Principal Wafer Bonding Integration & Packaging Engineer

thrively; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrively is seeking a Principal Wafer Bonding Integration & Packaging Engineer to own advanced wafer bonding, process integration, packaging development, and manufacturing transfer.

You will collaborate with internal teams and external foundries to deliver manufacturable, scalable bonding solutions and drive yield improvements, DOE-driven process characterization, and transition of technologies into production.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Materials Science, Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• 10+ years of semiconductor product development and packaging experience.
• Hands-on bonding technologies: fusion, eutectic, hybrid, direct bonding.

Responsibilities

• Own bonding integration strategy from development to manufacturing ramp.
• Define bonding windows, alignment, thermal budgets, and material compatibility.
• Lead process transfers and qualification activities with external foundries.
• Drive yield improvements through DOE, SPC, and root-cause analysis.

Skills

Wafer bonding

Process integration

Yield improvement

DOE & SPC

Education

BS in Materials Science / related

MS/PhD in related field

Tools

SEM

IR inspection

Profilometry

C-SAM

AFM

Job description

Principal Wafer Bonding Integration & Packaging Engineer

About the Opportunity

Thrively is partnering with a well-funded, rapidly growing deep-tech company developing next-generation semiconductor and photonics technology for high-performance computing and AI infrastructure.

As the company moves from advanced product development toward commercialization and volume manufacturing, we're looking for a Principal Wafer Bonding Integration & Packaging Engineer to take technical ownership of advanced wafer bonding, process integration, packaging development, and manufacturing transfer.

This is a highly cross-functional role at the intersection of wafer process integration, advanced packaging, product engineering, and semiconductor manufacturing. You'll work closely with internal engineering teams and external foundry and manufacturing partners to develop robust bonding and packaging solutions, solve complex integration challenges, and transition new technologies successfully into production.

We're particularly interested in engineers who combine deep technical expertise with a product mindset—people who understand not only how to develop an advanced wafer bonding or packaging process, but how to integrate it into a complete product architecture and make it manufacturable, repeatable, reliable, and scalable.

Candidates with backgrounds in wafer process integration, advanced packaging, MEMS, silicon photonics, heterogeneous integration, 3D integration, or semiconductor technical service engineering are encouraged to apply.

What You'll Do

Wafer Bonding & Process Integration

• Own wafer bonding integration strategy from early product development through manufacturing ramp.
• Develop and optimize advanced wafer bonding processes, including:
• Fusion bonding
• Eutectic bonding
• Hybrid bonding
• Direct wafer bonding
• Define and optimize bonding process windows, alignment strategies, thermal budgets, and material compatibility.
• Drive surface preparation, cleaning, activation, CMP requirements, and post-bond processing.
• Develop integration strategies that account for both bonding performance and downstream manufacturing requirements.
• Collaborate with packaging, process integration, and product engineering teams on bonded wafer architectures.

Product Development & Manufacturing Transfer

• Partner with design engineering, process development teams, and external manufacturing partners to establish robust manufacturing flows.
• Lead process transfer and qualification activities.
• Drive process readiness for new product introductions.
• Support engineering builds, qualifications, production ramps, and continuous process improvement.
• Ensure bonding processes meet yield, quality, reliability, manufacturability, and schedule requirements.

Foundry Collaboration

• Serve as a key technical interface with external semiconductor foundries and fabrication partners.
• Coordinate engineering experiments, process characterization, and process development activities.
• Support tape-outs, process qualifications, and manufacturing ramps.
• Review process data, SPC metrics, excursions, and corrective actions with manufacturing partners.
• Drive improvements in yield, manufacturability, reliability, and cost.

Yield Improvement & Failure Analysis

• Analyze wafer-level metrology and inspection data to identify process limitations and failure mechanisms.
• Lead root cause investigations involving bonding defects such as:
• Voids
• Delamination
• Bond strength failures
• Partner with failure analysis teams and external manufacturing partners to implement corrective actions.
• Use DOE, SPC, statistical analysis, and structured problem-solving methodologies to improve process capability and yield.

What We're Looking For

• BS, MS, or PhD in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, MEMS, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant semiconductor product development, process integration, advanced packaging, or CMOS manufacturing experience.
• Hands‑on product development experience with one or more advanced wafer bonding technologies, such as:
• Fusion bonding
• Eutectic bonding
• Hybrid bonding
• Direct bonding
• Experience with technologies such as TSV integration, wafer thinning, cavity SOI, heterogeneous integration, or 3D integration.
• Experience taking semiconductor technologies through NPI and manufacturing ramp.
• Strong understanding of wafer‑level process integration and manufacturing interactions.
• Experience working directly with semiconductor foundries or external manufacturing partners.
• Strong knowledge of DOE, SPC, process characterization, statistical analysis, and yield improvement.

Nice to Have

• Experience with MEMS, silicon photonics, advanced packaging, or heterogeneous integration.
• Technical Service Engineering experience supporting semiconductor customers or foundries.
• Experience with wafer‑level metrology and analytical techniques such as SEM, IR inspection, profilometry, C‑SAM, AFM, or similar tools.
• Experience leading cross‑functional engineering efforts across design, manufacturing, suppliers, and external partners.
• Working knowledge of 8D, FMEA, Six Sigma, and structured root cause methodologies.

Why This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to join a well‑funded deep‑tech company at an important inflection point as it transitions sophisticated semiconductor technology from development into commercialization and scalable manufacturing.

You’ll have broad technical ownership, direct influence over critical manufacturing processes, and the opportunity to solve challenging integration problems alongside an experienced multidisciplinary engineering team.

This environment will suit someone who enjoys building rather than maintaining—an engineer who is comfortable with ambiguity, likes getting hands‑on with difficult technical problems, and wants their work to have a direct impact on bringing a new technology to market.