Senior Manufacturing Engineer – Thin Film Engineering (PVD, PECVD, ALD & RIE)

Ensurge Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensurge Micropower in California seeks a Senior Manufacturing Engineer (IC) to own and scale the Thin-Film Engineering processes — deposition (PVD/Sputtering, PECVD, ALD) and etch (RIE) — from pilot through early production. This role is not just about process — it is about delivering manufacturing results.

Lead tool qualification, process acceptance, and scale-up; ensure throughput, precision, and repeatability; drive SPC and data-driven manufacturing to improve yield and uptime as the system

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years in manufacturing engineering with thin-film deposition and etch (PVD/sputtering, PECVD, ALD and/or RIE) in battery, semiconductor, or thin-film industries
• Proven experience owning manufacturing processes on the floor
• Strong track record of driving yield and throughput improvements
• Experience supporting or leading pilot → production scale-up
• Hands‑on mindset — comfortable working directly with equipment, technicians, and operators
• Working knowledge of thin‑film characterization techniques (e.g., ellipsometry, profilometry, XRD, SEM) and their use in validating and controlling deposition processes
• Understanding of film stress engineering, plasma physics, RF coupling, and DC self‑bias
• Understanding of plasma etch chemistry, selectivity, anisotropy, and endpoint detection (RIE/ICP‑RIE)
• Familiarity with ALD precursor chemistry, self-limiting surface reactions, and pulse/purge sequencing
• Vacuum systems and chamber conditioning experience
• Experience with image‑based film/defect characterization (SEM, optical microscopy) and correlating characterization data back to process control limits
• Experience with MES, traceability systems, or data‑driven manufacturing

Responsibilities

• Own daily manufacturing performance for the PVD/Sputtering, PECVD, ALD, and RIE process areas
• Drive output, yield, uptime, and cycle time
• Support production directly — troubleshooting issues in real time
• Partner with Operations to ensure line execution meets plan
• Convert R&D processes into repeatable, production-ready workflows
• Define and lock critical process parameters (CPPs) — e.g., chamber pressure, Ar/process gas flow, RF/DC power, substrate bias, deposition rate, film stress and thickness uniformity targets (PVD/PECVD); precursor/co-reactant pulse and purge times, cycle count, growth per cycle (GPC), and substrate temperature (ALD); RF power, gas chemistry (e.g., CF4/O2/Cl2), etch rate, selectivity, sidewall profile/anisotropy, DC bias, and endpoint detection (RIE)
• Define and lock control limits and OCAPs
• Ensure processes are robust, stable, and scalable
• Work with Equipment Engineering to define tool requirements (sputter cathodes/targets, PECVD chambers, ALD reactors and precursor delivery systems, RIE/ICP-RIE chambers and endpoint detection systems, RF/DC power supplies, vacuum, gas delivery, and abatement/scrubber systems)
• Improve reliability and uptime
• Implement process-driven upgrades
• Lead tool qualification and process acceptance
• Ensure equipment supports throughput, precision, and repeatability
• Own flow from substrate input to deposition/etch to downstream handoff to assembly
• Reduce bottlenecks, WIP, and inefficiencies
• Improve line balance and production scheduling alignment
• Support layout and flow improvements as the system scales
• Partner with Quality to implement SPC and process control on film thickness, stress, uniformity, and conformality
• Film characterization (ellipsometry, profilometry, XRD, SEM/AFM, four-point probe) to validate deposition results against CPPs
• Traceability and data capture
• Build and maintain SOPs, process specs, control plans, and ensure manufacturing is data-driven and auditable
• Lead structured RCA on yield loss, defects, downtime; use characterization data (SEM, XRD, cross-section imaging) to root-cause excursions
• Implement sustainable fixes — not workarounds
• Drive continuous improvement aligned to operational excellence principles (standardwork, DMS, etc.)

