MEMS Semiconductor & Assembly Process Engineer

Seek Thermal, Inc • Goleta, CA

9h • $105,000 - $145,000

About The Position

The MEMS Semiconductor and Assembly Process Engineer is responsible for MEMS sensor dies from wafer fabrication through wafer-level packaging and testing. This fab-less role works with multiple external suppliers and covers front-end MEMS processes—including thin-film deposition, lithography, metallization, etch, and release—as well as back-end assembly processes such as wafer-level hermetic vacuum sealing and bonding, wafer probing, dicing, die attach, and wire bonding. The engineer works with suppliers to sustain and improve production yield, develop processes and tools, and qualify them for manufacturing. The position supports Production and Engineering and operates in both cleanroom and non-cleanroom manufacturing environments. The role reports directly to the Wafer Management Director.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of hands-on process engineering experience in MEMS or a semiconductor wafer fab.
• At least 2 years of experience covering assembly or packaging, such as wafer bonding, die attach, wire bonding, or hermetic sealing.
• Working knowledge of thin-film and etch processes and their interaction with downstream packaging, including stress, outgassing, and surface preparation for bonding.
• Demonstrated use of DOE, SPC, and FMEA in a production environment.
• Comfort working in a cleanroom where gowning is required, and ability to read and act on metrology and failure-analysis data.
• Clear written and verbal communication with suppliers, vendors, operators, and cross-functional engineers.
• Occasional travel to suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• U.S. Person status as defined by ITAR, if required by the product line.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• Experience with microbolometers or other vacuum-packaged MEMS infrared sensors.
• Wafer-level packaging experience.
• Knowledge of and experience with anti-reflective coatings.
• Wafer defect identification and corrective action to improve yield.
• Familiarity with MEMS reliability test methods.
• Experience managing external foundry and supplier relationships.
• Python or LabVIEW scripting for data handling.
• ISO 9001 quality-system experience.

Responsibilities

• Own and sustain MEMS fabrication processes, including PECVD and sputter deposition, photolithography, DRIE and wet etch, and sacrificial release, to meet yield, Cpk, and cost targets.
• Develop and qualify assembly and packaging processes, including wafer-to-wafer bonding, getter activation and vacuum sealing, dicing, die attach, and wire bonding.
• Characterize bond interfaces and package hermeticity using SAM, IR microscopy, SEM/FIB cross-sections, and long-term vacuum-integrity monitoring.
• Design and run DOEs; use SPC and statistical analysis with JMP and Python to identify yield-loss drivers and drive corrective and preventive actions.
• Manage outsourced process steps at external suppliers by defining specifications, reviewing vendor data, running qualification lots, and dispositioning non-conforming material.
• Perform root-cause failure analysis and drive containment and permanent fixes through the MRB/CCB process.
• Partner with device design, test, reliability, quality, and engineering functions on new-product introduction and design-for-manufacturability reviews.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level