Sr. Director, Etch

Senior Director, Etch Process Engineering

Company:
Mattson Technology, Inc., a 38-year Silicon Valley company, designs, manufactures, markets, and globally supports plasma and rapid thermal processing equipment to fabricate integrated circuits for the global semiconductor industry.

Mattson Technology, Inc. offers processing equipment that utilizes innovative technologies to deliver advanced processing capabilities and high productivity for the fabrication of current and next-generation integrated circuits. Our equipment and technologies are used by leading memory and logic, analog/power device manufacturers worldwide. Innovations from Mattson Technology in Atomic Surface Engineering address the most critical logic and memory manufacturing challenges.

In May 2016, Mattson Technology was acquired by Beijing's E-Town Capital. Our new investor's vision is that Mattson Technology, with its Silicon Valley DNA, will continue to operate as a global, market-driven technology provider serving worldwide semiconductor manufacturing customers. In July, 2025, the company successfully listed in Shanghai's STAR Exchange. As the external trade compliance environment evolves, Mattson Technology now operates independently from the parent company in product, business, and operations, serving customers outside of China.

The Senior Director, Etch Process Engineering is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and executing the etch technology strategy, process development roadmap, and manufacturing excellence initiatives for semiconductor fabrication operations. This position leads a global team of process engineers, technical managers, and subject matter experts focused on developing, optimizing, qualifying, and sustaining advanced plasma and dry etch processes. The Senior Director partners closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Equipment Engineering, Yield Enhancement, Product Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain organizations to drive technology innovation, operational performance, and successful product commercialization.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in semiconductor etch processes with strong business acumen, organizational leadership, and a track record of delivering high-volume manufacturing results in advanced technology environments.

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the long-term etch process technology roadmap aligned with company business objectives and product requirements.
• Provide technical and organizational leadership for advanced etch process development, technology transfer, and manufacturing support.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on technology innovation, cost reduction, productivity improvement, and manufacturing scalability.
• Evaluate emerging semiconductor technologies and recommend investments to maintain competitive advantage.
• Establish departmental goals, performance metrics, and strategic priorities.

Process Development & Technology

• Direct development of advanced plasma, dry etch, dielectric, conductor, and specialty etch processes for next-generation semiconductor devices.
• Oversee process characterization, optimization, qualification, and integration activities.
• Drive continuous improvement of critical process parameters, defect reduction, CD control, profile optimization, and process capability.
• Ensure successful transfer of new process technologies from R&D into high-volume manufacturing.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions for complex technical and yield-related challenges.

Manufacturing Support & Yield Improvement

• Drive improvements in yield, throughput, cycle time, equipment utilization, and overall manufacturing effectiveness.
• Partner with production and operations teams to ensure stable and repeatable manufacturing performance.
• Monitor key process indicators and implement corrective actions to meet quality and productivity targets.
• Lead yield enhancement programs utilizing statistical process control (SPC), DOE methodologies, and advanced analytics.
• Ensure robust management of process excursions and customer-facing quality issues.

Equipment & Supplier Management

• Collaborate with Equipment Engineering to define requirements for next-generation etch platforms.
• Establish strategic relationships with equipment manufacturers and material suppliers.
• Evaluate new equipment technologies and oversee tool qualification activities.
• Support capital planning and investment decisions related to etch process capabilities.
• Drive supplier performance and continuous improvement initiatives.

Organizational Leadership

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing engineering leaders and technical professionals.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, operational excellence, and continuous learning.
• Build organizational capability through talent development and succession planning.
• Lead geographically distributed engineering teams across multiple sites, when applicable.
• Promote collaboration across engineering,…