Principal Epitaxy Engineer

Plessey Semiconductors Ltd; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Private medical & dental insurance

28 days’ holiday + bank holidays

Free onsite meals

Onsite gym

Relocation support

Visa support available

Job summary

Plessey Semiconductors Ltd in Plymouth is seeking a hands-on Principal Epitaxy Engineer to lead development, debugging and production support of III‑V epitaxy by MOCVD for photonic devices.

You will mentor engineers, design experiments, optimize growth windows, and collaborate with device, integration and manufacturing teams to scale high‑performance devices.

The role combines deep technical leadership with practical lab work across R&D and manufacturing environments in the UK.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in III‑AsP epitaxy by MOCVD for photonic devices.
• Ability to transfer epitaxy R&D processes into manufacturing.
• Hands-on reactor operation and epitaxial characterization.
• Translate device requirements into epitaxial structures.
• Strong DOE, data analysis and troubleshooting capability.
• Proactive, independent and ownership-driven.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimise III‑AsP epitaxial growth for high-quality devices.
• Design and run DoE to optimise growth parameters and Windows.
• Provide hands-on MOCVD reactor support and troubleshooting.
• Contribute to technical direction and IP generation in epitaxy.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with device, integration and manufacturing teams.

Skills

Epitaxy by MOCVD

R&D to manufacturing

MOCVD reactor operation

Translate device requirements

DOE & data analysis

Troubleshooting

Hands-on & experimental mindset

Lab & fab environment

Data presentation & organization

Ownership & initiative

Education

PhD in materials science/physics/electronic engineering

Tools

MOCVD equipment

Job description

Principal Epitaxy Engineer

Department: R&D

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Plymouth

Description

We are looking for a hands‑on Principal Engineer to drive the development, optimisation and production support of epitaxial growth processes.

You will be one of the senior technical experts in our MOCVD epitaxy team. You will deliver III‑AsP process development, reactor performance and material quality, working closely with the device, integration and manufacturing teams to enable high-performance devices and manufacturing that can scale.

The role combines deep technical expertise with hands‑on work. You will contribute to the technical direction of the epitaxy module and help develop the engineers around you.

Key Responsibilities

Process development

• Develop and optimise III‑AsP epitaxial growth processes using MOCVD for advanced device structures, with high crystal quality, low defect density and manufacturability at scale.
• Design, plan and run Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimise MOCVD growth parameters.
• Recommend suitable procedures and techniques for material characterisation.
• Analyse characterisation data and identify the key process drivers of crystal quality, interface abruptness and electrical performance.
• Help define robust MOCVD process windows for stable, repeatable growth.
• Work with R&D to move processes from early‑stage epitaxial structure design through qualification and transfer to high‑volume manufacturing.
• Translate device requirements into epitaxial structure designs.

Hands‑on reactor work

• Provide hands‑on MOCVD reactor support, including process setup, calibration, troubleshooting and optimisation of growth conditions.
• Act as a go‑to expert for advice and support on complex growth and reactor issues.

Technical contribution

• Contribute to the technical direction of the epitaxy module, and share best practice in growth, reactor operation and process control.
• Contribute to technology roadmap development.
• Research current trends in industry and academia in MicroLED, AR/VR, visible light communication and optical interconnects through publications, conference proceedings and patents.
• Contribute to IP generation, technical reports and publications where appropriate.

People and collaboration

• Mentor and develop engineers in the epitaxy team.
• Write and update best‑practice procedures for troubleshooting and for training engineers.
• Work closely with the device, integration and manufacturing teams.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential

• Extensive, proven experience in III‑AsP epitaxy by MOCVD for photonic devices, such as LEDs and µLEDs, detectors, edge‑emitting lasers or VCSELs.
• Experience taking epitaxial R&D processes into manufacturing.
• Direct, hands‑on experience with MOCVD reactors and related epitaxy tools.
• Ability to translate device requirements into epitaxial structures.
• Strong experience with DOE, data analysis and epitaxial characterisation techniques.
• Strong problem‑solving and troubleshooting ability.
• Highly hands‑on and experimental mindset.
• Comfortable working in lab and fab environments.
• Ability to organise and present data so the team can reach solutions efficiently.
• Proactive, independent and takes ownership of tasks.

Desirable

• Experience with visible‑range devices on GaAs substrates.
• Experience with III‑V on Si or Ge, or with silicon photonics.
• A PhD in materials science, physics, electronic engineering or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Experience mentoring engineers.
• Patents or publications in epitaxy or compound semiconductors.

Benefits

• Pension scheme
• Private medical & dental insurance
• 28 days’ holiday + bank holidays
• Free onsite meals
• Onsite gym
• Relocation support
• Visa support available