R&D Wafer-to-Wafer bonding engineer

Imec; Vlaams-Brabant; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

IMEC in Leuven, Belgium is seeking an R&D Wafer-to-Wafer Bonding Engineer to develop, optimize and understand advanced bonding processes. You will conduct hands-on experiments in the cleanroom, analyze metrology data, and work closely with equipment suppliers to push overlay accuracy and process stability.

You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across engineering and operations, translating scientific insights into practical process improvements and contributing to future generations

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent research experience in a relevant field.
• Experience with bonding processes and datasets is advantageous.
• Strong experimental and data-analysis mindset.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize advanced wafer-to-wafer bonding processes.
• Design, execute and analyze experiments to understand process sensitivities and equipment behaviour.
• Analyze large datasets from bonding and metrology tools including overlay measurements and distortion maps.
• Develop data-driven methodologies to improve bonding performance and manufacturability.
• Collaborate with equipment suppliers and integration engineers to advance technology.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Data analysis

DoE (Design of Experiments)

Statistical analysis

Machine learning techniques

Education

PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry or related field

Tools

Wafer bonding equipment

Metrology tools

DOE software

Job description

R&D Wafer-to-Wafer bonding engineer

What you will do

In this role, you will help develop the next generation of wafer bonding technologies that enable future logic, memory, photonic, RF and heterogeneous integration applications. The position combines fundamental process understanding, advanced data analysis, hands-on experimentation in the cleanroom, and close collaboration with equipment suppliers.
Wafer-to-wafer bonding is becoming a key enabling technology for future semiconductor devices. Advanced integration schemes such as CFETs, backside power delivery networks, advanced memory architectures, photonic integration and 3D system integration require bonding solutions that push overlay accuracy, wafer distortion control and process stability beyond today's manufacturing capabilities. These challenges demand not only innovative process development but also a deep understanding of the bonding equipment and the physics governing the bonding process.
As a member of the High Precision Bonding team, you will develop, optimize and understand advanced dielectric, metallic and hybrid bonding processes. You will combine hands-on process development with detailed metrology and data analysis to understand the interaction between process conditions, wafer characteristics and equipment behaviour.
A significant part of your work will take place in imec's cleanroom, where you will execute experiments, operate advanced bonding tools and characterize bonding performance. You will work closely with equipment suppliers to understand tool limitations, evaluate new functionalities, troubleshoot complex issues and help define future generations of bonding equipment.
You will collaborate with integration engineers, operations teams, hardware experts, suppliers and industrial partners in a multidisciplinary and international environment.
As an R&D Wafer-to-Wafer Bonding Engineer, you will:

• Develop and optimize advanced wafer-to-wafer bonding processes.
• Design, execute and analyse experiments to understand process sensitivities, bonding mechanisms and equipment behaviour.
• Analyse large datasets from bonding and metrology tools, including overlay measurements, wafer distortion maps, bond-wave data, void inspection results and bond quality metrics.
• Develop data-driven methodologies to improve bonding performance, process robustness and manufacturability.
• Build a deep understanding of the bonding equipment, including alignment systems, wafer handling, chucking concepts, bonding environments and process monitoring capabilities.
• Work closely with equipment suppliers to investigate technical challenges, improve tool performance and define future equipment capabilities.
• Translate process and equipment insights into practical solutions that improve overlay performance, wafer distortion control, throughput and process stability.
• Drive process maturity from exploratory research towards robust pilot-line implementation.
• You will be expected to take a significant hands-on role within the cleanroom. You will share the ownership of the bonding process with your direct colleagues, and you will have to improve the maturity level of the bonding process.
• You will report progress, results, and opportunities to various organizational levels both internally as well as to customers, suppliers and partners.
• Collaborate closely with integration engineers, process and hardware engineering teams to enable successful technology development.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth.

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits.

Who you are

• You hold a PhD in Physics, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry or a related field.
• You combine strong scientific curiosity with a practical engineering mindset and are motivated to develop a fundamental understanding of advanced bonding processes and equipment behaviour. You enjoy translating scientific insights into process improvements and technology innovations.
• You are eager to work hands-on in a semiconductor cleanroom environment.
• You have strong quantitative and analytical skills and can extract meaningful conclusions from complex datasets.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DoE), modelling or machine learning techniques is considered an advantage.
• Experience with wafer bonding, hybrid bonding, fusion bonding, layer transfer or related semiconductor processes is considered a strong plus.
• Familiarity with semiconductor manufacturing processes such as lithography, CMP, cleaning, plasma processing, deposition or metrology is an asset.
• You are self-driven, innovative and willing to take ownership of process improvement activities.
• You are comfortable working in a team environment, but at the same time you can also work autonomously with minimal supervision when required.
• You possess strong communication skills and can effectively present technical results to diverse audiences.
• Given the international nature of imec, you have excellent spoken and written English skills.

IMEC and its affiliates will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. IMEC will consider unsolicited referrals and/or resumes submitted by vendors such as search firms, staffing agencies, professional recruiters, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies (hereafter “Agency”) to have been referred by the Agency free of charge. IMEC will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have a prior written agreement with IMEC, validated by its HR department, in place regarding a specific job opening and allowing to submit resumes.