Staff Process Engineer - Thin Film & Metal Deposition

NOKIA; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Nokia Optical Networks in the United States is seeking a Staff Process Engineer - Thin Film & Metal Deposition to lead development and sustainment of InP photonic device deposition processes. You will work hands-on with PECVD, PVD, electroplating, and related vacuum technologies in a 24x7 manufacturing environment.

You will collaborate with device, integration, lithography, reliability, and manufacturing teams to drive defect reduction, yield improvements, and process capability using DOE,

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a technical field with related experience.
• Proven experience in thin film deposition and metallization processes.
• Experience with semiconductor process development, integration, yield improvement, and production support.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, and sustain thin film and metallization processes.
• Own and optimize deposition processes including PECVD, PVD sputtering, evaporation, electroplating.
• Support deposition of dielectric and metallic optical and electrical functional films.
• Lead development and optimization of electrochemical deposition processes.
• Drive defect reduction, yield improvement, and process capability enhancements using DOE, SPC, and analytics.

Skills

DOE

SPC

Data analytics

Troubleshooting

AI tools

Education

MS/PhD in Materials Science

BS with 5+ years experience

Tools

PECVD

PVD sputtering

E-beam evaporation

Thermal evaporation

Electroplating

ALD

Job description

At Nokia Optical Networks, advanced photonic technologies become scalable products powering the world's communication infrastructure. Our team develops and manufactures cutting-edge Indium Phosphide (InP) Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) that enable coherent optics, high-speed transceivers, tunable lasers, optical amplifiers, and next-generation networking solutions.

As a Staff Process Engineer - Thin Film & Metal Deposition, you will lead the development, optimization, qualification, and sustainment of deposition processes critical to advanced photonic device manufacturing. You will work hands-on with deposition equipment, chamber hardware, materials, and metrology systems while collaborating with device, integration, lithography, etch, reliability, and manufacturing teams to develop robust, manufacturable process solutions.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong technical leadership, a high degree of ownership, enthusiasm for manufacturing excellence, and the ability to provide fast, effective support for a 24x7 production operation.

• Develop, qualify, and sustain thin film and metallization processes supporting InP photonic integrated circuit manufacturing.
• Own and optimize deposition processes including PECVD, PVD sputtering, evaporation, electroplating, and other vacuum-based deposition technologies.
• Support deposition of dielectric and metallic optical and electrical functional films.
• Lead development and optimization of electrochemical deposition processes, including plating chemistry control, bath maintenance, current density optimization, deposition rate control, thickness uniformity, stress management, and defect reduction
• Optimize critical process metrics including film thickness, within-wafer uniformity, refractive index, stress, adhesion, sheet resistance, contact resistance, composition, and defectivity.
• Develop robust metallization processes for lasers, modulators, SOAs, photodiodes, RF structures, and passive optical components.
• Drive defect reduction, yield improvement, and process capability enhancement using DOE, SPC, advanced analytics, and statistical process control methodologies.
• Perform root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions for process excursions, film quality issues, equipment failures, and integration-related challenges.
• Analyze processes from a first-principles, physics-based approach to understand and manipulate mechanisms, not just recipes
• Collaborate closely with lithography, wet etch, dry etch, device engineering, integration, reliability, and manufacturing teams to optimize overall process performance.
• Lead evaluations of new materials, process technologies, deposition hardware, and equipment upgrades.
• Partner with equipment vendors and material suppliers on chamber matching, hardware improvements, reliability enhancements, and cost-of-ownership initiatives.
• Support technology transfer from development into production while maintaining process stability and manufacturability.
• Provide rapid response and technical leadership during process excursions and production-impacting events.
• Support a 24x7 manufacturing environment through issue escalation, troubleshooting, and on-call support when required.
• Utilize AI-enabled engineering tools, automation, and advanced data analytics to improve process development efficiency and manufacturing performance.

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
• B.S. degree with 5+ years of semiconductor, photonics, or advanced manufacturing experience will also be considered.
• Strong experience in thin film deposition, metallization, and related semiconductor fabrication processes.
• Experience with semiconductor process development, integration, yield improvement, and production support.
• Working knowledge of vacuum systems, deposition equipment, process control methodologies, and materials characterization techniques.
• Demonstrated experience using DOE, SPC, JMP, statistical analysis, and data-driven problem solving.
• Strong ownership mindset with demonstrated ability to drive projects independently and deliver measurable business impact.
• Excellent troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively and respond quickly to manufacturing challenges.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills in cross-functional technical environments.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled engineering tools and modern data analytics methods.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with PECVD, PVD sputtering, e-beam evaporation, thermal evaporation, electroplating, ALD, or related deposition technologies.
• Experience with InP, GaAs, silicon photonics, III-V semiconductors, and optical device manufacturing.
• Understanding of optical device requirements including film stress control, refractive index control, optical loss reduction, adhesion, and long-term reliability.
• Experience developing Au-based metallization systems for photonic and optoelectronic devices.
• Familiarity with semiconductor characterization techniques including ellipsometry, profilometry, four-point probe, SEM, AFM, XRF, XRD, and film stress measurements.
• Experience with new equipment acceptance, qualification, process transfer, and factory ramp activities.
• Experience supporting high-volume manufacturing environments.
• Experience collaborating with equipment suppliers and technology partners on joint development activities.
• Passion for manufacturing excellence and continuous improvement.
• Proven success balancing long-term technology development objectives with urgent production support requirements.