Principal Foundry Engineer

Lattice Semiconductor Corp.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Lattice Semiconductor Corp. seeks a Staff/Principal Foundry Engineer to lead the transfer and qualification of products on Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI. You will coordinate with Samsung Austin and global teams, drive process quality, yield, and reliability, and own multi-year transfer programs end-to-end.

You will manage data analytics, correlate process changes with device performance, and guide product qualification with Reliability and QA teams to ensure production readiness.

Qualifications

• Proven semiconductor process knowledge and device physics understanding.
• Experience with FD-SOI or CMOS processes at 28nm or below.
• Ability to lead cross-functional transfer and qualification programs.
• Strong reliability testing experience (HTOL, TDDB, EM) and AEC familiarity.
• Excellent communication and project-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead engagement with Samsung Austin/Korea and cross-functional teams.
• Own end-to-end process transfer, qualification, and ramp to production.
• Drive yield improvement, process window optimization, and SPC monitoring.
• Coordinate failure analysis and 8D/CAR responses with FA resources.
• Provide data-driven reporting and strategic updates to leadership.

Skills

Semiconductor process

FD-SOI 28nm

Yield engineering

WAT analysis

Reliability testing

Education

MS in Electrical Engineering or Materials Science

Tools

JMP

Python

Job description

## Principal Foundry EngineerApply: Austin, TX: California - Remote: Full time: Posted 2 Days Ago: R-103272# **Lattice Overview**There is energy here...energy you can feel crackling at any of our international locations. It’s an energy generated by enthusiasm for our work, for our teams, for our results, and for our customers. Lattice is a worldwide community of engineers, designers, and manufacturing operations specialists in partnership with world-class sales, marketing, and support teams, who are developing programmable logic solutions that are changing the industry. Our focus is on R&D, product innovation, and customer service, and to that focus, we bring total commitment and a keenly sharp competitive personality.Energy feeds on energy. If you flourish in a fast paced, results-oriented environment, if you want to achieve individual success within a “team first” organization, and if you believe you can contribute and succeed in a demanding yet collegial atmosphere, then Lattice may well be just what you’re looking for.**Job Description:****About the Role** Lattice Semiconductor is seeking a **Staff/Principal Foundry Engineer** to lead and manage the transfer and qualification of our products on Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI process technology. This role requires strong semiconductor process knowledge, device physics understanding, and the ability to drive cross-functional programs across Lattice internal teams. The ideal candidate operates with a high degree of autonomy, will serve as the primary interface between Lattice's distributed foundry engineering teams (US and Taiwan) and Samsung's Austin fab, ensuring process quality, yield, and reliability standards are met.**Key Responsibilities** ***Foundry Engagement & Program Management*** * Lead technical engagement with Samsung Austin (primary) and Samsung Korea teams; coordinate with Lattice foundry engineers across US and Taiwan sites* Drive foundry suppliers to meet company yield, quality, and reliability goals* Define and maintain program plans, milestone trackers, and risk registers across transfer and sustaining phases* Provide clear, concise status reporting to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders* Travel regularly to Samsung Austin fab ***Process Transfer & Product Qualification*** * Own end-to-end process transfer and qualification, including baseline qualification, process corner validation, and PVT characterization* Lead product qualification activities in collaboration with the Reliability team* Drive lot starts, wafer splits, and process window experiments; perform WAT analysis to validate process baselines* Evaluate and qualify Samsung-initiated process changes, material substitutions, or equipment updates for product impact* Support new product ramp-up activities to volume production ***Yield Engineering & Sustaining*** * Own post-transfer sustaining activities including yield improvement, process window optimization, and SPC monitoring on production silicon* Analyze WAT, inline, and final test data to identify process drift, yield loss mechanisms, and reliability risks; drive root cause and corrective action with Samsung process owners* Perform product process corner and design window studies to optimize process targets* Collaborate with Design, Product Test, and Failure Analysis teams to debug and root cause systematic yield issues ***Failure Analysis & Quality*** * Coordinate failure analysis efforts across internal teams and Samsung FA resources* Perform product failure diagnosis for yield debug and failure localization, including bitmap analysis* Support customer-facing quality escalations including 8D and CAR responses ***Data Analysis & Reporting*** * Apply advanced analytics and statistical methodologies to maximize yields, lower costs, and prevent quality excursions* Interface with cross-functional teams including R&D, Quality and Reliability, Manufacturing Test, Product Engineering, and Operations to deliver high-quality products and meet key metrics**Required Qualifications*** M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related discipline or above* 10+ years of semiconductor process or foundry engineering experience, prior experience in a fabless semiconductor company managing an external foundry relationship a plus* Hands-on experience with advanced CMOS or FD-SOI process technologies at 28nm node or below, including strong understanding of device physics, fabrication processes, and their interactions with circuit behavior* Strong knowledge of FD-SOI device physics including back-bias tuning, body effects, leakage, and variability* Experience with product qualification and reliability testing (HTOL, TDDB, EM); familiarity with AEC-Q100 for automotive applications* Demonstrated experience with WAT parametric analysis, yield engineering, SPC, and failure diagnosis and analysis coordination; familiarity with technology design rules, DFM, and layout-based yield analysis tools* Understanding of semiconductor product test flow and ability to engage effectively with manufacturing test and product engineering teams* Experience leading multi-year foundry transfer or qualification programs with cross-functional ownership; ability to manage multiple concurrent programs and priorities* Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey technical concepts clearly to both technical and business audiences **Preferred Qualifications*** Direct experience with Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI process technology* Experience working with Samsung Foundry engineering or process teams* Prior Failure Analysis experience* Proficiency in JMP, Python, or equivalent tools for large-scale data analysis* Familiarity with Lattice FPGA architecture or programmable logic productsIn addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for variable/ incentive compensation and/ or equity. In addition, this role is eligible for a comprehensive, competitive benefits package which may include healthcare and retirement plans, paid time off, and more!