Wafer Fab Technician - PECVD, Dry Etch & Wet Etch

semtech; California; Sur place; USD 65 000 - 90 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Semtech in Rowland, CA seeks a Wafer Fab Process Technician to run volume production for InP BH DFB lasers and BH GC devices, overseeing PECVD, etch, and passivation steps while ensuring process stability and high yield in a cleanroom environment.

You will mentor junior technicians, lead root-cause investigations, maintain POR discipline, and collaborate with Process Engineering to implement recipe changes and improvements for reliable, high-throughput manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or equivalent technical experience.

Responsabilités

• Operate PECVD, dry etch, and wet etch modules to move wafer lots through production.
• Lead root-cause investigations for process excursions and drift.
• Own SPC control charts for PECVD, etch rates, and film properties.
• Maintain POR documentation and recipe changes with engineering.
• Train Operators on PECVD, etch operations and troubleshooting.

Connaissances

Root-cause analysis

Troubleshooting

Process control

Mentoring/training

Cross-functional collaboration

Formation

Associate degree in electronics, chemistry, materials science, or related technical field

Outils

PECVD systems

ICP/RIE dry etch systems

Wet etch benches

Ellipsometer/Reflectometer

Profilometer

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Defect inspection

Description du poste

Location

Rowland, CA

Position Summary

The Wafer Fab Process Technician serves as a key production and technical leader whose primary responsibility is running volume production in support of daily wafer fabrication schedules, while also ensuring process stability, recipe control, and yield performance across InP photonic device lines, specifically InP Buried Heterostructure (BH) DFB lasers and BH Gain Chips (GC). The majority of this role's hands-on time is spent operating the thin film and etch modules (PECVD dielectric deposition systems, ICP/RIE dry etch systems, and wet etch benches) to keep volume production lots moving on schedule, including the dielectric mask, Mesa etch, and surface preparation steps that support MOCVD epitaxial regrowth of InP current-blocking layers used to form the buried heterostructure, as well as dielectric passivation of the finished device.

Operating with minimal supervision in a III-V cleanroom environment, the Technician plays a vital role in meeting fab throughput targets, leading root-cause investigations for process excursions, maintaining strict Process-of-Record (POR) discipline, and mentoring junior technicians and operators to support reliable, high-yield, high-volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

PECVD, Dry Etch & Wet Etch Production Operations (50%)

• Serve as the primary production technician for the PECVD, dry etch, and wet etch modules, keeping InP BH DFB laser and BH GC wafer lots moving through volume production on schedule
• Operate PECVD systems to deposit SiO2 and SiNx dielectric films used as etch/regrowth masks and passivation layers, maintaining film thickness, refractive index, uniformity, and stress within specification for every lot
• Operate ICP/RIE dry etch systems for dielectric mask patterning and InP/InGaAsP Mesa etch steps that directly support MOCVD epitaxial regrowth for buried heterostructure formation; control etch rate, selectivity, sidewall profile, and etch depth
• Execute wet etch and wet bench steps, including stripe etch, BOE oxide removal, resist strip, and pre-regrowth surface cleans, and maintain bench chemistry through scheduled bath changes and concentration checks
• Perform chamber cleans, seasoning, and scheduled preventive maintenance tasks on PECVD and dry etch tools, and qualify chambers with monitor wafers (particle, rate, and uniformity) prior to returning tools to production
• Prioritize and sequence hot lots, engineering wafers, and standard production lots across the deposition and etch bays to sustain high tool utilization and meet daily/weekly throughput targets
• Perform in-line film thickness, refractive index, etch depth, and defect inspection and first-wafer/first-lot qualification checks prior to releasing lots downstream
• Troubleshoot routine PECVD, dry etch, and wet bench tool and process issues in real time to minimize downtime and protect production schedule adherence

Advanced Process Troubleshooting & Root Cause (20%)

• Lead root-cause investigation for process excursions and drift across assigned process modules (e.g., PECVD film thickness or stress non-uniformity, dry etch rate or profile drift, particle adders, wet etch undercut variation)
• Design and run targeted process checks (short-loop wafers, engineering splits) to isolate root cause
• Partner with Process Engineering and Equipment Engineering on corrective action design and verification

Process Control & SPC Ownership (20%)

• Own SPC control charts and control-limit reviews for assigned process area, including PECVD film thickness, refractive index, and stress, dry etch rate and depth, and wet etch rate metrics
• Own and maintain process recipes and POR documentation for assigned process area, with emphasis on PECVD deposition recipes and dry etch recipes
• Evaluate and implement engineering-approved recipe changes; verify post-change process stability
• Support qualification of new or modified process steps

DOE, Qualification & Training Support (10%)

• Support execution of DOEs, process qualifications, and NPI process runs
• Train and mentor Operators on PECVD, dry etch, and wet etch production operation, process control methods, and troubleshooting technique

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree in electronics, chemistry, materials science, or related technical field preferred; equivalent experience considered
• 5 - 10 years of experience in semiconductor/photonics wafer processing, with direct III-V/InP process experience
• Direct, hands-on experience operating PECVD and plasma dry etch (ICP/RIE) systems in a high-volume production environment strongly preferred
• Hands-on wet etch and wet bench experience on III-V materials and dielectrics preferred
• Strong working knowledge of PECVD dielectric deposition (SiO2, SiNx), plasma dry etch, wet etch, and in-line fab process steps
• Hands-on proficiency operating deposition, etch, and metrology tools (ellipsometer/reflectometer, profilometer, SEM, defect inspection) in a volume production setting
• Working knowledge of plas