Wafer Fab Technician – Photolithography & Wet Etch

Semtech•City of Industry, CA

2d•$25 - $36•Onsite

About The Position

The Wafer Fab Process Technician serves as a production and technical lead supporting daily volume wafer-fabrication schedules and process stability, recipe control, and yield across InP photonic device lines, including InP Buried Heterostructure (BH) DFB lasers and BH Gain Chips (GC). Most hands-on work is in photolithography, operating coat/develop track systems, steppers/scanners, and lithography metrology. The role also owns wet etch steps, including stripe and Mesa etch, that support MOCVD epitaxial regrowth of InP current-blocking layers used to form buried heterostructures. Working with minimal supervision in a III-V cleanroom, the technician supports fab throughput, investigates process excursions, maintains Process-of-Record (POR) discipline, and mentors junior technicians and operators to enable reliable, high-yield, high-volume manufacturing. The role may require flexibility to support engineering runs or excursions outside standard shift hours. The stated pay range is $25–$36; the posting does not specify the pay period.

Requirements

Associate degree in electronics, chemistry, materials science, or a related technical field; equivalent experience is considered. The degree is described as preferred.
5–10 years of experience in semiconductor or photonics wafer processing, with direct III-V/InP process experience.
Strong working knowledge of photolithography, including coat/develop tracks, expose/align, CD and overlay control, wet etch, and in-line fab processes.
Hands-on proficiency operating lithography and metrology tools, including CD-SEM, overlay, defect inspection, and profilometry, in volume production.
Working knowledge of wet etch chemistries, selectivity, and etch-profile control for III-V semiconductors and dielectric masks.
Ability to independently lead complex process troubleshooting and root-cause investigations.
Demonstrated ability to sustain lot throughput and cycle-time targets in a high-volume photolithography production bay.
Strong ownership mentality and independent judgment.
Effective communication with operators, technicians, and process engineers.
Ability to mentor and train junior staff.
Ability to work in a cleanroom for extended periods across multiple process bays, including sustained time in photolithography.
Ability to work around chemicals, including acids and solvents, while following proper safety procedures.

Nice To Haves

Direct, hands-on experience operating photolithography track systems and steppers/scanners in a high-volume production environment.
Hands-on wet etch and wet bench experience on III-V materials such as InP or InGaAsP.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary production technician for photolithography, executing coat, expose/align, develop, and descum steps to keep InP BH DFB laser and BH GC lots moving on schedule.
Operate and monitor lithography track systems and steppers/scanners; maintain critical dimension (CD), overlay, and film thickness within specifications.
Execute stripe and Mesa wet etch steps supporting MOCVD regrowth; control etch time, temperature, and chemistry to meet mesa profile, undercut, and etch-depth targets.
Perform wet bench operations, including dielectric mask removal, resist strip, and pre-regrowth surface cleans; maintain chemistry through bath changes, concentration checks, and etch-rate monitoring.
Prioritize and sequence hot lots, engineering wafers, and production lots to support tool utilization and throughput targets.
Perform in-line CD, overlay, etch-depth, and defect inspections, and first-wafer/first-lot qualification checks before releasing lots downstream.
Troubleshoot routine lithography tool, wet bench, and process issues to reduce downtime and protect production schedules.
Lead root-cause investigations into process excursions and drift, including lithography CD shifts, resist adhesion or defectivity, wet etch-rate drift, and mesa profile or undercut variation.
Design and run targeted process checks, short-loop wafers, and engineering splits to isolate root causes.
Partner with Process Engineering to design and verify corrective actions.
Own SPC control charts and control-limit reviews for assigned processes, including lithography CD and overlay and wet etch rate and depth metrics.
Maintain process recipes and POR documentation, especially lithography track and expose recipes and wet etch procedures.
Evaluate and implement engineering-approved recipe changes and verify process stability afterward.
Support qualification of new or modified process steps.
Support DOEs, process qualifications, and NPI process runs.
Train and mentor operators in photolithography and wet etch operations, chemical handling, process-control methods, and troubleshooting.
Work in a cleanroom across multiple process bays, including sustained time in the photolithography bay, and work around acids and solvents using proper safety procedures.