R&D Process Engineer - Wet Processes

Overview

The High Frequency Technology Center (HFTC) is seeking an R&D Process Engineer to develop, maintain and optimize manufacturing processes to fabricate passive interposer substrates for Keysight’s Heterogeneous Integration technology. This position is onsite at Keysight Headquarters in Santa Rosa, CA. Live in beautiful Sonoma County amongst vineyards, redwood forests, rivers, lakes and coastline while working on state‑of‑the‑art advanced packaging technologies.

The Process Engineer will own process development and process control to meet quality and production metrics. Responsibilities include a combination of R&D and manufacturing in partnership with Design, Integration, Test, Operations, Maintenance, Product and Failure Analysis teams. The Process Engineer is accountable for yield, cycle time, throughput, and quality of their process. This role involves technical depth in semiconductor processing, strong hands‑on aptitude, as well as effective communication and teamwork to meet department‑level objectives.

Process Development Engineers at HFTC are responsible for process development and sustaining of custom, cutting‑edge, micro and nano‑fabrication technologies. The focus of this position is process development, manufacturing sustainability, and R&D support for new product introductions, with specialization in wafer fab processes.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Deep knowledge and expertise in wet etch, electroplating, solvent strip, wet cleans, and/or chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)
• Lead wet process development and sustainment across cleaning, etching, and stripping, focusing on process optimization, chemical bath stability, chemical material management, and uniformity improvements.
• Partner with equipment engineering and EH&S teams to ensure safe operation, optimize tool performance and throughput, and support chemical delivery, preventive maintenance, and new tool installations or upgrades.
• Drive process control and stability through SPC charting, daily reviews, root‑cause analysis, and corrective actions using statistical tools (e.g., JMP).
• Working closely with other process, integration, product, and circuit design engineers to define process and performance targets.
• Defining process flows, develop new processes and drive continuous process improvement (CPI) efforts to maximize product yield.
• Report process metrics, root cause investigations, and process change implementations at the department level.
• Ensuring successful process hand off to manufacturing partners.
• Working with Operations to implement robust process control and support production processes; diagnose and resolve process problems with urgency.
• Leading capital equipment acquisition projects that include tool evaluation, characterization, process development, and qualification.
• Broader experience in upstream and downstream processes and ability to understand process interactions.

• Knowledge of wet semiconductor manufacturing processes such as wet etch, electroplating, solvent strip, wet cleans, and/or chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)
• Understanding of wet‑chemistry fundamentals, including cleaning, etching, stripping, and surface‑conditioning mechanisms
• Familiarity with wet‑bench hardware, chemical delivery systems, filtration, and bath‑stability control
• Strong problem‑solving skills for measurement anomalies and tool‑drift issues
• Experience with statistical process control (SPC) and design of experiments (DOE) is required
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or related fields
• 5+ years of professional, hands‑on experience with development and/or maintaining semiconductor processes and equipment
• Recent graduates with extensive cleanroom and experimental background will also be considered
• Candidates must have strong problem‑solving and analytical skills as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills for cross‑functional interactions
• Strong accountability, self‑initiative and proactive attitude are required for success.

Candidates must be local or willing to relocate to Santa Rosa, CA.

This position requires…