Process Engineer – Metal & back end

SMART Photonics; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

SMART Photonics is seeking a Process Engineer – Back End to advance the final steps of wafer manufacturing, including cleaving, grinding and polishing, with strong focus on quality and timely delivery.

You will align with front-end design and external partners to ensure robust processes, yield improvement, and smooth communication across teams in a fast-paced high-tech environment.

Qualifications

• A MSc degree in Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics, or similar technical field.
• At least 2 years of hands-on industrial experience after graduation, with precision manufacturing processes such as metallization, cleaving, grinding and polishing.
• Experience from wafer factory angle is a strong preference.
• Technically sharp person; calm under pressure, execution-driven, and able to bring structure, ownership, and clear communication in a fast-moving high-tech manufacturing environment.
• Interested to develop fast, this role offers next steps and challenges that enable a fast career track.

Responsibilities

• Own and optimize our backend semiconductor/photonics processes including cleaving, grinding, polishing, dicing, visual inspections and active/passive alignment.
• Work with our external stakeholders in this process; close alignment with our partners, their process and challenges are essential.
• Understand and deliver reporting and/or analyse such as; SPC charts, performance, yield trends, defect density, and process stability.
• Delight our customers by driving yield improvement, scrap reduction, and cycle time optimization initiatives.
• Do it together, you align with different teams both internal and external; you can bridge seniority levels, cultural differences and still be clear in your communication style.
• Help us move towards TIER 1 supplier, you can mature our process, stay away as much as possible from fire fighter modus and support long term stability and high-quality deliveries.

Skills

Clear communication

Team collaboration

Process optimization

Data analysis

Education

Master's degree in Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics

Tools

Metallization

Polishing equipment

Wafer inspection tooling

Job description

We are hiring a Process Engineer – Back End.

As experienced Process Engineer Back-End process you will become a crucial colleague in the final steps of our wafer manufacturing process; You understand that the back end starts already in the design and close alignment with the process in the front. If the fundament is done correct, you finalize our production process with a successful cleaving, grinding and polishing, visual inspection! And equally important with clear and respectful communication towards all involved.

Your head remains calm when the heat is on and deliver time is tight. On top of this the balance between “a quality mindset” and “the understanding timing is essential in a new market” is what will help you to be seen as a successful colleague

Your daily job;

Your daily job is diverse and challenging; the typical day does not always exist. You start in the morning with the sunrise meeting; the night shift updates the dayshift teams and priorities are agreed on. Then the day starts and you:

• Own and optimize our backend semiconductor/photonics processes including cleaving, grinding, polishing, dicing, visual inspections and active/passive alignment.

• Work with our external stakeholders in this process; close alignment with our partners, their process and challenges are essential.

• Understand and deliver reporting and/or analyse such as; SPC charts, performance, yield trends, defect density, and process stability.

• Delight our customers by driving yield improvement, scrap reduction, and cycle time optimization initiatives.

• Do it together, you align with different teams both internal and external; you can bridge seniority levels, cultural differences and still be clear in your communication style.

• Help us move towards TIER 1 supplier, you can mature our process, stay away as much as possible from fire fighter modus and support long term stability and high-quality deliveries.

Requirements;

• A MSc degree in Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics, or similar technical field

• At least 2 years of hands‑on industrial experience after graduation, with precision manufacturing processes such as metallization, cleaving, grinding and polishing.

• Experience from wafer factory angle is a strong preference.

• Technically sharp person; calm under pressure, execution-driven, and able to bring structure, ownership, and clear communication in a fast‑moving high‑tech manufacturing environment

• Interested to develop fast, this role offers next steps and challenges that enable a fast career track.

Why us:

SMART Photonics is a growing company in a new technology, the development in integrated photonics technology is fast and hectical. Our ambition in this is clear; we want to become the TIER 1 foundry for InP Photonic Integrated Chips.

On the work floor this means we are dealing with changing conditions, we dare to fail, so we can do it better next time. We need to drive innovation and commit to excellence. We expect you to OWN the job and its responsibilities. Our employees are all committed to this, with over 200 people from over 45 different backgrounds we work towards one goal. Not always smooth; We dare to disagree, challenge the status quo but when it all connects, we celebrate success as a team!

Outside work we offer diverse range of activities and depending on your personality and preferences (none of it is mandatory), you can join movie nights, meals with the shifts, next gen activities, biking or ice-skating groups, and this year we even had our first company weekend.

We offer you a warm welcome, a challenging job that can get the best out of you. A fast-learning curve, and opportunities along the way. A journey of a lifetime, a good salary (we name numbers in the first meeting with you) and a resume that enables your career for the years to come.

We do not invite you to join us, we invite you to become an essential part of our team, to go through this journey together and who knows, we might write history along the way.

How we create a safe work environment together.

Security at SMART Photonics is a shared responsibility. As a company, we are committed to providing a safe, secure, and reliable workplace. Together, we protect our people, information, technology, and operations. Every employee is expected to work responsibly by following approved procedures, using our systems and information with care, and speaking up whenever something doesn't seem right. By applying for a position at SMART Photonics, you and agree to uphold the company's security principles and expectations.