Wafer Process Integrator, Silicon Photonics

VTT; Espoo; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

VTT in Espoo is seeking a Wafer Process Integrator for its Silicon photonics team. You will develop fabrication technology for photonic integrated circuits, supervise cleanroom wafer processing and work with PIC designers and process engineers to mature processes for MOS-like silicon nitride and Ge photodiodes.

You will collaborate across disciplines, contribute to process development and ensure high-quality fabrication with wafer-level inspections, including microscopy and ellipsometry.

Qualifications

• Higher degree in physics, photonics, chemistry or electrical engineering with semiconductor wafer processing courses.
• Basic understanding of photonics, optical waveguides, lasers and photodiodes.
• Basic understanding of microelectronics and semiconductor device fabrication theory.
• Hands-on semiconductor cleanroom processing experience, preferably several years.
• Experience with lithography, thin-film deposition, dry etching, epitaxial growth and metrology.
• Strong spoken and written English skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate fabrication process flows for PICs on Micronova 200 mm wafers.
• Prepare processing instructions, supervise cleanroom operators and implement fabrication runs.
• Develop new and improved PIC fabrication processes—SiN waveguides and Ge photodiodes.
• Analyze wafers at wafer-level focusing on process quality and repeatability.
• Collaborate with PIC designers and testing experts to meet project needs.
• Contribute to reporting and dissemination of research results.

Skills

Photonic knowledge

Cleanroom processing

Wafer processing

Process metrology

English communication

Lithography

Thin-film deposition

Education

Master's degree in physics/photonic-related field

Job description

Are you interested in developing the fabrication of photonic integrated circuits and looking for a new job opportunity in the field?Would you like to develop innovative technology with superb colleagues who are top experts in their field? Do you want to work at the interface of academy and industry using state-of-the-art research facilities? VTT might be just the place for you.

VTT is one of the leading applied research organisations in Europe. What unites us are curiosity, a passion for learning, and a purpose: to solve the biggest challenges of our time and turn them into sustainable growth and well-being. Our cross-disciplinary community of over 2000 brilliant minds from 55+ different nationalities focuses on creating impact through science-based innovation. In recent years, we have created ground-breaking innovations such as the world’s fastest and most accurate radiation detector, a cancer-sniffing sensor device for smartphones, and a headphone set entirely made of microbial materials. Get to know us further by exploring VTT’s tech & infra .

We are now looking for a Wafer Process Integrator to join our Silicon photonics team.

As a Wafer Process Integrator , you will develop fabrication technology for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in close collaboration with our PIC designers, cleanroom operators and process engineers. Operators do most of the actual wafer processing in our cleanroom according to the processing instructions made by you. You will supervise the wafer processing and monitor the quality of the fabrication by various wafer-level inspections (microscopy, ellipsometry etc.) inside the cleanroom. You will also do some hands-on process development in critical process steps together with the process engineers, until the processes are mature enough to be given to our operators. Depending on your own skills and preferences, you may also get involved in the design and testing of the PICs, but your main focus will be on the fabrication of the PICs in our cleanroom. Process simulation and some simulation for active semiconductor components, such as Ge photodiodes, will be part of your work.

Our in-house PIC technology includes the design, fabrication, assembly, packaging and testing of components, circuits and systems that are based on optical waveguides integrated on small silicon chips. All these development steps can be done at VTT, including 200 mm wafer processing in our Micronova cleanroom facility in Espoo, although we also collaborate with many other organizations to do these tasks. Our Silicon Photonics team is one of the global pioneers in the development of PIC technology. We mainly focus on PICs that are based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon nitride waveguides, while we often hybrid integrate these with other materials and PIC technologies, such as germanium, lithium niobate, graphene and III-V compound semiconductors. Your role in the team will mainly focus on the develop of SiN waveguides and Ge photodiodes, at least in the beginning. Our 3 µm thick SOI waveguides allow to make low-loss PICs for an extremely wide range of infrared wavelengths (1.2 - 4 µm), while the SiN waveguides extend the feasible wavelength range to visible wavelengths and support the development of multiple quantum computing technologies. We believe that PIC technology plays a key role in solving many global challenges (climate change, healthcare, power-efficient digitalization etc.), while also offering good business opportunities.

Read more about our research: Launch of the PIXEurope pilot line for PIC technology

Asa Wafer Process Integrator,you will:

• Design and simulate fabrication process flows for PICs and optical waveguide components that are fabricated in Micronova on 200 mm wafers
• Prepare processing instructions for cleanroom operators, supervise their work in wafer processing and lead the implementation of fabrication runs
• Develop new and improved fabrication processes for PICs with main focus on passive SiN waveguide components and active Ge photodiodes
• Analyse and test the fabricated wafers, mainly on wafer-level, with primary focus on the quality and repeatability of the fabrication steps, rather than optical component performance
• Interact with our PIC designers and PIC testing experts to ensure that the fabricated PICs meet our projects' and customers' needs
• Contribute to the reporting and dissemination of our research results

Who we are looking for:

• At least Master's degree in physics, photonics, chemistry, electrical engineering or related field with dedicated courses that cover semiconductor wafer processing technologies
• At least basic understanding of photonics, preferably including the theory and technology relating to optical waveguides, lasers and photodiodes
• At least basic understanding of microelectronics and semiconductor physics, including the theory and fabrication technology for devices like diodes, resistors and capacitors processed on semiconductor wafers
• Hands-on experience in semiconductor cleanroom processing, preferably for several years and preferably relating to some of the following fabrication technologies:
• Lithography (optical, electron-beam, laser writing)
• Thin-film deposition technologies (LPCVD, PECVD, ALD, sputtering)
• Dry etching and plasma processing (RIE, ICP-RIE)
• Epitaxial growth (CVD, MBE)
• Process metrology (SEM, AFM, ellipsometry)
• Proficient in oral and written communication in English

As a person, we hope that you are:

• A fast learner who is capable of working in a flexible and independent manner, and collaborating with colleagues across different fields of science and technology. We appreciate curiosity, passion as well as the ability to take the long-term perspective and find beyond-the-obvious solutions.
• Able to work well in a multicultural team with English as the primary language at work.

Location: Tietotie 3