Principal Thin Film Process Engineer (PVD/EB Evaporation)

Location: San Jose, California, USA; onsite wafer fab role

Salary: $134,750–$192,500 per year

Company

hirify.global develops and manufactures photonics and optical technologies supported by high-volume wafer fabrication.

What you will do

• Serve as the technical lead and subject matter expert for PVD, sputter deposition, and electron beam evaporation.
• Control dielectric, oxide, and metal coating processes by optimizing thin-film optical, structural, and mechanical properties.
• Oversee vacuum hardware, PLCs, control interfaces, tool-to-tool matching, recipe robustness, and cycle-time optimization.
• Lead continuous improvement, root cause analysis, FMEA, Pareto analysis, yield improvement, and defect reduction initiatives.
• Develop automated process health monitors using Python, MATLAB, or JMP and implement corrective actions for production deviations.
• Own equipment procurement and qualification, partner with Planning, Quality, and R&D, and coach process engineers and technicians.

Requirements

• Advanced expertise in DC, RF, and reactive sputtering/PVD and EB evaporation for metals, dielectrics, and oxides.
• Experience supporting high-volume wafer fab manufacturing with high-uptime toolsets.
• Expertise in SPC, DOE, and FMEA for process characterization and stability control.
• Proficiency with ellipsometry, SEM-EDX, TEM, AFM, XPS, FIB, XRR, SAXS, FTIR, and defect metrology.
• Experience with Python, MATLAB, JMP, or Minitab for large-scale data analysis.
• Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, plus 10+ years of semiconductor process engineering experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Compensation may include annual bonus, equity, and health and welfare benefits.
• Focus on technical excellence, customer focus, and data-driven decision-making.