Staff Thin-Film & Metallization Engineer — 24x7 Production

NOKIA

Sunnyvale (CA)

On-site

USD 130,000 - 190,000

Full time

5 days ago

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Job summary

Nokia Optical Networks in Sunnyvale, CA seeks a Staff Process Engineer to lead development, qualification, and sustainment of thin film and metallization deposition processes for InP photonic integrated circuits. You will work hands-on with deposition equipment and collaborate with device, integration, lithography, reliability, and manufacturing teams to deliver robust, manufacturable solutions.

The role requires deep expertise in PECVD, PVD, electroplating, and vacuum depositions, plus strong

Qualifications

M.S. or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or a related discipline.
B.S. degree with 5+ years of semiconductor, photonics, or advanced manufacturing experience.
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.

Responsibilities

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.