Materials R&D Engineer

About The Role:

We are seeking an enthusiastic and driven process engineer to support the development and integration of materials into market-defining commercial devices. In this role you will leverage your hands-on experience with thin-film deposition, etching, and other vacuum processing techniques using both commercial and custom, purpose-built tools. At the same time, you will apply your first-principles understanding of materials science and process-structure-property relationships to engineer multilayer thin-film coatings for high-performance microsystems. You will champion rigorous materials characterization practices and the adoption of new metrology techniques, all toward closed-loop learning and process monitoring. The ideal candidate has familiarity with magnetron sputtering and vacuum systems and is eager to learn and deepen their skill set in these areas. You will contribute to developing multi-step, thin-film processes, refining and optimizing, and then training technicians to run those processes. You will play a critical role in translating processes from the prototyping fab to our digital, autonomous manufacturing platform at scale. 

This position is full-time and is located in our Emeryville location, reporting to the Director of Process Engineering.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop, implement, and refine thin-film processes to prototype and manufacture novel microsystems and their packaging.  
• Execute experiments to map processing-structure-property relationships for thin-film material systems with a focus on metals and ceramics.
• Operate a range of advanced vacuum processes, including but not limited to plasma etching, co-sputtering, reactive sputtering, evaporation, and rapid thermal annealing.
• Apply advanced bulk and surface characterization techniques to evaluate materials and monitor process outputs (e.g., SEM, EDS, EBSD, XRF, AFM, profilometry).
• Perform material property tests to evaluate the mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and thermal performance of thin films and interfaces.
• Analyze, summarize, document, and report out developed procedures, experimental data, and key findings.
• Participate in process development and automation activities to inform system requirements for custom-built manufacturing tools.
• Communicate and work cross-functionally to integrate newly developed processes into high-mix, high-volume fabrication workflows.

What You’ll Need:

• Disciplines of study preferred: Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Experience developing and optimizing thin-film material processes for commercial applications.
• Hands-on lab experience operating thin-film processing equipment, especially plasma sputtering and plasma etching.
• Ability to set up and execute a design of experiments (DOE) to identify key factors influencing thin-film characteristics.
• Working knowledge of vacuum systems and vacuum technology.
• Experience using materials characterization techniques, such as SEM, EDS, EBSD, XRF, XPS, XRD, TEM.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams, including technicians and operators.
• Experience with broader microfabrication techniques is preferred (e.g., laser micromachining, electrochemical, lithography).
• Experience with CAD software for 2D layouts is preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree, 2+ years of work experience.