Cleanroom Engineer and/or Research Engineer - Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory
University of Illinois

Cleanroom Engineer and/or Research Engineer

Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory

The Grainger College of Engineering

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory at The Grainger College of Engineering seeks applicants for the position of Cleanroom Engineer and/or Research Engineer (two positions) . Reporting to the Associate Director for Cleanroom Operations, the Cleanroom Engineer supports semiconductor and nanotechnology research activities through user training, equipment calibration and maintenance, research processes verification, laboratory testing and metrology of semiconductor samples, and cleanroom specimen statistical verification. Also reporting to the Associate Director for Cleanroom Operations, the Research Engineer supports research activities through user training, equipment calibration and maintenance, research processes verification, and laboratory testing to promote research activities related to semiconductor device fabrication and processes.

Cleanroom Engineer

Duties and Responsibilities:

Utilize and apply research expertise and education to assist HMNTL cleanroom users to conduct research activities, advise users on the design and redesign of research experiments and development of research techniques, participate in and provide feedback during research focused meetings, and assist with the maintenance, repair, and upgrade of the following to ensure research goals are satisfied:

• Calibration of cleanroom tools within tolerances.

• Deposition equipment used for physical vapor deposition (PVD) including sputtering and evaporation tools and supplies of various metals.

• Optical lithography equipment: spinners, mask aligners, direct write, and flood exposure systems.

• Microscopes, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), furnaces, profilometers, ellipsometers, and assist with other deposition systems.

Provide training and instruction to users conducting research, including faculty and staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and visitors:

• Discuss and continuously review research goals with users and provide equipment training to achieve research and tool uptime goals.

• Develop research tool usage protocols to maintain tools and ensure tools are operating and available for users.

• Develop training materials in the safety and use of tools to collect and evaluate tool quality data.

• Write and maintain tool manuals in coordination with other research staff.

Assume additional responsibilities to promote the unit's mission as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering or related field

• Experience working in a laboratory environment involving complex processing equipment

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering or related field

• Experience working in a cleanroom environment

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Rudimentary understanding of electrical and mechanical schematics and skilled at diagnosing and repairing electromechanical systems and instrumentation

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Environmental Demands:

• Position involves a mix of remaining in a stationary position and moving and traversing throughout the HMNTL facilities, as well as stooping, crawling, and ascending/descending stairs and ladders, operating and physically identifying problems with mechanical and electrical equipment, and moving items weighing up to 50 pounds.

• Position includes operating at a desk, working in tight spaces, working in close proximity to noisy machinery, laboratory chemicals, toxic and pyrophoric gasses, and occasional response to emergency response situations including first responders.

• Incumbent routinely communicates and converses with laboratory occupants and is subject to demanding clients, changing priorities, and managing multiple tasks.

• Incumbent will frequently visit labs with exposure to magnetic, explosive, and chemical risks.

• Additionally, incumbent will visit spaces occupied by the department in multiple non-ADA compliant facilities, in both conditioned and nonconditioned spaces, and perform outside work.

Research Engineer

Duties and Responsibilities:

Utilize and apply progressive research expertise and education to assist HMNTL cleanroom users to conduct research activities. Advise users on the design and redesign of research experiments and development of research techniques, and participate in and provide feedback during research focused meetings. Facilitate the maintenance, repair, and upgrade of the following to ensure research goals are satisfied (this includes consultation with other engineer staff to review issues and improve performance related to recommended solutions):

• Calibration of cleanroom tools within tolerances.

• Plasma etching equipment including reactive ion etching (RIE), and inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE).

• Deposition equipment including plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD).

• Optical lithography equipment including spinners, mask aligners, direct write, and UV exposure systems.

• Microscopes, scanning electron microscopes (SEM), profilometers, and ellipsometers .

Develop and update equipment processes to include the following:

• New processes, calibrating processes, and process equipment.

• Acquire knowledge and experience as tools and processes change in order to provide the most up-to-date information.

• Qualify processes on new equipment, document processes, document tool performance, and add to a process recipe database.

• Perform administrative work such as the creation, distribution, and processing of laboratory forms, log sheets, etc.

Enhance the user experience by identifying the training needs in addition to evaluating strengths and weaknesses to advance research goals. Train users on laboratory procedures and safety on existing processes and equipment.

Assume additional appropriate related research engineer duties to further the mission of the laboratory.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing technologies, including photolithography, deposition, or etching.

• Four years' experience working in process development and troubleshooting related to semiconductor processing tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with plasma etch (RIE and ICP) and plasma deposition (ALD and PECVD) tools

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Comprehensive understanding of electrical and mechanical schematics for diagnosis and repair of semiconductor equipment.

• Excellent organization and planning skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Environmental Demands:

• Position involves a mix of remaining in a stationary position and moving and traversing throughout the HMNTL facilities, as well as stooping, crawling, and ascending/descending stairs and ladders, operating and physically identifying problems with mechanical and electrical equipment, and moving items weighing up to 50 pounds.

• Position includes operating at a desk, working in tight spaces, working in close proximity to noisy machinery, laboratory chemicals, toxic and pyrophoric gasses, and occasional response to emergency response situations including first responders.

• Incumbent routinely communicates and converses with laboratory occupants and is subject to demanding clients, changing priorities, and managing multiple tasks.

• Incumbent will frequently visit labs with exposure to magnetic, explosive, and chemical risks.

• Additionally, incumbent will visit spaces occupied by the department in multiple non-ADA compliant facilities, in both conditioned and nonconditioned spaces, and perform outside work.

Appointment Information

These are full-time academic professional positions appointed on a 12-month service basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date ideally, no later than May 1, 2023. Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date. Starting salary for the Cleanroom Engineer is $70,000. Starting salary for the Research Engineer is $80,000. Salary for both positions is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Employees hired into these positions will be expected to work onsite on a full-time basis.

Application Procedures and Deadline Information

Applications must be received by January 31, 2023. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Please upload your cover letter, resume, and names/contact information for three references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Amy Meharry at amym@illinois.edu . For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .

Requisition ID: 1014456
Job Category: Research
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu