Nanofabrication engineer

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Nanofabrication engineer

  • Santa Barbara, CA, US

  • Emp Type: Full time / Direct Hire

Industry: NANOTECHNOLOGY

Salary: 120,000 - 160,000 Annual

3 days ago

About the Role

We are seeking a Nanofabrication Engineer to join our team and work on the development and production of advanced photonic integrated circuits (PICs). This role will be based in a leading university cleanroom facility and will focus on process development, optimization, and manufacturing of next-generation photonic devices using emerging material platforms.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on cleanroom fabrication experience and a strong background in nanofabrication, photonics, semiconductor processing, or related fields. Candidates with deep expertise in specific fabrication areas and a willingness to expand their skill set are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

  • Develop, optimize, and maintain fabrication processes for advanced photonic integrated circuits.

  • Implement and improve nanofabrication techniques to support both research and production goals.

  • Ensure high-quality, repeatable fabrication results through strong process control and yield improvement.

  • Perform process characterization, troubleshooting, and statistical analysis.

  • Collaborate with engineering and R&D teams to align fabrication processes with device requirements and customer needs.

  • Support continuous improvement of wafer-scale manufacturing processes.

Required Qualifications

  • 4+ years of hands-on fabrication experience in a semiconductor or nanofabrication cleanroom environment.

  • Ph.D. in Physics, Optics, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, or related field, or an MS in physical sciences with significant cleanroom fabrication experience.

  • Experience with nanofabrication processes including:

    • Lithography (e-beam or UV)

    • Etching (ICP-RIE, DRIE)

    • Thin-film deposition (CVD, ALD, sputtering)

    • Die and wafer bonding

    • Metrology techniques such as SEM, profilometry, ellipsometry, or AFM

  • Experience with wafer-scale process development and statistical process analysis.

  • Experience working with photonic materials such as:

    • Silicon nitride

    • Thin-film lithium niobate

    • Tantalum pentoxide

    • Aluminum oxide

  • Experience fabricating optical waveguides, resonators, or low-loss photonic devices.

  • Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.

  • Excellent communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with heterogeneous integration of multiple materials.

  • Experience with hybrid integration of active and passive photonic devices.

  • Experience with fiber-chip packaging.

  • Knowledge of photonics layout tools such as GDSII and BEAMER.

  • Experience with simulation tools such as Lumerical FDTD, MODE, or COMSOL.

  • Experience with high-Q optical resonators or ultra-low-loss waveguide fabrication.

Additional Requirement

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.

Benefits

  • Healthcare benefits

  • 401(k) plan

  • Paid time off

  • Relocation assistance available