MEMS Process Integration Scientist

HRL Laboratories pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways.

As a private company owned jointly by Boeing and GM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art.

HRL's compact, high-performance MEMS IMUs are revolutionizing navigation systems by delivering reliable guidance in GPS-degraded environments. Engineered with navigation-grade precision, these IMUs provide a cost-effective and scalable solution for automotive, aerospace, and other demanding applications where traditional GPS reliance falls short.

These innovations aim to deliver a first-of-its-kind navigation-grade component that combines reliability, precision, and affordability. By offering a viable alternative to traditional IMUs, HRL's MEMS technology is advancing the capabilities of autonomous systems and enabling precise navigation in challenging environments.

• Collaborate with a team of scientists and engineers to develop advanced MEMS-enabled sensors and actuators for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications, driving innovation to redefine industry standards.
• Integrate new processes into scalable workflows, ensuring seamless transitions from research to production while applying creativity and systems-level thinking.
• Lead the design, fabrication, and testing of MEMS devices and subsystems, ensuring they meet project requirements and are scalable for production.
• Design and execute experiments to validate innovative MEMS technologies, employing creative approaches to solve complex challenges and explore new possibilities.
• Perform wafer inspections and metrology to ensure quality and precision, driving iterative improvements for both research-specific and scalable processes.
• Manage critical project elements, including timelines, deliverables, and resources, ensuring successful execution and impactful outcomes that bridge research innovations with real-world applications.
• Conceive, propose, and secure new research initiatives focused on MEMS, NEMS, and other relevant technologies.
• This role emphasizes technical leadership, scientific originality, and program ownership to shape a portfolio of high-impact efforts that advance next-generation navigation systems.
• Responsible for guiding funded programs, influencing technical strategy, and mentoring junior staff.

• Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in a physical science or engineering field with 5+ years of fabrication process experience in an R&D environment
• Demonstrate strong skills in process development, optimization, design of experiments (DOE), statistical data analysis, and innovative problem-solving to drive cutting‑edge advancements
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to thrive in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team and enable effective cross-laboratory collaboration
• Ability to integrate diverse process recipes into seamless fabrication workflows while addressing process interdependencies to achieve high‑performance results
• Hands‑On
  
  Experience with Advanced Techniques:
  Proficiency in the following state-of-the-art technologies:
  • Contact/stepper photolithography
  • Wet and plasma dry etching
  • High aspect-ratio deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for silicon, glass, and other MEMS materials
  • Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
  • Dielectric and metal depositions
  • Wafer bonding and vacuum encapsulation of microscale structures
  • Sacrificial and structural layer creation and wet/dry release processes
• Expertise in using advanced tools such as optical/infrared microscopy, interferometric measurements, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elemental analysis to ensure quality and precision.
• Experience in designing and characterizing process control monitors…