Quantum Compute Nanofabrication Engineer

Western Digital Corporation; San Jose, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 216,000 - 288,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Job summary

Western Digital Corporation is seeking a Quantum Compute Nanofabrication Engineer to lead research on superconducting qubits and wafer-scale nanofabrication, spanning design to device packaging and collaboration with metrology teams.

The role requires a PhD with hands-on superconducting qubit experience, proficiency in nanofabrication methods, and strong programming skills. Expect a rigorous, innovative environment in California with competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, or Materials Science with experimental focus on superconducting qubits and nanofabrication.
• Hands-on experience with nanofabrication methods for qubits and metrology.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Rust, TCL or C; FPGA familiarity beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute quantum computing research in superconducting qubit design and nanofabrication from wafer to device packaging.
• Collaborate with metrology teams to monitor lifetimes and wafer-level characterization.
• Publish results and present at conferences; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Quantum computing

Superconducting qubit design

Metrology understanding

Education

PhD in Physics/EE/Materials Science

Tools

Optical lithography

E-beam lithography

Reactive ion etching

Atomic layer etching

Physical vapor deposition

Chemical vapor deposition

Ion beam deposition

SEM

TEM

AFM

XPS

Python

Rust

TCL

C

FPGA programming

Job description

Quantum Compute Nanofabrication Engineer

• Full-time
• Job Type (exemption status): Exempt position - Please see related compensation & benefits details below
• Salary Range: 215,900.00-287,800.00
• Business Function: R&D Engineering

WD is building the infrastructure behind the AI-driven data economy.

As AI scales, so does data. Every interaction, every model, every system generates data that must be stored, managed, and made accessible over time. That’s where we come in.

We combine deep engineering expertise with global-scale manufacturing to deliver the storage systems that make AI possible, powering hyperscale data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise infrastructure worldwide.

This isn’t theoretical work. It’s real systems, at real scale, people solving some of the hardest challenges in technology today.

We’re looking for people who want to build, solve, and operate at that level.

Join us and let’s shape the future of data.

We are seeking a talented researcher to join our team and drive innovative research projects in quantum computing, specifically to focus on quantum compute devices nanofabrication. The key emphasis of the project will be design and nanofabrication of superconducting qubit and QPU test devices, intended for thorough understanding of the links between nanofabrication choices and devices performance, as applied to both flux tunable and fixed frequency qubits nanofabricated in various Al, Nb and Ta-based superconducting qubit systems. The overarching goal of the project is to translate exceptional process uniformity abilities in Western Digital into exceptional resonator and qubit performance uniformity across the wafer, and from wafer to wafer.

In the course of the project, you will collaborate with both room temperature and low temperature DC and RF metrology scientists to accurately measure and monitor realistic population lifetime distributions, and materials scientist working on wafer level characterization, and drive feedback to our quantum device design and implement nanofabrication process. Successful candidates are expected to have deep familiarity with superconducting qubit design, and variety of nanofabrication techniques typically applied to superconducting qubit devices, such as optical and e-beam lithography, reactive ion etching, chemically assisted ion beam etching, atomic layer etching, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, ion beam deposition and other.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead and execute research projects in quantum computing superconducting qubit design and nanofabrication from wafer level nanofabrication, to device packaging, and collaborating with measurement teams in implementing design and nanofabrication process changes to drive continuous improvement

Experience in chip to wafer bonding with superconducting bumps is welcome

Collaborate with product teams to tackle novel challenges and develop innovative solutions.

Collaboration: Stay current with industry and academic trends, publishing papers and presenting at conferences.

Reporting: Develop and present detailed reports and visualizations to communicate findings, trends, and actionable insights to stakeholders at all levels.

Motivation: Highly self-motivated problem solver able to thrive in unstructured environment. Ability to independently pursue fundamental research, including paper writing and publishing.

Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex data and insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Analytical Skills: Demonstrated ability to quickly grasp and address challenges outside of immediate field of expertise.

Required:

Ph.D degree and post-doctoral experience in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science with focus on experimental work on superconducting qubit design, nanofabrication and metrology

Thorough understanding of superconducting qubit design theory

Experience in nanofabrication methods for superconducting qubits

Experience in wafer level metrology, including SEM, TEM, AFM, XPS

Proficiency in a wide array of programming languages, like Python, Rust, TCL, or C, and the ability to choose the right one for the task, including knowledge (or willingness to acquire knowledge) of FPGA based microcontrollers

Notice To Candidates:

Please be aware that WDand its subsidiaries will never request payment as a condition for applying for a position or receiving an offer of employment. Should you encounter any such requests, please report it immediately to WD Ethics Helpline or email [e-mail] .

Based on our experience, we anticipate that the application deadline will 1/9/27, although we reserve the right to close the application process sooner if we hire an applicant for this position before the application deadline. If we are not able to hire someone from this role before the application deadline, we will update this posting with a new anticipated application deadline.

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Compensation & Benefits Details

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.
• Thesalaryrange is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New Yorkor remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.
• If your position is non-exempt, you are eligible for overtime pay pursuant to company policy and applicable laws. You may also be eligible for shift differential pay, depending on the shift to which you are assigned.

You will be eligible to be considered for bonuses undereither WD’s Short Term Incentive Plan(“STI Plan”) or theSales Incentive Plan(“SIP”) which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance, depending on your role and your performance. You may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to WD's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program; employee stock purchase plan; and the WD Savings 401(k) Plan.
• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

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