MEMS Process Integration Engineer

HRL Laboratories pioneers the next frontiers of physical and information science. Delivering transformative technologies in automotive, aerospace and defense, HRL advances the critical missions of its customers to help them remove limitations and create competitive advantage. HRL then transitions the work back to customers – ready for real-world application. For more than 70 years, HRL’s rich portfolio of scientific discoveries and engineering innovations continues to build on each other — often in unexpected, profound and far-reaching ways. As a private company owned jointly by Boeing and GM, HRL prioritizes purpose over profit, significantly advancing the state of the art.

HRL Laboratories advances critical structural and functional materials and semiconductor devices that enable precision navigation, quantum technologies and extreme-environment performance. With expertise from design through deployment, we deliver scalable, high-performance solutions that transform our customers’ missions. Our work leverages digital manufacturing and scalable microfabrication techniques to meet tomorrow’s toughest challenges.

HRL's compact, high-performance MEMS IMUs are redefining navigation systems by providing reliable guidance in GPS-degraded environments. Designed with navigation-grade precision, these IMUs offer a cost-effective, scalable solution for automotive, aerospace and other demanding applications where traditional GPS reliance is no longer sufficient. These innovations aim to deliver a first-of-its-kind navigation-grade component, providing industries with a reliable, economical alternative to traditional IMUs and advancing capabilities for autonomous systems and precise navigation.

You will be joining a diverse team of applied scientists and engineers in the development of next generation MEMS-enabled sensors and actuators for high-performance aerospace, automotive and industrial applications. 

• Innovate and create novel microfabrication processes and integrate them into fully optimized process flows that will be applied to our cutting-edge wafer-scale sensors and actuators’ R&D efforts

• Participate in the design, layout, fabrication, and characterization of MEMS-enabled devices and subsystems

• Conduct layout design and designs of experiments

• Through in-process wafer inspections and metrology data, provide timely feedback to project teammates

• Expected to be a task lead who will eventually provide project leadership

• Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in a physical science or engineering field with 5+ years of fabrication process experience in an R&D environment

• Strong track record of process development, process optimization, design of experiments methodology, statistical data analysis and problem solving. 

• Solid verbal and written communication skills in a multi-person team environment, and enable cross-laboratory collaboration and coordination

• Ability to combine disparate process recipes into a full fabrication flow and understand the impact of process interdependence

• Possesses experience and process development expertise in contact/stepper photolithography, wet and plasma dry etches, high aspect-ratio deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon, glass and other MEMS relevant materials, chemical vapor deposition, dielectric and metal depositions, wafer bonding and vacuum encapsulation of microscale structures, sacrificial and structural layer creation and wet/dry release

• Ability to conduct metrology such as optical/infrared microscope inspections, interferometric measurements and scanning electron microscopy with elemental analysis is required.  Design and characterize process control monitors (PCM) for in-process verification

• Ability to design, modify and/or review mask layouts in CAD layout software such as L-Edit or Cadence

• Hands-on experience with both surface and bulk micro-machining is highly desired.

• Proper documentation of fabrication experiments is desired.

• Back-end wafer process experience in wafer grinding, CMP, die singulation and assembly processes into packages is a plus.

• Ability to utilize data analysis software such as JMP, MATLAB, or python is a major plus. 

• Automation of fabrication data collection and analysis is a plus.

• Device simulation such as mechanical, thermal, or electrical Finite element analysis (FEA) modeling in COMSOL or SolidWorks is desired.

• Must be able to perform safely in a MEMS microfabrication cleanroom and follow standard operating practices

• US Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Security Clearance

• Pay Range: $140,700 - $175,900

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location (California). The range displayed on each job posting reflects the target range for new hire salaries for the position. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.

• Benefits: HRL offers a generous and very competitive total compensation and benefits package. Our Regular/Full Time benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401K match, gym facilities, PTO, Sick time, upward mobility, and an exciting and challenging work environment.

• For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: https://www.hrl.com/careers/benefits

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At HRL, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. 

If you would like more information about Equal Employment Opportunity as an applicant under the law, please go to Employees & Job Applicants | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

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