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Thin-film deposition

RIE/etch

Equipment troubleshooting

Data-driven manufacturing

Tools

PVD/Sputtering

PECVD

ALD

RIE/ICP-RIE

SEM/XRD

Job description

About Ensurge Micropower

Ensurge Micropower (OSE: ENSU) is a pioneer in solid-state microbattery technology, enabling the next generation of intelligent, connected devices. Leveraging proprietary thin-film and roll-to-roll manufacturing, Ensurge delivers safe, high-energy-density batteries for wearables, health tech, industrial sensing, and defense applications. As our technology transitions from development to production, disciplined manufacturing execution becomes the differentiator.

Role Overview

Ensurge is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer (IC) to own and scale the Thin-Film Engineering processes — deposition (PVD/Sputtering, PECVD, ALD) and etch (RIE) — from pilot through early production. This role is not just about process — it is about delivering manufacturing results.

Responsibilities

• Own daily manufacturing performance for the PVD/Sputtering, PECVD, ALD, and RIE process areas
• Drive output, yield, uptime, and cycle time
• Support production directly — troubleshooting issues in real time
• Partner with Operations to ensure line execution meets plan
• Convert R&D processes into repeatable, production-ready workflows
• Define and lock critical process parameters (CPPs) — e.g., chamber pressure, Ar/process gas flow, RF/DC power, substrate bias, deposition rate, film stress and thickness uniformity targets (PVD/PECVD); precursor/co-reactant pulse and purge times, cycle count, growth per cycle (GPC), and substrate temperature (ALD); RF power, gas chemistry (e.g., CF4/O2/Cl2), etch rate, selectivity, sidewall profile/anisotropy, DC bias, and endpoint detection (RIE)
• Define and lock control limits and OCAPs
• Ensure processes are robust, stable, and scalable
• Work with Equipment Engineering to define tool requirements (sputter cathodes/targets, PECVD chambers, ALD reactors and precursor delivery systems, RIE/ICP-RIE chambers and endpoint detection systems, RF/DC power supplies, vacuum, gas delivery, and abatement/scrubber systems)
• Improve reliability and uptime
• Implement process-driven upgrades
• Lead tool qualification and process acceptance
• Ensure equipment supports throughput, precision, and repeatability
• Own flow from substrate input to deposition/etch to downstream handoff to assembly
• Reduce bottlenecks, WIP, and inefficiencies
• Improve line balance and production scheduling alignment
• Support layout and flow improvements as the system scales
• Partner with Quality to implement SPC and process control on film thickness, stress, uniformity, and conformality
• Film characterization (ellipsometry, profilometry, XRD, SEM/AFM, four-point probe) to validate deposition results against CPPs
• Traceability and data capture
• Build and maintain SOPs, process specs, control plans, and ensure manufacturing is data-driven and auditable
• Lead structured RCA on yield loss, defects, downtime; use characterization data (SEM, XRD, cross-section imaging) to root-cause excursions
• Implement sustainable fixes — not workarounds
• Drive continuous improvement aligned to operational excellence principles (standardwork, DMS, etc.)

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years in manufacturing engineering with thin-film deposition and etch (PVD/sputtering, PECVD, ALD and/or RIE) in battery, semiconductor, or thin-film industries
• Proven experience owning manufacturing processes on the floor
• Strong track record of driving yield and throughput improvements
• Experience supporting or leading pilot → production scale-up
• Hands‑on mindset — comfortable working directly with equipment, technicians, and operators
• Working knowledge of thin‑film characterization techniques (e.g., ellipsometry, profilometry, XRD, SEM) and their use in validating and controlling deposition processes
• Understanding of film stress engineering, plasma physics, RF coupling, and DC self‑bias
• Understanding of plasma etch chemistry, selectivity, anisotropy, and endpoint detection (RIE/ICP‑RIE)
• Familiarity with ALD precursor chemistry, self‑limiting surface reactions, and pulse/purge sequencing
• Vacuum systems and chamber conditioning experience
• Experience with image‑based film/defect characterization (SEM, optical microscopy) and correlating characterization data back to process control limits
• Experience with MES, traceability systems, or data‑driven manufacturing

Salary Range

$162,000-$198,000

The base salary range is specific to California. The salary of the final candidate selected for this role will be determined by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training.