineer / Scientist to join our advanced materials development team. This position will focus on the research, development, and optimization of material growth, surface planarization, polishing, metallization, and electroplating processes for next-generation thermal management and semiconductor applications.
The ideal candidate will have a strong experimental background in materials processing and hands-on experience developing and optimizing fabrication processes. This role is well suited for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of materials science, semiconductor processing, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering.
Key Responsibilities
- Research and develop advanced material growth and deposition processes.
- Develop and optimize surface planarization, polishing, lapping, and CMP-related processes.
- Develop metal electroplating and metallization processes, including metals such as Cu, Ni, Au, Al or related materials.
- Investigate surface preparation, adhesion, interface quality, roughness, and material compatibility.
- Design experiments to understand the relationship between process parameters, material properties, microstructure, and device performance.
- Develop repeatable manufacturing processes and transition successful R&D processes toward pilot-scale production.
- Characterize materials and surfaces using techniques such as SEM, optical microscopy, profilometry, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, or related methods.
- Perform root-cause analysis and troubleshoot material, process, and equipment-related issues.
- Design and execute DOE-based experiments for process optimization.
- Document experimental procedures, results, and process specifications.
- Work closely with engineering and manufacturing teams to integrate newly developed processes into products and prototypes.
- Identify and evaluate new materials, chemistries, equipment, and processing techniques.
- Work directly with external vendors and research partners when necessary.
Required Qualifications
- PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Strong hands-on experimental and laboratory experience.
- Experience with at least one or more of the following:
- Materials growth or deposition
- Semiconductor or microfabrication processes
- CMP, polishing, lapping, or surface planarization
- Metal electroplating or electrodeposition
- Thin-film metallization
- Surface preparation and surface engineering
- Strong understanding of materials properties, interfaces, surface science, and process–structure–property relationships.
- Ability to independently design experiments, analyze data, troubleshoot problems, and develop new processes.
- Strong technical documentation and communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with semiconductor, ceramic, metal, or composite materials.
- Experience developing processes involving silicon, copper, nickel, gold, or other semiconductor-related materials.
- Experience with electrochemical deposition and electroplating bath development.
- Experience with CMP slurry development, polishing pads, surface finishing, or wafer planarization.
- Familiarity with wafer-level or panel-level semiconductor manufacturing.
- Experience with cleanroom processing and semiconductor fabrication equipment.
- Knowledge of adhesion, bonding, surface activation, wetting, and interface engineering.
- Experience with DOE, statistical process control, and process optimization.
- Experience transitioning a laboratory process into a repeatable manufacturing process.
What We Are Looking For
We are particularly interested in candidates who are hands-on experimentalists and enjoy building processes from the ground up. The successful candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-paced R&D environment where processes may need to be designed, tested, characterized, modified, and scaled rapidly.
This is an opportunity to work on advanced materials technologies with applications in high-performance computing, AI hardware, semiconductor packaging, and thermal management.
Pay: $140,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
