Deposition & Thermal Process Equipment Engineer

utaustin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UT Austin's Microelectronics Research Center seeks an Equipment Engineer for deposition and thermal process development. The role ensures operational and baselined processes, supports integration with lithography and etch areas, and maintains tool uptime across deposition systems.

You will train users, develop SOPs, and collaborate with researchers to optimize thin-film processes, characterize films, and coordinate with vendors for major repairs and upgrades. Immediate start preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in EE/ME/MSE/Physics or related field required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience with semiconductor or thin-film deposition equipment.
• Strong understanding of vacuum systems and gas delivery.
• Experience with thin-film characterization and metrology tools.
• Experience with diagnostics, troubleshooting, and component-level repair.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain deposition toolsets (sputtering, evaporation, ALD, CVD, furnaces) to meet uptime, reliability, and performance targets.
• Monitor and optimize pressure, gas flow, temperature, plasma stability, and deposition rate.
• Perform tool qualification, calibration, and matching for repeatable films.
• Conduct advanced diagnostics and root-cause analysis for equipment issues.
• Coordinate with vendors on major repairs, upgrades, and preventive maintenance.
• Support development and optimization of thin-film deposition processes.
• Utilize metrology tools to characterize film thickness, uniformity, stress, adhesion, and morphology.
• Correlate metrology data with equipment performance and support data-driven process improvements.
• Train users and develop SOPs, safety practices, and maintenance documentation.
• Collaborate with researchers and technicians to align tool performance with process requirements.

Skills

Vacuum systems

Gas delivery systems

Thermal processes

Plasma-based deposition

Diagnostics and troubleshooting

Metrology techniques

SOPs and training

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics

Tools

Ellipsometry

SEM

AFM

XRR

Job description

UT Austin's Microelectronics Research Center seeks an Equipment Engineer for deposition and thermal process development. The role ensures operational and baselined processes, supports integration with lithography and etch areas, and maintains tool uptime across deposition systems.

You will train users, develop SOPs, and collaborate with researchers to optimize thin-film processes, characterize films, and coordinate with vendors for major repairs and upgrades. Immediate start preferred.