Senior Equipment Engineer Metrology - Semiconductor​/Photonics

About this position  At the forefront of Europe’s photonics innovation, TNO is building a state-of-the-art pilot line for Indium Phosphide (InP) photonic chips at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. As part of the EU-funded PIXEurope program, this pilot line will enable the transition from groundbreaking research to large-scale industrial manufacturing, making advanced photonic technologies faster, more reliable, and widely accessible.
What will be your role?  Within this pilot line environment, advanced metrology systems play a critical role in controlling wafer processes, monitoring device performance, and ensuring high yield and product quality. Accurate and reliable measurements are essential to support process development and the transition from experimental processes to stable manufacturing.
To support the development and operation of this pilot line facility, we are looking for a Metrology Equipment Engineer. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the performance, stability, and reliability of the metrology equipment used to monitor wafer processes throughout the production flow.

You will operate at the interface of equipment engineering, process engineering, and manufacturing operations, ensuring that measurement systems deliver accurate and repeatable data as the pilot line evolves towards industrial-scale photonic wafer production.
As Metrology Equipment Engineer, you are responsible for the performance, reliability, and continuous improvement of metrology equipment that supports the wafer manufacturing process. You will work closely with process engineers specialized in epitaxy, lithography, dry and wet etching, and metallization to ensure that metrology tools deliver accurate and stable measurements to control the production line.
You will be part of a dynamic pilot line environment where processes and measurement requirements continuously evolve from development towards industrialisation. In this role, you ensure that metrology equipment remains stable, well-calibrated, and capable of supporting advanced photonic wafer processes as they scale towards 6-inch wafer manufacturing.
Key responsibilities   Ensure stable, reliable, and high-performing metrology equipment within the cleanroom manufacturing environment;
Define and execute improvement projects related to equipment performance, tool stability, uptime, and measurement reliability;
Support equipment related root cause investigations, defect analysis, and performance optimization activities;
Ensure metrology tools are properly calibrated, maintained, and configured to provide accurate and repeatable measurement results;
Contribute to the installation, qualification, and introduction of new metrology equipment and hardware within the pilot line;
Troubleshoot equipment related issues affecting measurement performance or tool availability;
Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams such as process integration, R&D, ICT, and operations to ensure measurement capabilities support process development and production requirements;
Work with equipment suppliers and service engineers to maintain high tool performance and resolve technical issues;
Provide clear documentation and reporting related to equipment performance, maintenance activities, and improvement initiatives.
What we expect from you  You are a hands-on equipment engineer with a strong analytical mindset and a solid background in semiconductor or photonics manufacturing equipment within a cleanroom environment.
You bring:
A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Applied Physics, Electronics, or a related technical discipline;
Multiple years of experience working with semiconductor or photonics manufacturing equipment in a cleanroom environment;
Hands-on experience with metrology or inspection tools used for wafer inspection, measurement, or process control;

Experience with the installation, calibration and maintenance of the following equipment or equivalent is highly desired: XRD, Photo-Luminescence (PL) mapping, ECV measurements, Ellipsometry, Patterned- and Non-patterned defect inspection, (FIB-) SEM, Step-height measurements, Electrical…