Senior Yield Engineer

Overview

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

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The Yield Engineer will establish and execute a unified yield strategy across the MEMS microfabrication facility, from new product introduction to mature product sustainment. They will lead cross-functional root-cause investigations, set technical direction for yield improvement roadmaps and mentor junior engineers. They will serve as the primary technical authority connecting process integration, equipment, test, quality, and reliability functions.

This is a senior individual-contributor or working-lead position with significant autonomy, you're expected to set direction, not just execute against one, and to be the escalation point when other engineers hit a wall.

• Establish and own the microfab's yield improvement roadmap, prioritizing projects by cost-of-yield impact and translating findings into capital, process, or control-plan changes
• Lead multi-disciplinary root cause investigations spanning lithography, deposition, etch, wafer bonding, and release/stiction failure modes
• Build and govern yield models, excursion detection and partner with process engineers to define statistical process control limits and escalation criteria for the fab
• Drive new product yield ramps end-to-end: support the development of failure mode and effect analysis and risk reduction, author control plans, establish manufacturing readiness level and transition-to-volume readiness reviews
• Present yield performance, risk and improvement plans to senior leadership and directly to customers, when applicable
• Direct failure analysis strategy (SEM, FIB, TEM, profilometry, hermeticity/leak test) and translation of results into engineering decisions with cost/schedule tradeoffs

• Designs and develops Microelectromechanical devices/sensors, schematics and physical layouts of integrated MEMS components or packaged assemblies.
• Assesses performance and process capabilities of potential MEMS device designs using modeling or simulation software.
• Tests and evaluates devices using a variety of tools, protocols, and software.
• Analyzes and addresses issues such as reliability, yield improvement, and/or failure.
• Develops production methods and fabrication processes for MEMS.
• Drafts documentation such as operating instructions, performance specifications, and manuals.
• Shares performance experience and operating characteristics with designers or other engineers for new product development purposes and/or training.
• Develop and maintain effective internal/external relationships.
• Drive solutions to complex problems with limited direction, contribute to requirements development, propose ways forward, and adapt appropriately to changes in requirements.
• Able to provide insight and suggest design or process modifications based on quantitative data or results.
• Identify program/system-level technical risks and develop and execute mitigation strategies for them.
• Actively mentor less experienced engineers and provide thoughtful, constructive feedback.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient with the fabrication and metrology tools and instrumentation related to MEMS component fabrication.
• Proficient with software tools and systems used for device design, modelling, and performance testing.
• Proficient with software tools and systems used for statistical process control, and reliability and failure analysis, including yield improvement.

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Physics required. Master's degree preferred

5-10 years of Microsystems Engineering or related experience.

• Own change control, corrective and preventative action processes for yield-impacting excursions; interface with quality on customer-facing yield commitments
• Partner with equipment and facilities on tool-matching, equipment qualification, and preventive maintenance strategies tied to yield loss
• Evaluate and lead adoption of new metrology, in-line monitoring, or data infrastructure (e.g., wafer-level data lakes, machine-learning based excursion detection)
• Knowledge and direct experience in applying MIL-STD-883 test…