Etch Process Engineer

KLA Corporation; Newport; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave plus bank holiday

Share scheme

Contributory pension scheme

Cash health plan

Cycle to Work scheme

Global bonus plan

Employee rewards scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

KLA Corporation's SPTS division in Newport, UK, seeks a skilled engineer to advance plasma etch processes, process wafers, and generate technical reports for customers and stakeholders.

The role involves field support at customer sites, collaboration across teams, documentation for IP submissions, and occasional international travel. A strong background in plasma etch processing and metrology, plus good communication, is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience of plasma etch processing within a semiconductor environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with semiconductor metrology techniques.
• SEM experience would be advantageous, training can be provided.
• Knowledge and practical experience of endpoint detection techniques.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Master's degree, or Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, or equivalent industrial experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and demonstrate plasma etch processes to meet specifications.
• Assess results using analytical equipment and relevant software tools.
• Perform process troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Provide regular updates to Product Management on demonstration and sample work.
• Build and maintain relationships with customers and the global KLA support network.
• Summarise findings through technical reports and presentations.
• Develop and optimise processes across SPTS product platforms.
• Plan and execute work safely, efficiently, and to timescales.
• Utilise endpoint detection techniques to enhance process control.
• Conduct long-duration testing for new processes and equipment.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects supporting new products and technologies.
• Prepare technical reports to support patent applications, publications, and conferences.
• Develop and optimise SPTS processes to meet customer requirements at customer sites.
• Provide factory-based technical support to field teams and customers.
• Establish and maintain strong customer relationships through effective technical support.

Skills

Plasma etch processing

Analytical and problem-solving

Semiconductor metrology techniques

Endpoint detection techniques

SEM experience

Written and verbal communication

Independent and multidisciplinary team

Organisational and time-management

Education

Master's degree or Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Tools

SEM

Job description

As part of the plasma dicing team, the primary responsibilities of this position include developing plasma etch processes, processing customer wafers using etch demonstration equipment, and documenting the completed sample processing activities. Additional responsibilities include providing customer technical support, preparing technical reports for internal and external stakeholders, generating intellectual property submissions, and supporting other business units as required. This position will involve some international travel (subject to business requirements) to support customer installations and development activities. Occasional shift work may also be required.

Process Demonstrations

• Develop and demonstrate plasma etch processes to meet agreed specifications.
• Assess results using analytical equipment and relevant software tools.
• Perform process troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Provide regular updates to Product Management on demonstration and sample work.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with customers and the global KLA support network.
• Summarise findings through technical reports and presentations.

Process Development

• Develop and optimise processes across SPTS product platforms.
• Plan and execute work safely, efficiently, and to agreed timescales.
• Utilise endpoint detection techniques to enhance process control and performance.
• Conduct long-duration testing for new processes and equipment.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects supporting new products and technologies.
• Prepare technical reports to support patent applications, publications, and conferences.

Field Support

• Develop and optimise SPTS processes to meet customer requirements at customer sites.
• Provide factory-based technical support to field teams and customers.
• Establish and maintain strong customer relationships through effective technical support.

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience of plasma etch processing within a semiconductor environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with semiconductor metrology techniques.
• SEM experience would be advantageous, although training can be provided.
• Knowledge and practical experience of endpoint detection techniques.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Master's degree, or Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, together with relevant industrial experience.
• Candidates with equivalent qualifications and hands-on semiconductor process engineering experience are also encouraged to apply.

The SPTS division of KLA, designs, manufactures and markets wafer processing solutions for the global semiconductor and related industries. SPTS provides industry leading etch and deposition process technologies on a range of single wafer handling platforms. End-market applications include micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), advanced packaging, LED, high speed RF device IC's and power semiconductors. SPTS is part of KLA Corporation which develops industry-leading equipment and services that enable innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. In close collaboration with leading customers across the globe, our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that move the world forward.

Group/Division SPTS wafer processing solutions include market-leading silicon etch, dielectric etch, dry-release etch, PVD, PECVD and molecular vapor deposition (MVD), available with a range of wafer-handling options applicable to R&D, pilot production, or volume production environments. SPTS is headquartered and has its main manufacturing facility in Newport, UK, with additional manufacturing in Allentown, Pennsylvania. SPTS operates across 19 countries in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, and offers comprehensive service and spare parts support through a worldwide network of service centres and qualified local agents.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Share scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Cash health plan
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Global bonus plan
• Employee rewards scheme
• Life assurance, We offer a competitive, family friendly total rewards package. We design our programs to reflect our commitment to an inclusive environment, while ensuring we provide benefits that meet the diverse needs of our employees.