Research Engineer , II, Sr

The Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS) is one of Georgia Tech's Interdisciplinary Research Institutes. IMS brings together researchers across fields and operates shared fabrication and characterization facilities with more than 250 instruments, including more than 23,000 square feet of cleanroom space. The facilities serve users from academia, industry, and government and are part of the NSF-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure.

IMS is seeking a Research Engineer to serve as a technical leader within its shared microelectronics research infrastructure. The position owns and advances research capabilities in semiconductor fabrication and process integration, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, and device and interconnect characterization.

The Research Engineer develops new processes and methods, ensures that IMS capabilities produce reliable and research-quality results, supports facility users, collaborates on challenging academic and externally sponsored research, and provides opportunities to pursue independent applied research in a highly dynamic academic environment. The role combines hands-on experimental work with technical leadership, user development, applied research, and responsibility for helping IMS determine where to build future capability.

• Own and Advance Research Capabilities.Serve as the technical authority for semiconductor fabrication and process integration, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration, and device and interconnect characterization. Define validated methods, baseline processes, performance metrics, and reproducibility standards, and integrate tools into reliable workflows for semiconductor devices, MEMS, photonics, sensors, advanced materials, and wide-bandgap research.
• Develop New Processes Methods and Technology Platforms. Lead experimental development beyond standard equipment recipes. Use feasibility studies and designed experiments to define technical limits and advance successful methods through characterization, qualification, documentation, and user deployment. Areas may include:
• Semiconductor fabrication and process integration. Develop integrated process flows using photolithography, direct-write lithography, RIE, ICP, DRIE, PVD, CVD, ALD, thermal and wet processing, and metallization.
• Advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration. Develop workflows for redistribution layers, electroplating, TSV/TGV integration, wafer bonding, die attach, lamination, metallization, wafer-level processing, and heterogeneous integration.
• Device interconnect and package characterization. Develop electrical testing and validation methods using probe stations and parameter analyzers, including interconnect and package characterization, reliability assessment, and failure analysis.
• Pursue Collaborative or Independent Research. Collaborate with Georgia Tech faculty, students, startups, industry, government laboratories, and sponsored research teams to translate research questions and device requirements into executable experiments. Select methods, integrate techniques, troubleshoot failures, interpret results, and contribute to proposals, reviews, reports, presentations, and publications. Pursue independently funded research aligned with IMS priorities.
• Steward Scientific and Technical Performance. Maintain the scientific integrity, readiness, and performance of assigned capabilities. Lead acceptance, qualification, calibration, baseline monitoring, and root-cause troubleshooting. Define requirements for maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and process changes, coordinating with IMS staff, vendors, service engineers, and research partners as needed.
• Train, Mentor and Sustain Institutional Knowledge. Train and qualify students, researchers, staff, and internal and external users in experimental design, process integration, measurement, troubleshooting, and reproducible use of shared infrastructure. Maintain standard operating procedures, recipes, training materials, baseline data, best practices, and troubleshooting guidance so institutional knowledge remains accurate and transferable.
• Shape Future IMS Technical Direction. Identify emerging needs and technology trends to guide IMS capability roadmaps and investments. Recommend and commission new equipment, methods, and platforms; support proposals and partnerships; and build faculty and external collaborations. Initiate applied research aligned with IMS priorities in fabrication, packaging,…