Principal Foundry Engineer

Lattice Semiconductor Corp; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Lattice Semiconductor is seeking a Staff/Principal Foundry Engineer to lead transfer and qualification of products on Samsung 28FDS FD-SOI. You will interface with Samsung Austin, Korea teams, and Lattice foundry engineers to ensure process quality, yield, and reliability.

Strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration and program leadership is required. The ideal candidate will manage multi-year transfer programs, drive process window experiments, and coordinate with Design, Test, and

Qualifications

• MS in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field; 10+ years of semiconductor process or foundry eng. experience.
• Hands-on with advanced CMOS or FD-SOI at 28nm node or below; deep device physics and fabrication knowledge.
• Experience leading multi-year foundry transfer or qualification programs with cross-functional ownership.

Responsibilities

• Lead transfer and qualification across Samsung Austin and Korea teams; drive program plans, milestones and risk registers.
• Own end-to-end process transfer, baseline qualification, corner validation and PVT characterization.
• Drive lot starts, wafer splits, and process window experiments; validate changes for product impact; support ramp to volume.

Skills

FD-SOI 28nm

Process Transfer

Yield Engineering

WAT Analysis

Data Analytics

Cross-functional

Education

MS in Electrical/Materials Eng

Tools

JMP

Python

Job description

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 products

Additional Information:

This position requires a successful background and reference checks and satisfactory proof of your right to work in: United States of America Lattice recognizes that employees are its greatest asset and the driving force behind success in a highly competitive, global industry. Lattice continually strives to provide a comprehensive compensation and benefits program to attract, retain, motivate, reward and celebrate the highest caliber employees in the industry. Lattice is an international, service-driven developer of innovative low cost, low power programmable design solutions. Our global workforce, some 1,000 strong, shares a total commitment to customer success and an unbending will to win. For more information about how our FPGA, CPLD and programmable power management devices help our customers unlock their innovation, visit www.latticesemi.com. You can also follow us via Twitter, Facebook, or RSS. At Lattice, we value the diversity of individuals, ideas, perspectives, insights and values, and what they bring to the workplace. Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. As an E-Verify employer, we use this system to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires in accordance with federal law. All applicants will be required to complete a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, upon hire. We do not use E-Verify to pre-screen job candidates and will comply with all E-Verify regulations. At Lattice, our core values aren’t just something we look for in candidates – they’re something we actively cultivate and live by every day. GROWTH We foster a culture where everyone strives for continuous learning and development. We challenge ourselves to boldly deliver exceptional growth and value for customers and shareholders. RELIABILITY Our customers trust us to deliver, and we take that responsibility seriously. By committing ourselves to dependable supply, support, and solutions, we build strong collaboration that lasts and thrives. EXECUTION Innovation turns great ideas into results. Together, we create differentiated products and solutions through disciplined planning, decisiveness, and timely delivery with uncompromising quality. ACCOUNTABILITY We own our actions and outcomes: holding ourselves to the highest standards, agilely adapting to change, delivering on our commitments, and empowering each other to drive our success. TRANSPARENCY Openness builds trust. We lead with integrity and candor, facing hard facts and embracing tough conversations with clear communication, decisive action, and open honesty at every level. Lattice is strengthening is leadership in compute, communications, industrial, and embedded markets – underscored by multiple award wins that recognize its innovation, leadership, workplace culture, and collaboration-driven solutions. Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ: LSCC) is the low power programmable leader. For over 40 years, Lattice has driven innovation in the semiconductor industry. Our compact, power-efficient field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are essential to building a secure, intelligent, and connected world. Lattice is the #1 supplier of small FPGAs worldwide, with the largest installed base in the industry. Our solutions are trusted by over 11,000 customers globally, spanning the compute, communications, industrial, and embedded markets. Founded in 1983 in Oregon’s Silicon Forest, Lattice has grown into a global leader with a passionate team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of programmable logic and fostering a culture of innovation. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon with major operations in San Jose, California, Shanghai, China, and Manilla, Philippines.