Senior Electronic and Optical Materials Device Fabrication Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

36d•Hybrid

About The Position

Are you motivated to develop next-generation optical and optoelectronic devices that protect our nation and advance scientific discovery? Do you thrive in a cleanroom setting, working with expert teams to build high precision, multilayer optics and develop groundbreaking electronic materials? If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL. We are seeking a Senior Electronic and Optical Materials Device Fabrication Engineer to help us fabricate world-class micro- and nanoscale devices. The role is predominantly fabrication-focused, with a majority of working hours spent in a cleanroom or laboratory environment, including the cleanroom at JHU-APL in Laurel, MD and other multi-user facilities within a 20 min to 1 hr drive. You will be joining a hardworking team of engineers and scientists who are passionate about developing ground-breaking solutions to solve the nation's critical challenges!

Requirements

Have a Masters degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
Have 7+ years experience working in a microfabrication or nanofabrication cleanroom environment.
Are proficient in multilayer layout design and modification, with expertise in Python scripting for both design automation and data analysis.
Have experience optimizing etch and deposition processes, including thermal evaporation, e-beam, sputtering, PECVD, ICP RIE, and ion mill techniques.
E-beam lithography experience is a requirement for this posting.
Are willing and able to travel locally to shared cleanrooms and laboratory facilities.
Are able to obtain Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain Top Secret level clearance.
Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Have a Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
Have experience using e-beam lithography to pattern meta-optic or integrated photonics devices.
Have experience patterning materials for photonic integrated circuits, adaptive optics, RF, IR, or MEMS devices.
Familiarity with sophisticated characterization tools, including SEM/EDS, XPS, XRD, AFM, ellipsometry, and spectroscopic reflectometry.
Experience working with metaoptic and integrated photonics designers.

Responsibilities

Design and optimize multilayer layouts with Python scripting for layout generation and data analysis.
Develop advanced fabrication recipes for multilayer optics using e-beam lithography and direct-write lithography on various optical substrates.
Build and maintain version-controlled GDS/layout databases with Python-based automation for parametric layout generation, fracturing, and design rule checking, and develop data-analysis pipelines linking design, fabrication, and metrology data for CD, overlay, and yield trends.
Apply AI and machine-learning approaches to improve fabrication processes.
Refine deposition techniques across systems such as e-beam, thermal, and sputter evaporators, PECVD, ALD, and MOCVD to enhance device quality.
Characterize thin films and processes using tools like SEM/EDS, XPS, XRD, AFM, ellipsometry, and film stress analysis to ensure quality and performance.
Execute precision etching processes to meet tight design specifications and tolerances.
Maintain and update process documentation, including runsheets, for accuracy and repeatability.
Collaborate with teams to innovate and improve fabrication workflows.