Focal Plane Engineer: Infrared Sensor & Manufacturing

HRL Laboratories; Camarillo (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Life insurance

401K match

Gym facilities

PTO

Sick time

Job summary

HRL Laboratories is seeking a Focal Plane Engineer to act as the primary technical interface for process and product development, supporting our internal foundry and driving excellence across the full manufacturing lifecycle.

You will develop semiconductor processes for infrared devices, manage FPA manufacturing plans, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve cost, yield, and manufacturability while ensuring rigorous documentation and stakeholder alignment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field with 5+ years of fabrication process experience.
• Experience interfacing with customers and program stakeholders and translating needs into technical requirements.
• Hands‑on experience with cleanroom fabrication and semiconductor process development.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor device physics and translating performance requirements into process specs.
• Experience analyzing manufacturing data, including SPC/DOE and statistical analysis using JMP or similar tools.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to technical teams and stakeholders.
• Proven collaboration across functions and driving sustained improvements.

Responsibilities

• Develop semiconductor processes and integration for infrared device architectures and FPA manufacturing.
• Manage FPA manufacturing plans; baselined and approved by stakeholders.
• Evaluate and optimize process routes; drive cost, yield, and manufacturability improvements.
• Document processes, prepare reports, review inline metrology and data, and perform root cause analysis.
• Provide RCCA leadership; troubleshoot issues with recovery plans.
• Support mask design and tape-out; define process design rules and reviews.
• Collaborate with subcontractors and vendors on process transfer and issue resolution.
• Monitor build progress, WIP, and configurations; identify efficiency opportunities.
• Apply cost, schedule, and risk management to development and manufacturing.
• Partner with cross-disciplinary teams to deliver scalable, manufacturable solutions.
• Use data-driven analysis to identify improvements and drive timely resolutions.
• Serve as technical interface to customers and program stakeholders; translate needs into priorities.

Skills

Fabrication process

Cleanroom fabrication

Semiconductor device physics

Data analysis (SPC/DOE)

Customer/stakeholder interfacing

Cross-functional collaboration

Process development

Programming environments/databases

Education

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Materials Science or Electrical Engineering

Tools

JMP

Job description

HRL Laboratories is seeking a Focal Plane Engineer to act as the primary technical interface for process and product development, supporting our internal foundry and driving excellence across the full manufacturing lifecycle.

You will develop semiconductor processes for infrared devices, manage FPA manufacturing plans, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve cost, yield, and manufacturability while ensuring rigorous documentation and stakeholder alignment.