Senior Foundry Development Engineer
About The Position
AttoTude is a venture-backed startup developing high-speed interconnect links using ASICs over dielectric waveguides. The company works with substrate vendors, foundry partners, and cable and packaging subcontractors to move products from development into manufacturing. The Senior Foundry Development Engineer will own a dielectric waveguide development process, from material selection through process development, and lead the transfer of qualified processes to internal fabs and external foundries. The role works closely with product development, packaging, and foundry-interface teams, combining electrical engineering, surface science, and materials science knowledge with hands-on experimentation. The engineer will develop hypotheses, design and execute experiments, collaborate with fabrication facilities, and turn experimental observations into improvements in performance. The ideal candidate is scientifically curious, analytical, adaptable, self-motivated, and effective in a startup environment. They will develop processes with partners while balancing engineering specifications and business partnership objectives.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Materials Science; a PhD is ideal.
- At least 10 years of hands-on silicon fabrication process engineering experience in a cleanroom environment.
- Demonstrated expertise in semiconductor etching process development and tuning on production-class platforms.
- Working knowledge of etch surface damage mechanisms, their characterization and mitigation, and how sidewall and surface condition affect downstream processing and device performance.
- Familiarity with lithography, wet chemical cleaning, thermal oxidation, and semiconductor cleanliness and contamination control.
- Proficiency with DOE, SPC, and failure analysis methods.
- Clear written communication skills, including the ability to prepare process specifications and technical reports.
- Ability to work independently, own problems through resolution, make data-based decisions, and explain reasoning to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to build productive relationships with external partners while holding them to agreed specifications.
- Comfort working in a small, fast-moving team where priorities shift between development and manufacturing support.
Nice To Haves
- Track record of transferring processes to outside foundries or high-volume fabs, from specification and qualification through ongoing yield support.
- Experience with through-silicon vias (TSVs), silicon interposers, MEMS, or SOI-based structures.
- Exposure to RF, millimeter-wave, or THz devices, including dielectric waveguide structures.
- Familiarity with wafer bonding, thinning, and dicing processes.
Responsibilities
- Develop, optimize, and document RIE, Bosch, and cryogenic semiconductor etch processes for high-aspect-ratio structures, controlling etch rate, mask selectivity, profile angle, sidewall scalloping, uniformity, and aspect-ratio-dependent etching.
- Characterize and mitigate etch-induced surface and subsurface damage, including sidewall roughness, notching and footing at buried layers, fluorocarbon polymer residue, and plasma-induced lattice damage.
- Define post-etch treatments and work with the broader team to verify their effects on downstream metrics.
- Establish metrology and inspection methods, including SEM cross-sections, AFM, profilometry, and optical inspection, and correlate surface condition with electrical and RF test results.
- Identify, evaluate, and develop foundry partners by assessing technical capability, capacity, quality systems, and cost against the product roadmap.
- Build long-term business partnerships with foundries and suppliers, structuring development, qualification, and supply engagements to align technical and commercial objectives.
- Lead process transfers to outside foundries by writing process specifications and travelers, defining acceptance criteria and SPC limits, supporting qualification lots, and resolving yield excursions.
- Serve as the technical point of contact for foundry and equipment partners, review vendor data, assess partner capability, and drive corrective actions.
- Hold regular technical and business reviews with partners to track performance, align roadmaps, and resolve issues before they affect schedules.
- Apply DOE, SPC, FMEA, and structured root cause analysis to process development and sustaining work.
- Maintain process documentation and train colleagues and partner engineers on DRIE best practices.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
