Wafer Fab Supervisor

semtech; California; On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Semtech is seeking a Wafer Fab Supervisor in Rowland, CA to lead a team of process technicians across InP BH DFB laser and BH GC production lines. You will prioritize daily fabrication activities, manage tool capacity, and ensure safe, on-schedule, high-yield operations in a III-V cleanroom environment.

The role requires hands-on production experience across lithography, PECVD, etch, and metallization, with 8–12 years in semiconductor/photonics, plus 2–3 years in a leadership capacity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, or related technical field preferred; associate degree with equivalent experience considered
• 8 - 12 years of experience in semiconductor/photonics wafer processing, with direct III-V/InP process experience
• 2 - 3 years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or team leadership role in a wafer fab or similar high-volume manufacturing environment
• Hands-on production experience across all wafer fab process areas (photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, and metallization) required, with direct III-V/InP experience in each

Responsibilities

• Plan and direct daily wafer fab production across photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, and metallization to meet targets for InP BH DFB laser and BH GC products
• Set lot priorities and sequence hot lots, engineering wafers, and standard production lots in coordination with Production Planning
• Conduct shift handoffs and daily production meetings, track WIP, tool status, and line constraints to resolve bottlenecks
• Coordinate tool downtime, preventive maintenance, and repair priorities with Equipment Engineering to protect schedule
• Oversee supplies, consumables, and chemical and gas inventory for fab areas
• Review lot travelers, process records, and hold/release dispositions to ensure proper documentation
• Lead, schedule, and assign work to technicians and operators across shifts
• Provide coaching, conduct performance reviews, address issues with HR
• Develop training and certification programs including cross-training
• Participate in hiring and onboarding of fab technicians and operators
• Promote ownership and open communication across the team
• Ensure adherence to POR, recipes, and work instructions; review SPC charts and corrective actions
• Direct escalation for process excursions and drift; drive root-cause investigations
• Monitor yield, defects, and rework trends; prioritize improvement actions
• Support DOEs, process qualifications, and NPI runs by scheduling resources
• Enforce EHS requirements and maintain cleanroom protocols
• Lead continuous improvement projects to improve throughput, cycle time, yield, and costs
• Maintain production metrics and communicate performance to fab management

Skills

Leadership

Production planning

wafer fab operations

Team supervision

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

8-12 years semiconductor/photonics experience

Tools

MES/production tracking

Process documentation

Job description

Location: Rowland, CA (Onsite)

Position Summary: The Wafer Fab Supervisor leads a team of process technicians and operators responsible for daily wafer fabrication operations across InP photonic device lines, specifically InP Buried Heterostructure (BH) DFB lasers and BH Gain Chips (GC). This role is accountable for safe, on-schedule, high-yield production across the fab process modules - photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, and metallization - including the Mesa etch and MOCVD epitaxial regrowth support steps used to form the buried heterostructure. The Supervisor sets daily priorities, balances staffing and tool capacity, and ensures strict Process-of-Record (POR) discipline in a III-V cleanroom environment.

Responsibilities

Production Operations Management:

• Plan and direct daily wafer fab production across photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, and metallization to meet weekly and monthly wafer-out, throughput, and cycle-time targets for InP BH DFB laser and BH GC products
• Set lot priorities and sequence hot lots, engineering wafers, and standard production lots in coordination with Production Planning to sustain high tool utilization
• Conduct shift handoffs and daily production meetings, and track work-in-process, tool status, and line constraints to proactively resolve bottlenecks
• Coordinate tool downtime, preventive maintenance, and repair priorities with Equipment Engineering to protect production schedule adherence
• Oversee supplies, consumables, and chemical and gas inventory for the fab areas, and escal…
• Review lot travelers, process records, and hold/release dispositions to ensure complete and accurate lot documentation

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, schedule, and assign work to technicians and operators to maintain proper coverage across fab process areas and shifts
• Set clear performance expectations, provide regular coaching and feedback, and complete performance reviews; address performance and attendance issues in partnership with Human Resources
• Develop and maintain a training and certification program, including cross-training to build flexible coverage across litho, thin film, etch, and metallization modules
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and retention of fab technicians and operators
• Promote a culture of ownership, accountability, and open communication across the team

Process Control, Yield & Troubleshooting Oversight:

• Ensure adherence to POR, recipes, and work instructions, and review SPC charts and out-of-control events with process owners to confirm timely corrective action
• Direct escalation and response for process excursions and drift, and partner with Process Engineering to drive root-cause investigation and verified corrective actions
• Monitor yield, defect, and rework trends and work with Process Engineering and Quality to prioritize improvement actions
• Support DOEs, process qualifications, and NPI process runs by scheduling resources and coordinating tool and lot availability

Safety, Compliance & Continuous Improvement:

• Enforce EHS requirements for chemical, process gas, and precious metal handling, cleanroom protocols, and equipment lockout/tagout; lead safety briefings and incident reporting and follow-up
• Ensure compliance with quality system, document control, and training record requirements
• Lead continuous improvement projects to improve throughput, cycle time, yield, cost, and cleanroom efficiency
• Maintain accurate production metrics and communicate performance, risks, and resource needs to fab management

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, or related technical field preferred; associate degree with equivalent experience considered
• 8 - 12 years of experience in semiconductor/photonics wafer processing, with direct III-V/InP process experience
• 2 - 3 years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or team leadership role in a wafer fab or similar high-volume manufacturing environment
• Hands-on production experience across all wafer fab process areas (photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, and metallization) required, with direct III-V/InP experience in each

Qualifications

• Strong working knowledge of the complete wafer fab process flow for III-V devices, with the technical depth to supervise, troubleshoot, and cover all process areas: photolithography, PECVD, dry etch, wet etch, metallization, and in-line metrology
• Demonstrated ability to step in and support any fab process area, and to cross-train and qualify technicians across modules to build flexible sh