Dry Etch Process Engineer for Next-Gen HDD

Headway Technologies Inc; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 178,000; Full time

Job summary

Headway Technologies Inc. in Milpitas, CA is seeking a Dry Etch Manufacturing Engineer. You will develop and implement dry etch processes (RIE, IBE, ashing) for next-gen magnetic recording heads, design wafer experiments, analyze data, and report results.

You will drive cost reduction and yield improvements while transitioning new products into production. The role requires collaboration with process/product engineering, equipment teams, and suppliers.

Qualifications

• Experience with Statistical Process Control (SPC) in manufacturing.
• Knowledge of wafer fabrication processing and integration practices.
• Familiarity with data analysis tools (Excel, JMP; VBA as needed).
• Strong communication and collaboration across teams.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements dry/plasma etch processes for next-gen heads.
• Reviews characterization data (TEM, SEM, FIB) for root-cause analysis.
• Implements process control schemes to ensure manufacturability.
• Transition new products into production with proper documentation.
• Collaborates with equipment/maintenance to minimize downtime and integrate tools.

Skills

SPC knowledge

Wafer fab experience

Data analysis

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Physics, or Electrical Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Excel

JMP

VBA

Job description

Headway Technologies Inc. in Milpitas, CA is seeking a Dry Etch Manufacturing Engineer. You will develop and implement dry etch processes (RIE, IBE, ashing) for next-gen magnetic recording heads, design wafer experiments, analyze data, and report results.

You will drive cost reduction and yield improvements while transitioning new products into production. The role requires collaboration with process/product engineering, equipment teams, and suppliers.