Senior Materials and Surface Science Engineer

You will work across design, process, and test to analyze, diagnose, and improve material interfaces, thin films, and surface interactions that directly affect device behavior, reliability, and yield.

• Investigate how surface chemistry and material interfaces in silicon-based photonic and MEMS material systems impact performance
• Analyze effects of etching, deposition, oxidation, and plasma processes on surface states, morphology, and optical mechanisms
• Partner with design and process teams to translate material-level insights into improved device performance and manufacturability
• Lead investigations connecting fabrication outcomes to device-level optical and mechanical performance
• Design and interpret experiments involving thin films, interfaces, and surface treatments (e.g., passivation, cleaning, annealing)
• Collaborate with fabrication partners on process evaluation and optimization
• Utilize and guide characterization efforts using techniques such as SEM, TEM, AFM, XPS, ellipsometry, SIMS, etc.
• Develop models or frameworks that connect process to material properties and optical outcomes
• PhD in Materials Science, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 7 - 15+ years of experience in semiconductor, photonics, or adjacent advanced materials environments
• Deep understanding of surface chemistry and interface physics in semiconductor systems
• Expertise in dielectric and semiconductor thin films and metallization.
• Strong knowledge of plasma processes, etching, deposition, oxidation, and their impact on materials
• Strong intuition for how material properties affect optical phenomena
• Experience working in or closely with semiconductor fabs / foundries
• Hands-on experience with failure analysis and materials characterization techniques
• Direct experience with silicon photonics or optical devices
• Familiarity with waveguides, optical interfaces, or photonic integration
• Experience in MEMS fabrication or integration
• Background in process development or integration engineering
• Exposure to modeling optical-material interactions