TEM Application Expert

Imec; Vlaams-Brabant; Remote; EUR 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Imec in Leuven, Belgium, seeks a TEM Application Expert to join the TEM operations team in the FAB. You will drive TEM sample prep, inspection workflows, and automation recipe development for advanced semiconductor materials.

The ideal candidate has a PhD or 5+ years TEM experience, strong software/automation interest, and the ability to work with researchers and engineers in a dynamic environment. You will help optimize throughput, quality, and innovation while maintaining high standards.

Qualifications

• PhD and/or Master's degree in a relevant science or engineering field.
• Hands-on TEM experience and materials characterization in semiconductors.
• Strong interest in programming and automation for workflow optimization.
• Ability to plan, organize work and multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• You are a technical expert in TEM sample preparation and inspection, with deep knowledge of the current capabilities and limitations of TEM tools, especially as applied to advanced semiconductor materials and structures.
• Design, develop, and optimize automation recipes for TEM sample preparation and inspection workflows, ensuring high reproducibility, throughput, and quality.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including application specialists, lab assistants, and operations managers to ensure smooth execution and continuous improvement of TEM services.
• Co-owner of departmental targets, contributing to throughput, quality, and innovation.
• Ensure high-quality and efficient intake of first-time requests, translating customer needs into actionable workflows.
• Evaluate and validate documented customer requests for feasibility and alignment with capabilities.
• Identify bottlenecks and quality risks, implementing corrective actions or process improvements.
• Stay up to date with emerging TEM technologies and automation tools and integrate them into recipes.

Skills

TEM

Automation programming

Cross-functional collaboration

Planning & organization

Education

PhD or Master’s in a relevant field

Tools

TEM instruments

Job description

TEM Application Expert

What you will do

You will be a member of the TEM operations team within the FAB. This team is responsible for both in-line and off-line electron microscopy inspections. These inspections play a crucial role throughout the technology development cycle, providing wafer-level characterization of processes and materials used in both More-than-Moore applications (such as MEMS, actuators, and sensors) and Core semiconductor technologies (including SRAM, MRAM, and 3D integration).

At the heart of our innovation is imec’s state-of-the-art pilot line, one of the world’s most advanced semiconductor R&D environments. In this experimental production facility, we develop and validate next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes before transferring them to leading international chip manufacturers. By providing our customers with the knowledge and technologies needed to meet increasingly demanding requirements, we help drive innovation across the semiconductor industry.

To achieve this, we rely on our high-tech cleanroom facilities and advanced characterization capabilities. We are currently looking for a highly skilled TEM Application Expert with a strong background in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and semiconductor materials characterization.

The ideal candidate will have either a PhD in a relevant field or 5+ years of hands-on experience in TEM applications and workflow optimization. In this role you will have the following key responsibilities:

• You are a technical expert in TEM sample preparation and inspection, with deep knowledge of the current capabilities and limitations of TEM tools, especially as applied to advanced semiconductor materials and structures.
• You will design, develop, and optimize automation recipes for TEM sample preparation and inspection workflows, ensuring high reproducibility, throughput, and quality.
• You actively collaborate with cross-functional teams including application specialists, lab assistants, and operations managers to ensure smooth execution and continuous improvement of TEM services.
• You are a co-owner of departmental targets, contributing to strategic goals such as throughput, quality, and innovation.
• You ensure high-quality and efficient intake of first-time requests, translating customer needs into actionable and well-documented workflows.
• You serve as the primary point of contact for evaluating and validating documented customer requests, ensuring technical feasibility and alignment with available capabilities.
• You proactively identify efficiency bottlenecks and quality risks, and take initiative to implement corrective actions or propose process improvements.
• You stay up to date with emerging TEM technologies, automation tools, and semiconductor characterization techniques, and integrate relevant advancements into recipe development.

You will work in a dynamic multidisciplinary and multicultural environment in close cooperation with researchers, hardware and process engineers, industry assignees, tool suppliers, device- and process experts.

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 define 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 have a PhD and/ or master’s degree with relevant experience in science/engineering
• Experience in the field of microscopy and/or semiconductor process is very important
• You have a strong interest in programming/automation, which is a significant advantage
• You can plan and organize your work on your own
• You can work in a fast-paced setting, multi-task and prioritize assignments.
• You have good communication and organizational skills
• You are assertive and a good team player
• You will work in an alternating shift regime (early / late) and 1 out of 4 weekends
• You are a a communicative team player with a fluent knowledge of English

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.